I found a wonderful second-hand 1940s knitting pattern book, a get well present for my mother, the obsessive knitter, after a hard and debilitating illness. I know she loves old knitting recipes, especially ones from the 1940s, and the book delivered handsomely. Too handsomely.

Within these soon-to-be-coveted pages I found the best looking t-shirt I have seen in a long, long time. Knitted! Texture! Simplicity of shape! The open, generous neckline. Sleeves to the elbow, just so. Very Margaret Howell in the honesty of silhouette, perfectly embodying the ethos of workmen’s clothing of yore. I was hooked. I wanted.

Did it seem mean-spirited to send a get well book to a recuperating mother with a note inside reading ‘I really, REALLY like the pattern on pages xx. Please knit me.’? Probably. Was it selfish? Most likely. Do I really, really want that t-shirt? You betcha.

BDW