by Michele Arishenkoff.
Michele Arishenkoff welcomes a new baby into her extended family with a handknitted gift and a letter that lovingly connects the baby to their family and those that came before them:
Dearest child,
Here is the story of your sweater (…and Big Red).
A long, long time ago on a high mountain pass, there was a wooden spinning wheel called Big Red. For a while, Big Red lived in a tiny blue room upstairs in a large communal village. Old Babushka sat peacefully at the wheel, quietly humming prayers in Russian and spinning wool into miles and miles and miles of fine, white yarn. The yarn was used to knit stockings for the children to keep their tender toes warm during the cold, snowy winter days.
Time passed and circumstances changed. Big Red moved to a new home closer to town. Unfortunately, she sat dormant for a while in the storage room of the garage. From time to time, the children would sneak into the storage room to peek at Big Red and rummage through all of the other goodies that were stowed with her. They would turn her wheel a few times, push the foot treadle and watch the hand-forged metal crank move up and down, up and down. Big Red was a mystery to them. They wondered, “What does she do?” “How does she work?” “Where does the fluff go in and how does the string come out?”
And once again, time passed and circumstances changed. Big Red moved again to another new home, even closer to town. And this time, she sat in the basement amongst boxes of stored clothes and saved housewares and old magazines. Times had changed. Old Babushka was too busy now, tending to her garden or making borsch and pyrahi. And there was no need to spin yarn to knit stockings because they could be bought at the store.
And once again, time passed and circumstances changed. One of the children, who was all grown up and an Aunty now could hear Big Red’s whisper, “Spin me, spin me, spin me!” Aunty decided it was time to put Big Red back into service…such a beautiful spinning wheel, sturdy and strong….”there is work to be done!”
So, Big Red was packed carefully into a crate and put on an airplane and flown halfway across the country—quite an adventure for the hundred-year-old spinning wheel.
Now settled in her next home, Big Red went to visit the Wheelwright for a tune up. Her axle was oiled, her bands were tightened, and her frame was waxed and polished. Aunty went to Spinning School to learn how get Big Red to spin sheep’s fleece into yarn again, yarn that could be knit into garments.
To this day, Big Red sits proudly in the front room in the big city on the shores of the Great Lake, happy to be back in action. She will produce stockings and hats and mittens for the children…. But for you Lev, she has knit a cozy warm sweater (aka sveet’yer).
Time will pass, circumstances will change, but no matter where you are, there will be a common thread and much love that connects you to your family, your cultures, your heritage and your ancestors.
About the author: At an early age Michele Arishenkoff was eager to learn to crochet from her mother. And with that, handcrafted textiles colour and design captured her interest. Since picking up two needles and learning to knit, about 20 years ago, she continues to be inspired by the creative community of Knitting.
