Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Knitting: A Rainy Day Fund
"Knowledge of any constructive kind, any educational hobby, is a rainy day fund. It makes life interesting, develops appreciation and teaches us the virtues of fidelity to honest purpose."
This quote is by Mary Brooks Picken, born in 1886 in a Kansas farmhouse, who became America's foremost authority on the domestic arts.
She was the founder of the Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences in Scranton, Pennsylvania and became a national treasure, championing the education of women even in the days before women could vote. She published almost 100 books on sewing, dressmaking, needle arts and fashion.
For more about Mary Brooks Picken and to read some of her inspirational essays and instructional pieces, check out Amy Barickman's book Vintage Notions: An Inspirational Guide to Needlework, Cooking, Sewing, Fashion and Fun. She collected together many of Picken's writings and re-introduced them to readers in this collection.
The quote at the beginning is from "Thimblefuls of Friendliness". The language may be somewhat dated, but the sentiment is not.
We knitters know just how valuable our "rainy day fund" is.
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