After Winnie Fatovich

beg: begin // before Mum got married in 1950 she had 17 tops that she made for herself // sl ss: slip stitch // hands worn like sandpaper from her work in the market garden // bp: back post // she moved // yoh: yarn over hook // adjusted the gauge of her yarn // trtr: triple treble // increasing and decreasing the number and tightness of her slip stitch and treble crochet // htr: half treble // she knew sometimes you need to hold on tight and other times you need to loosen your grip to ensure the right fit // approx: approximately // she spoke two languages fluently // ch: chain // translated for the whole community // fp: front post // with crochet she spoke another language with her hands // inc: increase // the infinity scarf as Mobius strip // rnd: round // the mathematics and geometry of women’s craft // dec: decrease // Mum and dad didn’t throw anything away. // rep: repeat // When she had children she undid all those 17 tops // rnd: round // because she couldn’t afford to buy wool to make jumpers for us // turn: turn your work to start a new row // afterwards // Winnie dreamt of that afternoon blouse she pulled apart // alt: alternate // the boxes of pencils she had won at school // beg: begin // dancing the kolo at the town hall as a single girl // sk: skip // the life she could have had if educating women // cont: continue // wasn’t thought of as a waste of time // ws: wrong side // Winnie made sure all four of her children (girls and boys) went to school // This was like therapy for her // she would crochet and encourage us to do our homework // join: connect stitches, often with a slip stitch // fo: fasten off //