AGNES

Today is the anniversary of my grandmother's birth.  When I was a girl my grandmother and I would have a birthday dinner honoring both of us sometime between her birthday and my birthday three days later.  That's a nice remembrance for me.  When I was making this hat today I was using odds and ends of yarn and my goal was just to use them up.  When I was working on the hat I was thinking that this hat wasn't pretty or feminine enough to be called AGNES but then I stopped to think about some things I remember about my grandmother.  For one thing she could make THE BEST lefse in the whole world and when Dad brought home a box of lefse, we knew grandma was working in the kitchen that day and we would all be eating lefse for lunch.  Grandma loved kids and was a highly sought after babysitter especially in her retirement years.  When she died the newspaper printed a lengthy obituary for her entitled "Grandmother to Hundreds".  So, here's the thing.....grandma was a practical woman.  I remember watching her darn socks using a wooden darning egg.  To her, socks with holes just needed repair not replacement.  My dad told me about the times when my grandmother would work with the traveling dressmaker and they would take apart worn coats and restitch them with the "new" inside material on the outside, giving extended life to the garment.  (My dad didn't like this!)  So, this hat is dedicated to Grandma B.  She would approve of the practicality of using odds and ends and I think she would get a big kick out of her granddaughter naming a hat in her honor.  It's a nice hat, grandma.  Why it's practically perfect!  Now, let's put on a pot of coffee and celebrate.  Happy Birthday, Grandma!!!  Love, Jean