Mountain Wisdom...

May 29, 2014

My ancestors came to America from Ireland ages ago and settled in the hollows on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  They lived in the area that is now known as the Shenandoah National Park.  There, they built their homes and raised their children and livestock until they were told by the government that they had to leave.  The “fair” price paid by the government for their farms was, of course, determined by the government.  Those who didn’t willingly sell their land to the government were physically removed.  The removal of the “mountain people” from that area caused untold grief and misery for many men, women and children.  The creation of the Shenandoah National Park and the resulting removal of the mountain people almost completely obliterated a culture that had existed in that part of the Blue Ridge for generations…note that I say “almost” obliterated a culture.

There are still some descendents of these mountain people who try to keep the traditions and culture alive.  I am one of those descendents.  Having always had a keen interest in history, I was endlessly intrigued by the stories my parents and grandparents would tell.  It was through these stories that Daddy first mentioned that we were of Irish descent.  It was also through these stories that Momma told me of an old Christmas tradition in the “hollows” that was called “Kriskringling”.  As the story goes, Kriskringling took place during the Christmas holidays and the hollow folk would dress up in any costume they could find…old clothes, hats, handmade face masks, etc.  Then they would visit their neighbors and see if the neighbors could guess their identities.  Apparently there was a large participation by the people and, according to Momma, everyone enjoyed the game.  It was through a cousin that I learned of a connection that I have with my great-grandmother on my father’s side.  She had a spinning wheel that was auctioned off after her death.  The spinning wheel was purchased at the auction by a distant cousin who took it with her to Oregon (or was it Washington?).  After many years, the spinning wheel was given to my cousin and returned to Virginia.  I took up spinning several years ago.  Whenever I spin, I think of the hours that my great-grandmother must have spent at her wheel and the things she might have made with the resulting yarn.  I hope, some day, to see her wheel in person.

Mountain people were also known for their self-sufficiency.  They grew their own food, made most of their own clothes and household furnishings.  They rarely made trips into the local towns except to buy the things that they couldn’t make themselves or to sell livestock or other items from their farms.  They “made over” clothes and handed them down from the oldest to the youngest child.  Often the girls wore dresses that were made from brightly printed cotton sacks that originally contained animal feed or food staples.  (I absolutely love these “feed sacks” and was lucky enough to score about five of these at a yard sale about ten years ago…they have an ordinary beauty that is extraordinary to me.)  Mountain people were creative and crafty out of necessity. 

I see personality traits in myself that strongly mirror those of my ancestors.  Perhaps you can tell, from my previous posts, that I get a huge amount of satisfaction from growing things, making things and recycling things.  I see potential in almost anything that other people would consider junk.  Hence, the purpose of this post…my family would not be surprised in the least by my adding some fabric to a vellum rice bag (which most people would throw in the trash) to make a knitting tote.  A picture of the completed tote is shown below.  Now…if I can just think of a use for that bottomless wash tub that I have had sitting in my basement for the past eight years…       

My favorite rice immortalized as a lovely knitting bag.

I have it shown stuffed to the gills with
eight skeins of sock yarn, a laminated sock
pattern, six double-pointed knitting needles
(although I normally use one pair of circular
needles for socks, the six double-points looked more
impressive) and three fancy stitch markers.

This bag is perfect for small knitting projects such as socks,
it's sturdy so it will stand up to a fair amount of wear and
tear, it's one more thing that won't end up in our local landfill,
and it should prove to be a nice conversation starter as well.
Wow, this recycling project is a win-win-win-win situation!