Kath’s Daughter and Me
How one old hobby keeps writing itself into our story
I recently visited my daughter, and it reminded me just how special these one-on-one visits have become now that all three of my kids live in different cities (I’m still adjusting to this empty nest stage, if I’m honest). Each visit gives me the chance to experience them in their own worlds, and this time it was Audrey’s turn.
While we were together, Audrey pointed out that one thing she is grateful for is how many activities we enjoy in common. I agree! We can spend hours walking through neighbourhoods, riding the bus so we can see what’s going on around us, or exploring little corners of a city that surprise us. Just as easily, we’ll settle into a café, linger over a meal, or poke through shops. And somehow, whatever we’re doing, we manage to turn it into our own brand of fun (our family has always prized what we call our “idiot time”). Audrey and I laughed a lot on this trip; it always feels effortless being in step with each other, even when life has us in different locations.
What I’ve noticed on these visits is how the familiar and the new sit side by side. Audrey and I fall into our same old rhythms so easily; the laughter, the meandering, the way we can stretch a simple outing into an entire afternoon. But there’s also this new layer now. I get to see her as an adult in her own space, making choices that are entirely hers. That part still surprises me sometimes: the little glimpses of who she is becoming outside the frame of our family life. And the sweetest discovery is that even as she begins to shape her own world, she still carries pieces of mine with her.
One of those pieces is knitting. On this trip, as I sat knitting a pair of socks* on the train beside her (I always travel with a compact project), I realized how naturally it fits in with all the other things we both enjoy doing. Just as my mum once passed knitting down to me, I’ve been able to pass it on to her. I’m a fairly traditional, pattern-following knitter, while Audrey approaches her projects with a freer, more creative spirit, but that blend feels like us: connected, yet each doing things in our own way.
A couple of years ago, and to my sweet surprise, Audrey started an Instagram account to showcase her knitting. She named it Kath’s Daughter. I was very touched to be the inspiration behind her label, and to see that this old-school obsession of mine resonated with her. I know knitting popularity has been on the rise for years now, but her interest in it was especially validating. Here’s a little excerpt she wrote about her own knitting journey, along with some samples of her work:
“My mum has always been a knitter. Since I was little, she dressed me in tiny handmade hats, sweaters, and ponchos. Naturally, when I got older, I wanted to join in on the fun, and I fell in love with it.
I’m a bit of a fidgety person, so knitting has become my go-to obsession when I’m watching a show or chatting with friends. I’ll admit, I can really only manage rectangles, so most of my creations are scarves and the occasional makeshift pair of mittens. But I love the process as much as the outcome.
The best part is sharing this hobby with my mum. It feels like a thread that ties us together.
When it came time to choose a name for my knitting Instagram account, I knew I wanted to honor her, so Kath’s Daughter was born.”
Seeing Audrey put it in her own words made me smile. It’s funny how something as simple as knitting can become another thread that runs through our family story. What I love most is that she’s made it her own, with her creativity and her style, while still keeping the connection to where it began.
As the kids grow up and move out, I’ve found myself looking at our relationships in a new way. Parenting isn’t about orchestrating every detail anymore. It’s about showing up, noticing who they’re becoming, and finding new ways to stay close. I miss the everyday noise of a busy house, but there’s a sweetness in seeing my children in their own element, choosing how they want to spend their time with me. These visits feel more intentional now, almost like chapters in a bigger story. They don’t blur together the way everyday life once did; instead, they stand out, vivid and memorable.
And while Audrey has taken to knitting with enthusiasm, I still joke that one day that I’ll manage to get my boys on board too. Mike even picked up the needles once, when I “surprise taught” my book club to knit instead of reading that month, and it made me smile to see him give it a try. If my sons ever truly joined me in knitting, well… that would be a family plot twist I’d quietly treasure and casually tease them about forever.
*Sock pattern is Perfect Fit Socks using Fine Print yarn, both available from Purl Soho.