Crochet Coathangers - a new Xmas Tradition

For as long as I can remember my grandmother has been crocheting coathangers for Christmas. Every lady in the family gets one of her special coathangers and a crochet hand towel.

I've been collecting these in my cupboard and in my 29 years on this planet have just about replaced all my tatty old coathangers with Grandma's.

But this year my grandmother's health has gone downhill. She's suffered a series of strokes and while she is still with us, the strokes have brought on the symptoms of dementia. This has made it really hard for Grandma to keep up her knitting and crocheting and sadly last years coathangers will be the last ones.

My mother and I were feeling upset by this. It's strange the things that throw mortality up in your face. Not the wrinkles or the greying hair, but the loss of something that was so fundamental to our family Christmases. We decided that these traditions were too strong to let go of so we have been taking over the making of Grandma's Christmas crochet's.

My mother has been busily creating hand towels and I have taken on the duty of the crochet coathanger. This was no light burden. My aunts adore my grandmothers coathangers, and it is the first thing they look for in the Christmas goody bag they receive.

It was a difficult decision as to whether I should replicate Grandma's coathanger or if I should adapt it to be my own. This year I went with a new adapted version as I didn't want Grandma to think I was replacing her (her illness has made her particularly sensitive to these things). But I think it's going to be an ongoing development of ideas until I find the perfect coathanger to carry on the tradition.

So I've spent my nights (and mornings, and lunch breaks) busily crocheting away and have a handful ready for Christmas. And while I've been doing this on my own in my own apartment away from my Grandma I've spent the time reflecting back on the memories I have with her - this strong capable woman who most definitely has been the Matriarch of our family. Funny how a coathanger can have so much meaning stitched into it.

Links
Mollie Makes - Crochet Coathanger pattern
Crochet with Raymond