This is the last bonus square of the blanket project. After this post there are only two squares and two fancies remaining! It is hard to believe that we are so close to the end of the project.
I had a lot of fun with this square!
My grandmother is from Belfast. She came to Canada in 1921 or 1922. She came over with her young son (my father’s big brother) and her sister, to start a new life in Canada. Less than 2 months later she married my Grandfather and her family continued to grow. She also came with superstitions like Stingy Jack, and Angel Mistakes.
Her sister, my Great Aunt Peggy, spent one memorable visit teaching me how to knit when I was 15. She also taught me about Angel Mistakes. Whereby only the Angels were perfect and only they could create perfection, so us lowly knitters, were allowed, nay encouraged to make the odd mistake. I try to teach that to my knitting students… it doesn’t always take, some are perfectionists.
My father was particularly fond of carving pumpkins! He wasn’t artistic, but he was enthusiastic. As we got older we were encouraged to draw the faces, and then take on the carving!
Jack’s My Name, Halloween Is My Game! 🎃
Long before pumpkins became the grinning faces of Halloween, people in Ireland and Scotland were carving lanterns from turnips and other root vegetables.
The tradition is often linked to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a clever trickster who managed to outwit the Devil but ultimately found himself unwelcome in both Heaven and Hell. Condemned to wander the darkness, Jack carried a glowing ember inside a hollowed-out turnip to light his way.
And so the legend of Jack of the Lantern — or jack-o’-lantern — was born.
When Irish immigrants brought their traditions to North America, they discovered pumpkins. Larger, softer, and considerably easier to carve than turnips, pumpkins quickly became the lantern of choice.
Over time, the eerie lanterns became the cheerful, mischievous, and sometimes downright wicked faces we associate with Halloween today.
Which brings us to my own little collection of Jacks.
These fellows may be knitted rather than carved, but they have plenty of personality. And judging by those grins, I suspect they’re up to no good!
This square will require a little more patience than some of the others. There are several techniques to juggle, and the stitches change frequently as those mischievous faces begin to emerge.
Knitting Jack is rather like carving Jack. A little challenging at times, occasionally surprising, but immensely satisfying when those grinning faces finally appear.
And should an Angel Mistake creep into your knitting, Great Aunt Peggy would certainly approve.
Trick or Treat!
This time it’s a treat!
Happy Knitting
Lynette
