more precious than jewels

My grandmother passed away about a year ago. My father has been steadily cleaning out her house since then. He recently called me to say that he found “more of those knitting needle things, some really strange looking ones.” So, of course I had to go over and claim them before they went into the garbage can. I guess some of them are kind of strange looking to a non-knitter. My Grandma Jean was a serious knitter. Lots of circulars, straight needles, double pointed needles and crochet hooks. Some are so old that I’ve never seen any like them before. The color has been  worn off the tips and the thinner needles are actually bent from so much use. There are stitch holders and stitch counters so old and brittle they crack when I try to use them. It turned out to be the perfect time for me to acquire these new treasures. Here I am knitting a sweater, coming to that point where I need to switch over to a circular needle to finish the neck. I wasn’t liking the idea that I had to go out and buy new needles for 2 inches of neck. I kept putting it off. Would you believe there in grandma’s stash was the right size circular I needed? Brand new and in it’s original packaging! They are great too, super pointy (which I like) and very smooth. When I use my grandmother’s needles I feel closer to her than say, when wearing her jewelry. The bent, worn out needles are a testimony to my grandmother’s character. Which makes them more precious than jewels.