Growing up, my family and I visited my father’s parents in Prague, in the Czech Republic, as often as we could. It was his mother, my grandmother, who taught me how to crochet and consequently, how to count to ten in Czech. I don’t crochet very often anymore but I do still remember how to count to ten. My grandmother and I didn’t speak the same language but we did communicate through the unspoken language of crafting. This special understanding of creating beautiful things with our hands was one of the things that made us close.

I had just started knitting her a pair of socks, when I received the news that she had unexpectedly passed away. I decided to knit them in a pattern that reminded me of her. These socks are to honor my grandmother, Ludmilla, and all the beautiful things she made with her hands.