Grandma Smith's crochet - Introduction

Grandma Smith crocheted many items that are now treasured by her family and friends. Grandma edged pillowcases in crocheted lace and was generous in giving them spontaneously or as presents for celebrations and showers. She was very quick to share a smile, a hug, a cookie, or these lovely and delicate lace works. Grandma worked from crocheted swatches of her patterns, not written patterns. She kept a small bag of these pattern swatches in her needlework workbag. When Grandma passed away in 1983, I asked her daughter Lorraine, my husband's mother, to please let me translate her crochet patterns to written text to preserve her crocheted lace legacy. At the time, I was the only one in the family who crocheted lace like this. This translation project was begun immediately after Grandma’s passing, back in the early 80’s, but was never completed due to the demands of family and career. Retirement now allows me to finish the project and share the legacy with our family and friends. I've enjoyed remembering Grandma Smith while working on this.

Below are some thoughts about Grandma from her family.


From Lorraine Beverly Smith Simmer Davis, one of Grandma Smith's daughters:My mother, Eva Smith, was so dear to me. I couldn't have had a more caring mother. She taught me so many things -- how to knit, crochet and have good manners.

She cared about other people and had many friends. She worked hard all her life, she was not a quitter. Her mother dressed her in beautiful clothes that she had made for her. Then her mother died when Eveleen was only nine years old. Her world was turned upside down. Her father didn't want her, she worked at different homes for relatives. At one aunt's home, she had two dresses alike. She wore one a week to school. One uncle gave her a stocking for Christmas filled with ashes and potato skins, how cruel.

Her best years were spent in the Dorcas Home, an Orphanage in Owasso, Michigan.

My mother was born March 21, 1900 and married my dear father August 6, 1919. My father, Lloyd B. Smith, and mother, Eveleen Smith Smith, had three children and took in and cared for Leonard Moriarity and his mother, Gladys Moriarity, a first cousin, until he graduated with Lloyd Eugene Smith from Pontiac High School. [Lloyd Eugene is Lorraine's brother; her other sibling is her sister Bernadine June Smith Allen]

When we were in Jr. High, my mother took a typing class and then graduated from Pontiac Business Institute School and worked as the comptroller at the Oakland County Road Commission. She was very successful and happy and a wonderful grandmother, then she taught her grandchildren many things.

Oh, when I was young (about 8-13) my mother, who also made most of my sister's, Bernadine June, and my clothes would give me left over material to make clothes for my little dolls. She taught me to sew. Then she used some of the dress materials for quilts and Bernadine and I would sit in bed and find pieces of our dresses. She made me formals for my dance classes. And the most precious thing of all my childhood gifts was the Christmas gift of a beautiful big doll that she made clothes for. Lots of clothes, hats and coats, one reversible. She knit hats and sweaters, too. They were the most beautiful dolls. One doll had blue eyes, the other brown. Bernadine and I had the same thing -- I still have mine. What a wonderful blessing God had given to so many, my mother.

From Bernadine June Smith Allen, one of Grandma Smith's daughters:I'll continue where Lorraine left off:

Every Saturday, all four of us had chores -- Eugene and Leonard had their chores, Lorraine cleaned the living and dining rooms, Mom cleaned the kitchen and I cleaned the 3 bedrooms and bathroom. Our work had to be done by noon-- and no sloppy job. We always got our jobs done on time as my mother always played a game of racing against the clock. After lunch she drove us to the show and after the show she picked us up in front of Pauli Shoe Store where our father worked.

Mom took us many places. The Detroit Institute of Art and the Zoo, and we'd take a picnic lunch and we always bought an ice cream cone at the zoo. Movies with a stage shows in Detroit, Michigan (Fox & Fisher Theaters). We always stopped at Saunder's to have a sundae. Remember when the entire family went to see Opera Under the Stars at Navin Field (Briggs Stadium [now Tiger Stadium])? Mom loved music.

Mom took us to Tiger baseball games and one time the boys watched the have from Mr. Navin's box. What good times we had with Mom.

Mom canned tomatoes, best ever chili sauce, pears and peaches every year. She also made the best grape jelly. Also delicious vanilla topping for the peaches.

She was the best cook. We had meat, potatoes, one or two vegetables, salad and dessert could be a homemade pie or cake, or fruit & sometimes ice cream every night.

Oh! yes, one more thing she made and that was grape juice.

Because I was the last one to leave home, Mom and I would play different games every night when we were both home-- Flinch, Rummy, Parchese, Dominoes, Canasta and Double Solitaire.

Mom was strict, but a very loving person. She used to tell us right is right and wrong is wrong. She would tell me if you didn't put the right ingredients in a cake it would turn out wrong. If you didn't do what was right, you would turn out wrong.

I know I haven't remembered everything, but I know she was the best Mom and I still think of her so much. I was so lucky to have a mother like her.

From Lloyd Eugene (Gene) Smith, Grandma Smith's son As long as I can remember mother was either crocheting or knitting. She has made many mittens, gloves, hats and afghans for my whole family. In fact, I continue to use the one remaining afghan, for I recently gave each of my four children one. Thought it best to have them old enough to really appreciate said gifts. This remaining fifth one, is really treasured, and as such snuggle with it on cold evenings. Each of her afghans are labeled with her name thereon.

One other fact should be known, and without any doubt, this mother of mine was the guiding force that provided success without the necessity of any formal education. She alone inspired, complemented and drilled deeply into me, "Where there is a will, there is a way". She had me do everything under the sun, such as insulate the attic; floor the attic; build a fence around the back yard; build a broken concrete retaining wall; form and pour a concrete curb; paint this and that; maintain the yard; wash the windows; replace windows; fix household electrical and plumbing problems; rip off old wood lath and plaster and re-plaster; and on and on. She had a pit full of sayings like "Monkey see, monkey do", "Money isn't every thing, but everything costs money", "When the going gets tough, the tough get going", and on and on. Then too, I had a father that stressed the importance of credibility and honesty, and between he, and mother, together with an upbringing in a rip roaring depression, it was all that was the necessary for anyone with motivation and ambition.

How lucky it was having such a wonderful in-house education.

From one of her granddaughters, Patricia Eveleen Simmer Dobosenski (Patty)Grandma Eveleen Warrena Smith was always just “Grandma” to me. She was the only Grandma I ever knew and oh, what a treasure she was! She and Grandpa were like a second set of parents to us Simmer kids. Living across the road from them meant they were part of our daily lives.

Grandma was often in “her” chair in the living room, knitting or crocheting. Her hands were always busy. I enjoyed talking with her while she did her handwork and once or twice when I was in my teens, I asked her to teach me to knit. We sat side by side on the couch and she would do a stitch or two too fast for my eyes to track, hand the needles to me and ask me to do it. I couldn’t. She would try a few more times and then say, “I never was a good teacher.” That was my lesson? I taught myself to knit from a book I bought. Grandma had given me the desire to knit even if she wasn’t able to teach the process. All of us grandchildren received numerous mittens, hats, scarves, and as we grew older, afghans, made by Grandma. The crocheting she did was evident everywhere in her house. The doilies, chair back and arm covers, and pillowcase lace was there for all to see. The pillowcase lace was on every pillowcase in our home too.

Grandma taught me some important life lessons. One was about earning money. Grandma gave me my first job. One Sunday I remember hearing Mama and Grandma talking about her job and how tired she was at the end of the day. She said she wished she could get someone to clean her house while she was at work. It was summer time so on Monday, while Grandma was at work at the Oakland County Road Commission, I cleaned her house… in about 2 hours. I was 9 years old. I must have made a difference because Grandma called our house that day after work wondering if there was an “angel” over there who had visited their house. She asked that I come over. I did and she gave me a dollar. That was a lot of money for a 9-year-old back then! I was in heaven! So the next day, having nothing better to do, I cleaned again. Grandma gently explained to me that once a week was enough and that day would become Saturday so she could teach me how to clean… in about 6 hours. We cleaned with the record player going in the breezeway… songs that I can sing by heart today that I still hear on the “oldies” station! Some days we would not have as much time to do all the rungs on the chairs, etc. She called that cleaning, “A lick and a promise”, meaning it was just surface cleaning and we would get to it later. On some of those days we would play “Beat the Clock”, trying to get a room “clean” in only 10 minutes or so.

My job with Grandma expanded to helping her host dinner parties on Saturday nights with friends. They could start playing cards after dinner, while I cleaned up and did dishes. I could hear them all laughing and having fun. It was great to be a part of Grandma and Grandpa’s social life too.

I could go on and on but could never mention all the ways Grandma influenced my life. She and Mama were wonderful seamstresses. Mama taught me how to sew mainly by just being there for me when I didn’t know what to do. Grandma often made fun things like doll clothes for us but Mama was busy just making clothes for 5 growing children. How lucky for me to have such wonderful role models. Sewing, knitting, and crocheting are how I have chosen to spend my leisure hours all of my life and especially now that I am retired from teaching school.

Thanks, Grandma!

From one of her granddaughters, Jeanne Ann Simmer Ensley, affectionately: Grandma will always have a very special place in my heart! We were blessed to live so close.

Unfortunately, I never took up knitting or crocheting -- just sewing and counted cross-stitch. I took my cue from Patty's experience and never asked Grandma to teach me :-). But I'll never forget her doing her handiwork while watching "Perry Mason" on TV. She never had to look at what she was doing as she intently tried to figure out the mystery murderer on TV. Once the show was over, she would put down her stitching project and go back to playing Canasta or Flinch or Muggins with us. We didn't mind waiting, though, because Grandpa would usually get up from his chair to get everyone an ice cream float while "Perry Mason" was on. Yum! Whenever we played cards with Grandma, she would let one of us keep score, being very patient with us. I still think of her every time I play cards and keep score -- I'm sure that had an impact on my ability to do mental math so well.

Saturday mornings were always a treat at Grandma & Grandpa's, as long as we could get over there before they fed their delicious, left-over blueberry pancakes to their dogs, Boots and Buttons. It was good to walk into the house, smell the fresh-brewed coffee, and see that plate of pancakes still on the corner of the counter, ready to be taken downstairs to the dogs -- we knew we had made it in time. The first question Grandma would always ask me was, " Well how many fights did you start today?" I'd usually stop to think so I could tell her the correct number of fights, but then I'd add, "... but I didn't start all of them!" She would laugh, give me a hug, and call me her "pepper Pot."

I have fond memories of first, Grandpa plowing their garden on his orange tractor; then, later, seeing Grandma out in the plush garden, picking the beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., with him. One day, I was intrigued by Grandma using a pair of scissors to cut fat, juicy tomato worms in half. I was following her around, watching wide-eyed, when one of those fat, green worms squirted all over me! Yuck! I ran, screaming, from the garden, barely letting my feet touch the ground as I raced across the road to get home and wash it all off. I'm sure Grandma was as horrified as me at the time, but she most likely had a good chuckle as I raced home.

After Patty got older and more involved in school, I eventually got to take over the Saturday housecleaning job at Grandma's. As with everything else, I took longer to do the job, but I especially enjoyed it because I didn't have to take care of any "stuff"-- just had to clean. Back then and to this day, the "stuff" is always the most annoying part of cleaning house. It was especially fun to clean when Grandma & Grandpa would go away for that day, too, because I'd put records on, turn the stereo way up, and sing along with The Sound of Music, Mitch Miller, Nat King Cole, and many others as I vacuumed, dusted and mopped. It was great fun.

Another memory that stands out is the week Grandma & Grandpa took us on their week's vacation up north. That was so special that they made it a priority to take 2 grandchildren each year to enjoy a week with them. I still have the beach towel that they gave me on that trip. I can't tell you exactly where we went or what we did, but that wasn't what really mattered; just knowing they wanted to have us with them and they were sharing themselves with us was the special part of the whole experience. I hope to carry on that tradition with our grandchildren.

Yes, there are many more memories I could go on about, but probably my most special memory was Grandma bending down, wrapping her loving arms around me, and saying, "Bless your heart!" Some days I really needed that blessing and the knowledge that she loved me, regardless of how many fights I had started.