Frieda's 111th Birthday + Color by Kristin Yarn Giveaway

I was lucky to have had my grandma Frieda play a large part in my early life. When my 4 sisters and I were small, we would frequently be dropped off at her home while my mom went to a church meeting or one of the other organizations she was involved in. Gram lived across town from us and frequently came to our home to care for us. Every Christmas she would make us all matching flannel nightgowns often trimmed with hand tatted lace which my great grandmother made by the yard and Gram had held onto for years. On Christmas eve, she would arrive with the 5 boxes and we would rip them open, put on the nighties, and Dad would take the annual photo with our pug dog Pixie. 

Frieda Roessler Nicholas in her early 80's sitting on her sunporch

Frieda Roessler Nicholas immigrated from Thalheim, Germany when she was 10 years old. When she arrived in America, speaking no English, she and her parents became part of the large German immigrant population in Dover, NJ. She learned English and graduated from the 8th grade. She then went to work at Gunther's Hosiery Mill adding the tops to silk stockings. She married my grandfather Arch who was from an English immigrant family in 1920. She worked at the hosiery factory until she had her first child Harry in 1923 and then later my Dad Arch in 1928. After her husband died in 1950, Gram went to work at a local elementary school and ran the school cafeteria. Gram wasn't a book educated woman but she was constantly reading, expanding her knowledge and interests. She was a big fan of PBS, Masterpiece Theatre and Prevention Magazine.

Gram was an amazing quilter, embroiderer, gardener, sewer, baker, and cook but what I remember her doing the most was crocheting. When I was about 10 years old, she taught me to crochet and for years, I made ponchos (it was the 70's), scarves, bags, and whatever else was featured in those great oversized "McCall's Needlework and Crafts" magazines which I used to spend hours pouring over when Mom brought them home from the grocery store. As a teen, I did many crafts - embroidery, needlepoint, crochet, but sewing was my main interest. I spent hours and hours cutting out patterns, sewing blouses, jackets, pants, skirts, coats while watching my favorite NY Mets on our old black and white t.v.

Gram with her Christmas Stollen - still a tradition in our family

Whenever Gram would come over, I would show her my latest project. Gram was my most encouraging and positive fan - my biggest cheerleader. I can still hear her say "Oh, Kristin, you are so clever" in her understated voice. If I was ever having a bad day, Gram would make me feel better. When I went away to college and graduate school, Gram wrote me letters weekly in her beautiful cursive and I wrote her back. Her letters were full of what she was cooking, baking, and doing in her garden. A couple months ago, I found those letters and sat down and teared up as I read through them.

This summer Mom gave me a beat-up gold recipe box. I didn't know what it was and opened it. In it was Gram's handwriting on 3 x 5" index cards. I have poured through the recipes several times, recognizing handwriting from other family members who had contributed to the box. It is a treasure and I hope one day I can organize it, try out many of the recipes, and put them down in some kind of format to share with the other women and cooks in our family. (Thank you Fernando for taking care of this box for all these years and for thinking of me!)

So this week, we are celebrating what would have been Gram's 111th birthday with a Color By Kristin Giveaway. Gram always loved a good contest; during the Depression, she won a washing machine and frequently told us that she had only been lucky once. Here's what I have for you all - one 25 gram ball of the twenty colors of my Color By Kristin Yarn, courtesy of Classic Elite Yarns. One knitter or crocheter is going to be very lucky!

Here's how you enter...... Leave a note in the comments about an older person in your life - past or present - who influenced you and why. As always, leave an easy way to get a hold of you, e-mail, blog address, or Ravelry ID.

Winner will be picked by Random Number Generator. Contest ends Friday November 16th at 11:59 p.m. - just in time to get the winner their yarn for holiday crafting.
Contest is over. Thanks everyone for entering. The winner Cindy who wrote:
For me it was my Grandmother Zona who taught me needlework First there were sewing cards- cardboard with pictures and holes. Then it was embroidery, then spool knitting with a wooden spool with nails that Grandpa fixed for me. Then she taught me to knit. Recently I was delighted to have one of my granddaughters ask me to teach her to crochet. Thanks - Cindy (I am kidnurse on Ravelry)
 

Have a great week everyone!