Fun
Knit to This: Rick Rubin
Dear Ann,
Your post about Rick Rubin’s book really got me going. His thinking about the creative act resonates so strongly, it feels like he is speaking about the process we’ve been engaged in together since 2016: the act of making and publishing something good, and interesting, every day we possibly can. Sometimes it’s a post about a talking dishcloth. Sometimes it’s…an actual dishcloth. Makers need to be inspired to make stuff, and making stuff is endlessly inspiring in itself—that happy paradox is at the heart of our beloved small business.
The first thing I did was listen to Rick Rubin’s episode on the BBC’s famous Desert Island Discs program. It was fun, and a bit mysterious, to hear his 8 song picks (I knew 5)—but I was most taken with his description of his early life with his parents. He spoke with honesty and love, plus gratitude to the doting aunt who introduced him to the cultural delights of New York. It’s a good listen (especially if you’re a doting aunt yourself).
But while I wait for my copy of his book to arrive, I wanted more. So for my own knittertainment this weekend, I’ve cued up Rubin’s On Being conversation with Krista Tippett. Join me! Let the creative acts—and noticing—begin!
The other day you said that we should invite Rick Rubin to Nashville to speak to knitters: an epic Knit to This, live. Let’s go! Who do we know? How many socks can we knit the man? I’m seeing him as an Organic Studio kind of guy.
Love,
Kay
A Giveaway!
The prize? A skein of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Organic Studio Sock and a print copy of MDK Field Guide No. 11: Wanderlust, one of our own acts of creativity with designer Wendy Bernard.
How to enter?
Two steps:
Step 1: Sign up for MDK emails, right here. External Link. Opens in new window.. External Link. Opens in new window.. External Link. Opens in new window.. External Link. Opens in new window.. External Link. Opens in new window.. External Link. Opens in new window.. If you’re already signed up, you’re all set. We now have an option for texting; when you sign up for those, you’ll get a coupon code good for 10% off your next MDK order.
Step 2: Leave a comment telling us about a favorite aunt, yours or somebody else’s, real or fictional. (This favorite aunt can also be you.)
Deadline for entries: Sunday, July 23, 11:59 PM Central time. We’ll draw a random winner from the entries. Winner will be notified by email.
My mother’s sister was the best aunt! A bit proper and straight-laced in public she could be silly and goofy with family. She dug out Mom’s high school yearbooks and told tales that we’d never heard before. She attacked my brother-in-law with a flower arrangement card holder fork-like thingee when he got out of line at my wedding reception. She told us we’d know the end was near when she didn’t want to put on makeup. So of course when she requested a red chemo cap she got a soft and cuddly Santa hat – not sure what else she expected making that request in late November!
I miss her.
my favourite Aunt was my mum’s sister Mae. she was warm and kind with a great sense of humour, one of my favourite stories about her was when a young friend was visiting her and looked up at the clock and said she needed to leave because she told her husband she would be home by 4, it was 20 minutes away and she would be late.
“have another cup of tea” said Aunt Mae, “if you are a wee bit late they are annoyed, if you are VERY late, they are worried!”
and this is one for older readers. i was in Aunt Mae’s house when the news broke on the (always on) TV that President Kennedy had died.
I grew up in the 1950s in the Midwest where the winters were cold. Every Christmas my great aunt who worked in a glove factory gave us —you guessed it — gloves and mittens. They were the most boring gifts but the most appreciated.
I knit a lot of fingerless mitts as gifts now and while I know my friends are appreciative there’s no comparison to what it was like to receive a pair of new, warm gloves every year from my sweet great aunt.
My favorite Aunt Jane, may not have actually been and Aunt. She may have been an Aunt once removed. I get lost easy beyond the basics. I do not really remember spending much time with my Aunt Jane, but she was my favorite Aunt because she always send hand knit sweater or slipper for Christmas. It must have been where I first fell in love for knitting
My favorite aunt is my Aunt Chris, one of my dad’s 4 sister. She didn’t have a baby until most of the rest of us kids were teenagers, so growing up she was the aunt who would treat us like her own kids. She used to pay us to spell words and went camping and hiking with us and was super funny. We took a summer vacation, usually to a lake, every year and she and my Uncle Roger would always stay with us.
I’m named for my favorite aunt, who died when she was far too young. She was endlessly creative, short and feisty, and had the most fabulous collection of very high heels
My Aunt Frieda was the aunt who understood our teenage antics. She never encouraged them but always let us know that she understood and didn’t condemn us. Her love remained no matter what.
My Aunt Trina introduced me to a fascination of yarn and crochet hooks to work whimsical, colorful squares. Her “you can do this’ approach to life was an anchor for me when I was feeling lost at sea.
My aunt taught me how to knit when I was 8. She kept our Barbies clothed in little knitted outfits, which would have driven me crazy trying to knit. Even today it would probably be a short trip!
Two of my aunts are knitters. My childhood memories of them include their travel knitting bags and projects in hand. Although I haven’t been knitting nearly as long, they have both come to me for help when they’ve run into issues with their projects. That was astonishing enough, but my being able to solve the problems was even more shocking.
I also remember knitting a hat for one aunt once, and she loved it and commented that she’d never had a hand-knit hat before. And I realized that her entire knitting life had been spent making things for the people she loved, and never for her. (Which is very on-brand – she is such a kind and generous soul.)
My favorite aunt was a homemaker and a homebody from NH. The largest city she ever experienced was Boston. But she was conversant in world events. She loved Pfaltzgraff Village dishes and served her favorite Hills Bros coffee (is that still around?) to me in a Village mug.
My favorite aunt was my father’s Aunt Ruth. She and her husband never had children so she became an extra grandmother to me and my siblings. She spoiled us like a grandmother will and inspired us to be the best humans we could be. She was a junior high math teacher, god bless her, and also a crocheter.
The Creative Act is currently my audiobook of choice. I began listening yesterday during my daily walk. This is how I choose to live, in a constant state of awareness. Even the most important things need a reminder or an affirmation. Perfect timing. Ah, there it is.
My Aunt Monica was my favorite! She lived far away so I cherished the few visits with her. She was an avid knitter and I was fascinated by the beautiful colorwork sweaters she made. I never had a long enough visit with her to ask her to teach me. She inspired me to pick up the needles and give it a go eventually. She was a kind woman and made the most delicious apple pie.
She’s imaginary, created by my sister who planned a series of kids books. The was to be called Auntie Bindy Buys a Bindie. I cracked up laughing every time and am still not really sure what it was about
Favorite Aunt is my Aunt Rose. . . my is youngest sister. . . she has always called me “spunky”. . . she’s pretty spunky herself!
Everyone needs an Auntie Mame.
Edit – my MOM’S youngest sister. . .note to self. . .must finish coffee before posting comments.
My mother’s youngest sister is my favorite aunt. She was the first one in our family to go to college and she was always fun to be with; she was my role model gorwing up. She always accepted my quirkiness and allowed me to be “me” even if she didn’t always get me. And now that I’m an (older) adult, while I’m no longer considered to be “one of the kids” & have graduated to being “one of the adults”, she always finds a way to remind me that I’m still her special niece. ❤️
My Mom’s sister was my favorite Aunt growing up. I spent a lot of time at her house with my cousin, who I am very close to.
My Aunt Dot was my mom’s sister. A quiet constant in my life. ❤️
My Aunt Polly was my favorite! She lived in Florida, wore bright, colorful mumus, was a crafter of all the things, loved to laugh and always sang, “You Are My Sunshine” to me.
I never had a nice aunt in real life, so I became the Nice Aunt, who will eventually knit socks for everyone who needs some!
Aunt Pill, creative soul
My father’s sister, Sarah, is my favorite aunt — she is a smart, strong, beautiful woman who is creative, smart, generous, and beautiful. She has always loved me (and my siblings). What’s great now is to see her love for her older brother — my 82 year old father.
My husband’s Aunt Bebe was an amazing, colorful and loving great-aunt to our two kids. She wore bright red lipstick to match her red cowgirl boots, cat-eye eyeliner and lots of dramatic jewelry. She never missed their birthdays, and would always arrive in a whirlwind and whisk off the birthday child for carousel rides, or make-up/hair salons at her house, or whatever the kids wanted to do on their day together. We miss her, and my now-adult kids still talk about their Great Aunt Bebe
My father’s Aunt Fern was my favorite. She was always consternation to family members because no one knew what she might say next. An off-color joke at the Thanksgiving table, a highly charged political statement during “polite” conversation, asking if she could have my new present, just unwrapped, a stuffed purple cow because she loved it. I found her delightful, exciting, and uniquely individual. Growing up in the 1950’s she was a breath of fresh air.
My favorite aunt. Her reputation in the family was as a curmudgeon, even a grouch, but to me she was supportive and kind. When I was in grad school she gave me a place to live while I looked for an apt. and it gave me a whole new perspective on what a lovely person she was.
My book is on order too! I was grateful to receive this while waiting…
My mom’s sister, Aunt Sharon, is not only my favorite aunt, she is the favorite aunt of my children. She can always be counted on for fun. Visit her house and she will have arranged fun games, crafts, or decided that we should go “check out this new store, town, park, etc…” Never a dull moment when Aunt Sharon is around.
My dad’s twin sister was the best aunt. A female gentler version of our stern and striving father! Who could tell us stories about him and could tease him and make him laugh until he cried.
My favorite aunt was my mom’s sister Jeanette. She lived on a farm and was an artist. She would paint nature scenes on ceramic thimbles.
She always spoke in a soft tone and had a story to tell. Visits to her home were magical.
I love being my niece and nephew’s favorite aunt. I never had kids so they are a great stand in.
I had four aunts, all very different, and I loved them all, especially since my mother died very early. Now I’m down to one, who’ll be 90 in October, and I’ve been suffering some pre-grief, thinking of a life with no aunts….
I am the favoring nana. My grandson is seeking the creative song writing route and needs encouragement.
My Aunt Ellie and My Aunt Ruth are tied for favorite? Aunt Ryputh inspired me ways that led to my fiber obsession. My Aunt Ellie shared mementos of my Daddy. Daddy died when I was 5. She wrote stories of their childhood. She presented me with pearls he “picked up” for her at the end of WWII. She thought them fake . Upon inspection I decided to take them to a jewelry store to check. The three strands were real and bought in Okinawa where was stationed.
My grandmother, who taught me the “needle arts” when I was quite young. Didn’t touch any of it for decades. I started knitting again when my older daughter (who is in her forties!) was a baby. Knitting has been my meditative path ever since!
My Aunt Sybil – endlessly fun and funny, the best hostess in the world, universally beloved, could knit a sweater and read a book at the same time. Died last year at 106! I wanna be her when I grow up.
My favorite aunt was one I didn’t see often, actually my great aunt. She was a retired schoolteacher. Her sense of adventure is what inspired most. Aunt Libby was always smiling, always curious and really loved.
My favorite aunt, my grandmother’s sister, Aunt Lola was always my favorite. She had a dry sense of humor that kept me amused and she was the one who started me knitting at the tender age of 8.
My mother’s sister took me in at an age when I needed it. I will always be grateful.
My favorite aunt was Aunt Pat, a registered nurse who worked when I didn’t know many women who had a job outside the home. That really impressed me as a child.
My aunt Doris. She taught me to sew clothes for my dolls which led to my making my own high school wardrobe. She made the most wonderful baked ham glaze using ginger ale and I’ve never been able to duplicate it. She told me my uncle was the mayor of Philadelphia, a very important person. And it was years before I realized he was the mayor of Philadelphia, New York – not quite so impressive.
Gosh, favorite aunt! I had four aunts (three were my father’s sisters and other, my mother’s sister-in-law) and as a child, I thought they all were very mysterious as they were NOTHING at all like my mother. The youngest of my father’s sisters was named Gloria (I always think of her whenever I hear the word) and I think she was a favorite because she had so many children, (six) and that gave me several playmates. It was always loud at their house, but I spent a bit of time with them. To add to the mystery, she was divorced several times; I believe she had four husbands during her lifetime. I didn’t want to be like her when I grew up, especially not the quantity of children!
I spent two weeks each summer with my Aunt Jean in an upstate New York town. Each day was an adventure. She is 93 in assisted living now.
I am my nephew’s favorite aunt because I married a man who will fish with him and teach him new tricks with fishing lures. Not sure I really matter that much.
My favourite aunt was my only aunt. She was a war bride, having married a Canadian soldier bringing both she and my mom to Canada. She was full of fun, and our families did everything together. She and my mom were avid makers – knitting, crochet, sewing – and hugely inspired my love of creating!
My Great Aunt Kate of course, she taught me to knit!
My mother’s cousin, whom we addressed as “aunt.” She paid twice or three times as much for my sisters and I to babysit her two (very well behaved) little girls as anyone else in our small town ever paid for babysitting.
I never liked to babysit — except for my little cousins.
My favorite aunt was my great aunt, Gertrude, my grandmother’s sister. She was the music teacher in Fairfield, Maine. Every summer, my mother would send me to New England Music Camp. My parents would always drop me off at Aunt Gertrude’s house ( now the home of the historical society in Fairfield, Maine) one week before camp started. I have such fond memories of private piano lessons and voice lessons with Aunt Gertrude. She also had a HUGE raspberry patch where I have wonderful memories of picking delicious raspberries ( eating as much as I picked) and then eating all her wonderful raspberry creations!! YUM!
I still have all the birthday cards my favorite aunt sent me. They were wonderful, many with bits of ribbon embellishment. She was one of a kind.
My favorite aunt: She is Aunt Margaret, my proudly Danish, now 80-something gal. When visiting our Iowa farm from sunny California with her family, she would take her VW bus full of me and the cousins and land at the pool in the nearby town for a day of swimming and sunning. She’d crank the radio on the way, and we’d all sing our hearts out.
Thank you for the giveaway!
My favorite aunt was an absolute enigma. She loved the 4 of us as if we were her own, spoiling us rotten- yet she never married and said she didn’t like children. She was always available as a confidant, giving gentle advice. Sadly, she passed away a few years ago just shy of 88 years. I miss her greatly.
I only had one aunt and she lived “across the pond” in Scotland. She visited often and we were lucky that she loved to bake (Mom did not). She’d hardly be off the plane when the first batch of shortbread would be in the oven. When my dad was alive, she’d stock the freezer with bacon ‘n’ egg pies for him – heaven forbid an Englishman refer to them as quiche! She was also a great knitter and when my boys were born, she made them each one of Jean Greenhowe’s scarecrows that they still have and they’re now 33 and 28.
My Aunt Harriet–very jolly, and she loved children. I would spend the week with her, and we would go to the movies. She let me eat as much ice cream as I wanted, and she taught me to play solitaire with her deck of cards. She was always crocheting in her spare time. Fond memories.
Aunt Mary was a fiber genius. Many of the heirlooms that she made adorn my home and keep me warm. She taught me to crochet and still inspires me everyday. ❤️
My dad worked for the government and we lived overseas. I met his sister once. We saw my mum’s sisters only occasionally.
The best aunt I know is my daughter. Watching her pouring herself into caring for, entertaining, teaching and loving my 5 year old grandson – whose parents are divorced – is heartwarming.
I hope he will have as many wonderful memories as those in this thread.
Aunt Fran.
Unmarried, rather on the masculine side, hung out with guys on motorcycles and totally cool.
I think everyone loved her best.
my Aunt Bobbie, who had 6 kids of her own, always would take me in for a couple of weeks to decompress from visiting my father and step-mother, which was not always pleasant. She and my uncle always showered me with love and strength. They instilled in me that I could do anything. I miss them terribly.
My aunt Julie was my Godmother. She never had children of her own. She lived in Boston, right on the public gardens and swan boats. We would visit her and she would let us play with her mink coats! I can still smell her perfume
Aunts give us wisdom about living. Aunt Minerva (!) taught that a real woman never goes anywhere that she has to parallel park. Aunt Ellie taught that you really can serve peanut butter to company, so long as you use a cut glass bowl.
Aunt Marge. Everything was fun with her. I miss her so much.
My Great Aunt Sara is the one who taught me to knit when I was 8. I just attempted to teach my great-niece, Julie. Not sure it took, but hopefully the seed is there.
My great aunt Lois. She taught us to fish-taking each one of my sibling individually-I think we caught bullheads! She bought us new summer pajamas every year. We went Up North (in Minnesota) every year on vacation. It was always an adventure! So many wonderful memories!
I’m forgot to add she taught me to crochet and that started my life love my love of fiber arts.
There was a dearth of aunts in my life; I had an uncle. My uncle never married and my sister and I have always wondered if he was gay. He loved music and art and was notably free of a certain sense of entitlement typical of 50’s men. He had a presence in our lives as advocate, nurturer of interests and talents, wry intelligent commentator. Our 6’2″ Auntuncle?
My auntie Barbara mailed my family a huge Christmas parcel every year. In it were sweaters she had made for me and my three siblings. They always fit! She had never met us, but she knit these DK wonders for us every year from infancy to when we turned 12. There were always chocolates, licorice allsorts and other treats. The arrival of the brown paper parcel tied up with string and the loopy, upright writing assured us that Christmas was coming.
Why Auntie Em, of course.
I’m the oldest of three siblings, so before I got to be an auntie, I got to see my siblings take on the role and think ‘wow, that seems like a good gig’. Now that my kids are older, I’m loving being an auntie to my six nieces and nephews!
My mother’s older sister. She nourished us when my mother couldn’t/wouldn’t.
My favorite aunt is my mom’s little sister, who would frequently end up babysitting me. Even when I was old enough to not need a baby sitter, I would still frequently stay with her to hang out with her and my cousin. She would always let me eat whatever I wanted, even ice cream for breakfast. I still text with her.
My sister Lynn is a wonderful aunt to my sons. Asks about their life, and then listens with full engagement to every story they tell. To feel important and heard by an adult who isn’t your parent is a gift well received.
My favorite aunt is dad’s sister-in-law. She was a lovely woman who managed to run her household & raise my favorite cousin!
My favorite aunt was also my dance teacher, as she owned the city’s dance studio. She was always up to fun and nonsense, putting on family scavenger hunts (this involved 10 siblings with their spouses and kids), pulling pranks on family members (sometimes in the middle of the night), and other crazy hijinks. You knew you were in for some fun whenever she was around.
My favorite ‘Aunt’ is Judy. She graduated from uni back in the 1960’s and worked for 6 months. She then corralled 3 of her friends and left for Europe for a 4 month holiday. They hitch hiked for part of the trip, and then bought a VW beetle to finish it. She also played intercollegiate basketball. In the time I have known her ( the past 8 years) I’ve also found out that she was an extra in an episode of a comedy TV series filmed locally, which involved filming at night as a boat docked with a cache of cannabis. Another favorite was to make stuffed ‘people’ for Halloween that she would attach wires to and move as the kids neared her door. She is always ‘up’ for a cup of coffee or lunch at the local cafe. She loves to travel, and went to India with her daughter 5 years ago for vacation. She has many friends that she loves to have visit, and doesn’t believe in fussing over the food. She usually get a take-out at a near-by diner to bring home while enjoying chatting. The focus is the not the food, but the people sitting at the table. She loves to laugh, tell off color jokes, and has been known to swear ( but only when the situation warrants it). She has taught me that aging doesn’t mean ‘old and dotty’. She is still full of life, even though her body has fallen to the effects of arthritis and other maladies.
My favorite aunt is basically my surrogate mom. She’s funny, caring and I feel lucky to have her in my life. We text regularly, and when we talk, the conversation can last up to 3 hrs. When we get to visit in person we never stop talking earlier than midnight. She’s one of my best friends, and is also extremely knit worthy
My favorite aunt is my aunt Kathleen. We have a tradition of going to a Swiss cafe for quiche on my birthday. She also take my girls. She knows all the family history too. She’s a great aunt to have.
My favorite aunt was my dad’s sister. I didn’t see her often, but she always made me feel special 🙂
I love being a favorite aunt to my niece. I was so humbled and flattered when my sister told me my niece had said that.
My favorite Aunt is my Aunt Julane. She’s my dad’s only sibling and now the only living connection i have to that side of my family. She’s in her 80s now and a published author who didn’t start writing until she was 70. We play wordle every morning and text each other our results. Sometimes this turns into a lovely conversation with memories of my family. Sometimes advice. Sometimes an inside joke that only we two find funny.
My aunt Betty! She lived far away so I didn’t see her much, but when I did it was like we had only been apart for a few days. She was the youngest of my dad’s siblings in a very large family … I had more than 30 cousins on that side of the family and when the whole family gathered it was pretty crazy. There weren’t any cousins close to my age and it seemed like everybody else had someone, so I was often the odd-ball out. Aunt Betty would look for me in the Madding Crowd and we’d find a quiet corner to talk about horses and books and rocks …
I had three wonderful aunties so I can’t pick one. All knew how to knit and were a great inspiration to me
My Aunt Lucy! Her house was the official gathering place for holiday meals and good times. Always generous and kind; her home was a safe place to be when the world was whirling around me as a youngster. She was a knitter and made beautiful sweaters; the seed was planted early it only took about 40 years for it to sprout but now I knit just about everyday and often think of her when I do.
My Aunt… Aunt Louise, or Lousie as we often loving call her! We grew up hearing stories of her youthful escapades as she & my mom (6 years her elder) were the only girls in a subsitence farming family of 6 kids in depression era Vermont hill country. Aunt Louise was a tomboy & a scamp, no doubt about it. By the time I was old enough to know her myself, I was one of the youngest & smallest of a very large pool of cousins. Aunt Louise loved to adventure with us in the hills & creeks around Gram’s place. 2 stories I recollect most vividly. One summer Aunt Louise took a group of us out brook trout fishing. Everybody was catching fish, well everybody except me. Aunt Louise made it her goal to “catch me a fish”. All the other kids had already taken their limits back to clean & prep for a big fish fry dinner but Aunt Louise & I kept trying. We finally settled on a medioum sized pool with a big sheltering rock that both cast a good shadow but also allowed us to approach without being seen and dropped a baited line over top into that pool. Almost immediately “we” got a hit and it was a BIG one! Aunt Louise… I mean, um “we” pulled that trout up and as we gasped at it’s size… it dropped the hook and disapperared. We took the best story of the one that got away back to share at the dinner table that evening. 2nd story was from the one & only time this Cleveland kid got to go to VT for a snowy spring break. We’d been promised snow and lots of it, but as we turned familiar corners getting closer & closer to Gram’s place, we voiced our displeasure that there was still no snow. Ah, but Gram’s valley DID have snow, and lots of it! WE built an EPIC toboggan run down through the trees and into the meadow out back culminating in a banked turn just before a tree that leveld out into a ramped jump because there wasn’t enough flat in the meadow to stop our momentum. Aunt Louise arrived after the construction had completed, but the enjoyment was reaching it’s epic climax. She HAD to try a run and yep, she chose to ride it with me on back of the toboggan behind her! Oh how fun it was screaming down that hill straight at that tree. I’d already made enough runs to know the banked turn worked, but for her it was a brand new experience! Indeed, Aunt Louise put the SCREAM into that run! IF she thought the banked turn was scream worthy though, it was her reaction to the ramped jump afterwards that has lived on in family lore. “Oooooooh SHHHHHH*******T!” echoed through the valley as both she & I flew head over heels to land in the (thankfully) still deep snow. I laughed and laughed and laughed while Aunt Louise laughed in humbled grace and slowly made her way back into the house. One run was apparently enough for her. <3
Minnie was the one. Quiet, capable, understanding. She encouraged my art-making, and gave me permission to be me.
How about a two-fer? My great aunt Clara who made us cotton slips trimmed in lace and added beautiful lace to output cotton underwear. She bought naked dolls at the 5&10 and dressed them with hankies she had painted flowers on. Then my grandfather who had the first maker space in his basement. – every Sat morning we were there,melting lead for metal soldiers, gluing wood or building tic-tac-toe games with his full size Vac-u-form. (Wow- how to say you are OLD without saying you are old).
omg, the lead soldiers! Can you imagine anyone now having that toy? “Here you go, kids! Melt some lead and pour it into molds to make soldiers.”
My favorite aunt was an honorary aunt. Aunt Kay was my mother’s closest friend and my godmother. She was fun and there was always a party at her house.
My mother brother and I would spend summers in the Poconos without a car. Aunt Kay would pick us up in a WW2 jeep with no sides and a red and white striped roof with fringe. There were no seat belts so we would have to hold tight going around corners.
My favorite aunt was actually my great aunt Annabelle. Nothing flashy, no intimate bond, but she was always there, always reliable, always included us and always made us family. Kind of like Aunt Bea or Aunty Em.
I had an interesting childhood as my adopted mother was from England but her sisters were born in Brazil. My aunt moved to Boston with her husband. He was studying there. They lived in an apartment they rented on the third-ish floor of an elderly lady’s home. My brother and I.were there for the Bi Centennial. She made the best lemonade and the trendy pizzas today, well she was way ahead of her time. She also took us to some really cool restaurants representing foods we had never heard off. Aunt Barbara thank you for those memories.
my mother’s sister, Louise
My Aunt Dorothy was my inspiration and my savior. She loved me like my Mother could not. Until she died at age 84 she remained my respite. I will always miss her
My favorite aunt lived in Germany. I only got to meet her a couple of times, but she was absolutely wonderful. She and my uncle came over here for visits of usually 6 to 8 weeks. During that time we were together almost constantly. Patient loving, always willing to spend time. I don’t have many regrets, but one was that she didn’t live closer.
My Aunt Arlis was an ‘eat dessert first’ kind of person, a philosophy I’ve tried to follow to bring more joy and fun to my life.
Aunt Pauline was amazing. She was married to my dad’s oldest brother. She was a creative crafty person who always fed us everything she had made from scratch.
My Aunt Laney – my mother’s sister. She’s feisty and funny and always speaks her mind.
I have about 40 nephews and nieces – big family – well I don’t play obvious favorites, I’ve got a 13 year old nephew who is super
Aunt Polly! My Dad was the youngest, by 15 years, of eight kids. They grew up very poor at the base of the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. She loved you thru food – you never, ever went hungry at Aunt Polly’s and she made everything from scratch. I am now 63 years old and can still taste the hand cranked peach ice cream she would make while we all sitting on the front porch, or the amazing green beans she would can every season. A big bowl of strawberries from her garden with fresh cream. My Dad was killed in Vietnam when I was 5 1/2. Aunt Polly was more like a Mom to my Dad, than a sister. She always talked to me about my Dad and what he was like when he was a boy – that he loved roller skating, strawberries, and how much he loved me and my little sister. Aunt Polly lived until she was 97 years old. I know my father because she made sure that she shared her memories of him with me. She taught me that loving your family and telling them and showing them that love every day is more important than material things, will last a lifetime and will be passed on to the next generation.
My father’s sister was my favorite aunt. When she was a senior in high school we modeled the new school uniform together in a fashion show. I was the flower girl at her wedding. We loved to cook together, go to the theatre, feed ducks at the river, the list goes on. I was holding her hand when she passed away. I wish she were with me today.
My Aunt Lisa has always been my biggest cheerleader and supporter and travel buddy. And on top of all that, once my mom passed away my aunt has always been my go-to person to call or text whenever I’ve needed someone to listen.
I never met my favorite aunt. Petra died shortly after the Nazis invaded Norway. But I know she was delightful and, I think, delicate. She was a concert pianist, pianistinne in Norwegian. She never married, and remained all her life in Oslo. Except for a month-long visit with her sister-in-law and nieces to California where they and her younger brother lived. Her death was announced on the NRK, like our NPR, where she had been a broadcaster most all of her career.
I lost Sister Emelita 2 years ago just short of her 100th birthday. She was the heart and soul of our family. She never lost sight of her nieces and nephews, nor of the world as it is. Yet she kept us all close in prayer. Boy do I miss her!
My aunt Carole was my mother’s (younger)sister, and my partner in crime. Despite my mother’s certainty that we would somehow drown, Carole taught me to ice skate at the local pond. She and my grandmother were on a bowling league together, and sometimes they would bring me along. When I was six, they taught me to keep score and gave me my first (wee)sip of beer. As we all grew older, my mother became more possessive of my time during visits back home, so I would have to sneak out to see my aunt. Somehow, mother always found out. But I told Carole there was no one I’d rather share the doghouse with!
My Aunt Rose, who lived to 94, always sent me a card for my birthday, often in earlier years with a $2 bill. I used to visit her for a week during school vacations and always felt loved.
My aunt is responsible for my modern daily knitting. She was a widow, lived alone, loved company. Her church project was to knit prayer shawls. I would stay a week spring and fall and could knit the prayer shawl start to finish in that time. Sadly she passed away in 2017.
Though I knit before, this is really what got me started in the practice of always having projects going and knitting daily as I do now.
My favorite was my mother’s Aunt Mary. She was a talented seamstress who taught us to sew, a dedicated gardener teaching us to plant, and a gifted storyteller sharing many family stories.
My mother’s sister Melba who always had a smile and a laugh and taught me how to jitterbug!
My favourite aunt is my Aunt Betty, my Mom’s younger sister. She got her Master’s degree when few women did so and worked as a teacher and then an administrator for the school system here in Calgary (Canada). She is an avid quiltmaker and an endlessly energetic and warm soul. She has inspired me as both a creative and intellectual individual.
Dear Aunt Eileen,
I wish that I’d made more time for you.
My dad’s sister (Hilda) had no children of her own, but loved to have me and my cousins come and spend time with her. She was a wonderful cook, and always had several days worth of crafts to keep us occupied! She was also a seamstress and made clothes for my Barbie when I was young. When I got married she incorporated those Barbie clothes into a quilt for me.
My mom’s baby sister, Bonnie, was my favorite aunt. She was always fun to be around. She played with us when Mom was too busy and sneaked us extra treats.
My favorite aunt is my dad’s sister, my Aunt Kim.
I am not close to my family (for good and important reasons) and somehow, during covid, a long lost aunt returned to me.
She lives across from an ocean, adores her second husband (who adores her), speaks as hilariously bluntly as I do, tells AMAZING stories from her youth, and so, so gently wants to take good care of me.
As a person who’s spent her whole life without family, it feels absurd and beautiful. I’m very grateful.
I don’t have an aunt. Poo. But I consider myself a good aunt to my sisters’ children. Maybe because I don’t have kids of my own, I still embrace my inner child over the mature adult side of my personality.
My beloved Auntie Laura anchored my family when we moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s. Her home and family, kitchen and library, and her sewing room, were all open to me. She and my uncle were avid estate sale attendees. Auntie Laura always found something interesting she knew I’d love – a bag of old crocheted doilies to mount and hang, an unfinished flower garden quilt from the 1930’s, boxes of fabrics and yarns you just couldn’t find in mid-century LA. She lived – and taught me – an expansive sense of family, generosity, open-heartedness, and the ability to change your mind when the world changed. She’s been gone 20 years but she’s always with me.
No biological aunts—the honorary aunt who is coming to mind is my friend Tommy’s mom Robin who encouraged me to try knitting again after a disastrous gorilla armed first sweater. She gave me a copy of a pattern for a top down raglan in 20 sizes and encouraged me to make a child’s sweater first. And I did! That was ~40 years ago and here I am
My dads sister always encouraged my crafty inclinations and for that I will always be grateful. Life wasn’t easy for her but she always found ways to be creative and loved sharing her ideas.
My favourite Aunt taught me to knit…..Thank you Aunt mabel.
My sister and I have January birthdays. Presents only came for us at Christmas and birthdays. So, we never got “summer presents”. One year my Aunt Kate surprised us both with swim fins and masks for our birthdays. Besides having a great idea, she must have had to buy it all back in June, in those pre-internet days. It was one of the most thoughtful and memorable gifts of my childhood.
Both my parents were only children, so I don’t have an aunt (or an uncle). My sister and I have now both become aunts!
My favorite Auntie is my daughter Addie, who is an Auntie to 7 nieces and nephews and 2 more on the way! She takes an individual interest in all of them, and has even formed a “scary movie” club with several. They also have a book club of “scary ” novels, and have recently taken a Haunted Savannah tour together! It is all in great fun, and they have a blast.
It gets them reading, laughing and making memories together; a life time of those, I hope:)
My favorite aunt was never married until well into her 60s. She showed that one could live alone and make their own way. She was fun with the nieces and nephews.
Auntie Mame of movie fame. Always wished I had had an aunt like her!
My Aunt Tina is amazing, always making things, always sharing them. It was great being a kid around her.
My favorite aunt was actually my mom’s cousin Elsie. I remember one day she told me that she wished her name was Elise instead because it sounded fancier. From that day on I always called her Elise! After her husband, Bill passed away, she kept a list of things for my husband to do whenever we visited. So when we walked in the door, we always asked her what’s on the list? She lived in Philadelphia. We visited her there, but she also bought a home on my beloved island of Brigantine, NJ, where my grandmother had lived. My grandmother was Elsie’s aunt. When I would bring my daughters to New Jersey from our home in Montana, we would walk the Boardwalk with Elsie. She told us stories about days gone by on the Boardwalk. One evening as we walked the Boardwalk together, she told us how she hated the seagulls. My youngest couldn’t understand why until she watched a seagull dive bomb Elsie and leave a “white deposit” on Else’s purse!
My Aunt Rene will be 102 in August. She was a hair dresser, square dancer, painter, painting teacher. Recently, she told me that she has a new addiction. I thought to my self, ” What could a 101 yr old woman be addicted to?” She said, “I’m addicted to jigsaw puzzles! They are what get me up in the morning. I drive my scooter down to the puzzle room every day.” She was my mother’s best friend, a delightful, creative and inspiring individual.
Aunt Midge is a joy! Eighty nine years young and has the best sense of humor about growing old! I see her daily because she is my next door neighbor – still living on her own. Sometimes I think she loves my dog more than she loves me but that’s OK because he brings her so much joy!
My favorite aunt was Karen, my mom’s sister. She died when she was younger, in her 60s, I think. I remember her when I was a kid; she’d married a man with four kids, and she had four kids—8 in all. She was busy busy busy!
My dad’s sister Lolly is an amazing aunt. Funny, talented with a joy for living. She is still a role model
My mother’s only sister, Aunt Jeannie, is my favorite aunt. She was forever telling us to “be bad!” and she meant it. Not “evil” bad, just naughty . . . I miss her a lot.
My aunt Kat — my mom’s older sister. She always had dishes of candy and nuts around the house. When we’d visit we’d all sing Broadway musical songs together.
I had two favorite Aunts from each side of the family. My Aunt on my mothers side was interested in birds nest, bees nest, nature and crafts. Garages were turned into studios. Remodeling and innovative ideas were her forte. She put in a windmill and a pond and had epic family reunions. Her energy was boundless. My Aunt on my fathers side was a very good cook. Desserts were her speciality. She had tons of vintage clothes to play dress up in and admire. Her girlish laughter and quite ways were admired by me. I feel very lucky indeed.
My favorite aunt Helen was my Dad’s older sister. She lived until she was 99 years old. She was a crafter and I still have the stuffed Santa Claus pillow she made me for my first Christmas. Like her I love to give handmade gifts to all my nieces and nephews.
My dad’s youngest sister has always been the best aunt! She is only 11 years older than me and has been more like a big sister than an aunt. I grew up with only brothers so she was my source on how not to be a tomboy. She has always made me feel important and special and to this day we talk almost weekly even though we live in different states.
She is the best!
My Aunt Peggy, a family friend, who ‘adopted’ my brother and I- as the two kids she showered her love and attention. Her generosity knew no limits- I loved spending time with her. She informed much of the woman I am today, including my passion for fragrance which became my life’s work.
My great aunt Rose was a wonderful woman. My mother passed when I was only 3 and one of my earliest memories was staying with my aunt and her husband for a few weeks afterwards and visiting them many times when I was growing up. She was an incredible cook and baker and I still make her “famous” pound cake.
I had a super cool uncle! He was so awesome & patient with us (6) kids
He took to us to dog & horse races to bet with him, he cooked amazing (to me) food, & would actually talk to me like I was a real person 😉
Pretty good for the 60s & 70s
I still miss him
Aunt Minnie
My favourite aunt was Eileen, one of my mother’s four sisters in law. She was glamorous
and worked in the ladies wear department of a big store downtown, I loved sleeping over with my cousin, there was always something going on. One time she dyed my eyebrows, much to my mother’s dismay!
My favorite aunt would plan a day just for the two of us, and it was a lovely dress-up event. We would go out to lunch (usually at the department store) and then to some cultural site, discuss it, and then have an ice cream on the way home. She also gave me stationery with my name on the front. Oh, I felt so special!
My aunt Mary was my favorite aunt but she was only 4 years older than me so she was more like a sister! We were partners in crime and playmates we used to pretend we were rich ladies she was Mildred and I was Tessy and we each had a butler named Cadbury! We would talk with what we thought was a rich person accent we still call each other by those names! Good times
I have two favorite aunts. My mother’s sister, and my mother’s sister in law. They were both passionate knitters, which is where my curiosity about knitting came from. They were both fun, and loved to laugh. One of them made blanket after blanket, always while talking and laughing. The other made sweaters and baby things. She made a beautiful yellow cabled baby bunting, and said the first one of our age to have a baby would get it. I was the one who got it. I don’t know why I never asked them to teach me to knit, but when I was an adult with children of my own, living in another state, I taught myself, but I always think of them and their knitted gifts.
My favorite aunt was my mother’s sister Alice, whom we called “Aunt Icey”. She never married, and worked for the telephone company all her life. She lived next door to us, with her kitty. Her hobby was photography, and she had a darkroom, built as as attachment to her garage. I loved to be in there “helping” her, with the dim orange light and the various chemicals.
My Aunt Jessie was always into something “crafty” and more than willing to share her know how and materials. I ran across a box of fish made of ribbon that she taught me to make over 50 years ago just recently in one of my closets. She lived to be 94 years old and has been gone now for 30 years, but I still have very fond memories of her.
My mother’s sister was my favorite aunt, Aunt Irma. She lived down the street from me with her mother (also my mother’s mom) while I was growing up. I could always skip down the street to her house just as something fun to do, especially in the summer. My grandmother was a great gardener and spent a lot of time taking care of it. My aunt drove a car and took my grandmother and me on simple errands. Sometimes my aunt took me to see her teaching friends. My aunt was an elementary school principal. My aunt never married , so I think my sister, brother, and me were like her kids. My aunt was always fun. Family pictures of her when I was young, she was always making “funny” faces at the camera. She was always an independent soul.
My mom’s sister, Pat will always be my Auntie that pops to mind first. She seldom said no and when she had to, she redirected me to something else (usually something awesome). I always got to dress up in her party clothes (this was the mid 60’s – early 70’s). I wore my white go-go boots until I outgrew them every time I went to visit. We watched Ed Sullivan and danced to Elvis, the Beatles, Tom Jones, and others in her living room. Awesome times!
Auntie Pat taught me how to bake – stop the Schwan’s man – get goodies from him – take goodies out of container and put on baking tray – dance until timer dings!
Good memories!
That’s easy. Aunt Bobby, my mother’s sister but only 15 yrs older than me and what a gem. Always joining us when we were little because she was in her early 20’s and we’d pick her up at the Orient Pt ferry when she had breaks from studying dance in the summer at Connecticut College. My love of all dance styles came from her.
When both of your parents are only children, you don’t have aunts. But my favorite great-aunt was my Auntie Jack, who traveled all over the world and sent me postcards. She was a very refined southern lady who I adored.
Aunt Lottie never married. So, she became an auxiliary mother to me. She was a tiny, bright bird-like being who loved following the latest trends in fashion and taught me how to wear makeup and do my nails. She also taught me how to express myself through the clothes I wore. She wasn’t my knitting mentor. She left that to others in the family. But she did teach me to make joyful color choices and to wear what makes me happy. You can see that in all my hand knits today.
That’s easy as I have only one Aunt. I remember her holding my hand and walking to the corner candy store to buy a banana popsicle when I was about 5 years old. So we’ll over 50 years ago. Many people don’t think about or realize the impression they make on others. Not just children but all the people with whom they come in contact. A simple smile can make someone’s day. My aunt lives a long way from me now but we stay in touch and I remember all the “old days” fondly.
My favorite aunt was head of the English Dept and when I’d spend summers with her, she’d walk to her bookcase and select a book she’d thought I’d enjoy during my stay. Her selections were spot on and became memorable books. When my cousins stayed at the lake house in the woods, she’d read classic ghost stories or tell ghost stories passed down in the family.
Aunt Judy hugged us so gently and tenderly, Aunt Suzanne laughed as loud as she pleased, loved shocking my very proper grandma and had wallpaper in her bathroom with TOPLESS WOMEN BATHING! Aunt Maryann was married to the meanest uncle, but she was my mom’s favorite. Aunt Jeanie tried her darndest to make a beautiful home out of not much, I’d stay for weeks in the summer and we’d go swim in the river every day. At Aunt Jeanie’s funeral, Aunt Maryann hugged me and whispered “I’ll be next”. I said “take your time, please?” but she died two weeks later. Aunt Carol, who also lived to get my grandma’s goat, used to pass us bags of romance novels in a surreptitious family lending library, the smuttier the better! They all taught me to live my life without apology, to do the best I can manage with whatever I’ve got to manage with that day, and that resting and enjoying visitors is one of life’s greatest joys.
Two Aunts made an impact on me. One is now 102. She taught me about style (Think pink convertible in the 60’s). My other Aunt was 97 and just passed away but she left me with a love of museums and fine art.
Auntie Em! Her love and affection for Dorothy was and is a model for me.
My favorite aunt is my Aunt Dolly. She’s the last of that generation on both sides of my family, and will be 90 soon.
On soooo many Saturdays she would take a gang of kids, eight or ten or twelve of us, on the bus to museums or zoos in Chicago. We’d pack a lunch and go for the day. The Museum of Science and Industry and the Brookfield Zoo were the favorites. It was always such fun!
I didn’t know this until many years later, but a driving reason for these outings was to get my cousin out of the house and out of the line of fire of his alcoholic father. Saturdays were his worst days with his hangovers from Friday night, and the “hair of the dog.”
My memories of those Saturdays are bittersweet with the knowledge I have now. But mostly, the sweet wins out.
My favorite aunt was my Aunt Margaret, who among other things told the best and funniest stories based on real-life adventures prefaced by “Well you know, sometimes life just gets tedious!”
My mother was the youngest of 11 children and her oldest sister had a daughter about 9 months after my mother was born. The two girls grew up on neighboring farms and were best friends. So aunt (my mom) and niece (my cousin) shared their North Carolina mountain childhood in the 1920s.
Hmmmm, I could not think of a favorite aunt…. the lightbulb came on !! Ya daaa!
Andy Taylor’s doting Aunt Bee ( I still refer to her in the way she was identified on the tv show “AINT BEE”
She is my nominee
My favorite aunt was my Aunt Cele. She didn’t have any of her own children, so ALL of my cousins were hers! She would spoil us with matching dresses for me and my sister, with cool toys (Remember the “Whizzer?”) and she had 4 tickets every year to see the Cubs play baseball – we would fill the extra seats, my cousins and I, on a rotating basis! My only regret is that although she was a prolific knitter, she didn’t teach me to knit. Certainly she was my knitting inspiration, but it took me growing up and seeking out lessons from my LYS to learn what I wish could have been our memory. That said, I am the aunt who knits now and hope that I’ll be remembered as fondly.
My sister is a fav aunt to my boys. She’s fun, kind, attentive. She loves them and they know it.
My favorite is Aunt Millie. She made sure we all always knew how much she loved us and started fun family reunions so that we would all know and love each other too.
My favorite “aunt” was actually my father’s first cousin, Ida. She was all but crippled with rheumatoid arthritis from a young age but when we visited she was always so excited to see us, I felt I was the most special person on earth. We lived 800 miles apart and I wrote her and when she used her gnarled hands to write back to tell me she loved me, I did indeed feel very loved. I think what made her so special was she expected nothing but was thrilled with whatever gifts of time or attention came her way.
One of my favorite aunts was my Aunt Ginny. She always got us a craft gift for Christmas and loved to show us how to do a new craft. She also was great at having our favorite cookies freshly baked when we visited.
Jessica Fletcher of Murder She Wrote was always there, solving mysteries and getting her numerous nieces and nephews out of trouble.
As my 2.5 year old is getting really close to becoming a big sister, I am so grateful for her 2 aunts , Titi and Annie, who came this week to love on our big girl and help us prepare for little sister’s coming. They are up for hours of reading, doodling, and picking dandelions and clover blossoms. My little girl is so blessed with her Aunties!
My father’s sister, Lula. Big, strong, loud, strict, generous, kind-hearted, yet serious. She died too young leaving behind too many people that could learn so much from her. We miss her.
Aunt Nancy is actually my Husband’s Aunt but I’m closer to her than I ever was to my biological aunts.
Aunt Ruth! She was the absolute best!
My favorite aunt was called Aunt Plunk. She was always there for me ,no matter what I needed.
My sister is a great aunt. She sometimes “gets” my son better than i do, maybe because they are alike in many ways. Example: a crisp $100 bill for birthdays thrilled him so much more than i would have guessed.
My Aunt Jo was a nun. One of my favorite memories of her is when she hitched up her habit and played softball with us. Sadly she caught Covid at age 98 and didn’t make it through.
My favorite aunt, Joanie, is my dad’s brother’s wife. He’s gone now, and so is my dad, but Joanie keeps the family together. She is delightful, and once she saw i was knitting, she wanted to learn again. she told me her first project, some sixty years ago was a pair of argyle socks. we spent many hours together knitting after i got her some yarn and needles.
My Aunt Mamie lived in Redwing, Minn. She was a retired school principle who never married. She loved to embroider. When she died, I inherited her embroidery supplies, her embroidered linen towels, her button collection, her hair pins and a lot more. I’m so grateful to have her crafty things.
fave Aunt : (Great)Aunt Esther who left me with many pithy quotes I say to my (adult)children and grandchildren today—“Don’t borrow trouble” “A stitch in Time save Nine” “you catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar” are my most used of her quotes…she was stunningly beautiful & never married, but was like a second Grandma to me. She was a Judge’s “secretary” and always very elegantly dressed.
My Aunt Martina( Dot to me) mother of 11, artist, golfer, Godmother of mine and most influential person in my life. Her smile and laugh were contagious, her kitchen table was an old barn door and had the initials of each of her children as they graduated from high school. She loved life fearlessly and the quote I remember is” if you have to be someplace, be someplace beautiful!” I remember beauty when I think of her.
Sadly, I didn’t really know my aunts, but one of my husband’s aunts is only 10 years older than us and has gifted us many bulbs our our every growing lily garden.
After my mom and husband Auntie Faye is still my go to person. She’s been a constant help and support my whole life. I can’t wait to be able to make a trip to the east coast, so she can meet my son!
I am trying in vain to come up with a favorite aunt. (I want to win the Studio Sock.) One aunt was an alcoholic and did not function well. Another was highly educated, but very unstable emotionally. And the third was a no-nonsense nurse that using the word “brusque” to describe was an understatement. So, I try to be a better aunt. It makes me happy that my nieces ask my advice about sewing, gardening, chicken-rearing, and many other topics.
My favorite aunt, and my only surviving aunt, is Ruth, who at 96 is still going strong! She is a wonderful knitter and seamstress. I still remember, with great fondness, the grey flannel suit she designed and made for me when I was about three or four years old.
I actually have two favorite aunts, one is a biological aunt, Aunt Dorie, and the other is my mom’s oldest friend, who we dubbed ‘Aunt’ Becky.
Both were wonderfully fun to grow up around. As a kid I loved Saturday mornings dancing to American Bandstand with Aunt Dorie and her friends. Aunt Becky made the best Halloween costumes and made us laugh until our stomachs ached.
My favourite aun is also my godmother, we always have had special relationship. She is now on her late 80’s, quite fragile…
I am aunt, sister, grandma, mother and just get-around-girl to many of all ages. I learned this from my own mother who also had a great attraction for good hearts and tired souls.
When I first met my husband’s great-aunt Angela, we bonded over our mutual love of crafts and gardening. Her sunroom was what heaven looks like, the perfect spot to read or knit (me) or hook (her) or daydream. She taught rug hooking and her students learned to ask: what would Angela do? The answer was always “Rip it out.” I use the question in my knitting often!
My favorite aunt was a Catholic nun. She brokered no nonsense, and gave us $2 bills (in the US, these are not common) for birthdays. She taught Latin at the local Catholic high school, and was known as Boris (bore us) to her students, but she knew how to laugh, and could make you feel better with just a smile.
My favorite aunt is someone else’s aunt–my mother. My cousins still tell me how they loved her and loved coming to visit Aunt Rachel.
Aunt Marge! When I decided to become a Unitarian Universalist minister, I was 32, a single parent with a 3 year old, and on welfare. Launching myself off of welfare was more complicated than knitting a floor-length Fair Isle jumpsuit in 6 colors and on a size 00 needle! (Still is!!)
I was not a shining example of success amidst my proper Scottish Presbyterian immigrant family, nor my German Catholic immigrant family! I was the 1st divorce in generations and had left the family religious traditions behind for what was -to them- some weird religion they had never heard of! Nonetheless, after tapping every Welfare resource and scholarship source, I was short child care expenses. (Yes, Welfare saw that as unnecessary at the time!!!)
I sat down and hand wrote letters to my family members, asking for help, I got 1 supportive reply…from Aunt Marge. I am now a retired Reverend …
My mother’s sister was my favorite aunt, she loved babies so much she kept me so my parents could have a vacation( over my first birthday). She was always interested in what we were doing and made a mean baked Lima casserole.
My favorite “crazy” aunt was my mother-in-law’s sister (aside: both MY parents were only children, so I grew up without aunts or uncles or cousins, and I was thrilled to marry into my husband’s family of a large extended group of wonderful people). Aunt Lois was a talented classical pianist, trained for the concert stage, but gave it up when she married a man in the late 1930’s who was in radio and moved their family around the country every couple of years to take new positions in the wild and crazy radio business. She never forgot how to play, though, and even when she had Alzheimer’s she would play for hours on the spinet piano in her locked facility. She knew every contemporary song and piece of classical music by heart and never lost her touch on the keyboard.
She had a bubbly personality, was literally the life-blood of her nuclear family, and she was the first one to welcome me with open arms and heart when my husband brought me around to Thanksgiving dinner in 1983. Many years later I would visit her when she was in the Alzheimer’s facility, and her bubbly personality came out in overdrive! She thought that she was the “owner of this large company,” and each time I visited she introduced me to all her “employees,” while inviting me back to her “spacious corner office.” She spoke of her family as she knew it growing up – her siblings, parents, grandparents, and her own aunts and uncles – as if they were still alive, and she would tell me of all the wonderful things they were accomplishing, and their current travels “on the Continent.” She truly believed that all her beloved family members were still alive and doing great things, and I just loved that she was in such a happy place in her mind.
She was adored by everyone in every place she went throughout her life, especially the staff at her Alzheimer’s facility, where she lived for many years. Her passing was a blow to our family, but as I said, her brain had taken her to be with family and wonderful places, so we were all glad she finally got to be with them all in Heaven.
Probably my sister in law is the coolest auntie to my four kids. She’s from Finland, so even if she’s speaking firmly to a kid it’s musical. She brings kids outdoors, and encourages exploration and trying hard things. She’s very steady and makes the hard things seem doable.
I come from an Italian Catholic family so my aunts’ names were Aunt Mary, Zia (Aunt) Mary, and Auntie Marian with a cousin named Maryanne. All were fabulous cooks, kind ladies, and loving everyone. Only one was a crocheter who taught my Mom how to make granny squares while she recuperated from surgery one year. I have the blue and pink afghan she knit for me when I was born 81 years ago and will pass it on to my grandson. Great affection to remember these women who loved with their whole hearts.
My aunt Bertha (she was really my grandmother’s cousin) taught me so much about cooking and love. I am grateful to have inherited some of her kitchen tools, and I use them all the time.
My favorite ‘aunt’ was my mother’s much younger cousin Edean who was 9 years older than I am. She was a good friend and always up for an adventure. I miss her companionship.
My mother’s sister was a career woman unlike most of my other female relatives. She showed me a different way to live.
My aunt (Margaret). You could talk to her about anything. She was a good listener.
My favorite Aunt was my Aunt Helen who taught me to knit crochet and embroider/crewel. I might not have picked up the crafts right away, but I think of my Aunt Helen every time I pick up a yarny project.
My favorite aunt was authentic, overflowing with unconditional love and acceptance. She was also fun, funny, and wicked good at scrabble, canasta, and rummy.
My favorite aunt was my mom’s sister. I would stay with her for a week at a time in the summers when I was growing up. As the oldest of four kids I was often pressed into babysitter or meal duties and my aunt understood my need for a break from that. I remember feeling pampered and loved baking and doing crossword puzzles with her.
Auntie Joy! She taught me how to take a chicken from the barnyard to the table! I taught her how to knit….and love it! Her name says it all.
My cousin is truly a fantastic aunt to both my kid and her actual nieces and nephews. She’s currently crocheting the next generation of heirloom stockings, sends calligraphied letters sealed with wax to my kid, and manages to be great with both my teen and her toddler nieces and nephews.
She wasn’t an aunt, but was a new school teacher who boarded with my parents when I was very young. I called her Nan-nan as I couldn’t say Annette, and she became a very good friend of our family. My Mom and I used to ride our horses out to visit her after she got married and moved out to a farm a few miles from us. My folks and her family lived in their same places and were good friends for more than 50 years. She and my mom still talk regularly, and have helped each other through their husbands’ deaths and as they each moved into retirement homes.
I never new my aunt or great aunt. My mother taught me how to knit and she told me her aunt taught her. This gives me a history and ancestors to knit with.
My favorite aunt hands down was my mother’s younger sister. I was born 8 years before Elinor got married and she showered me with attention. She had loved babies since she was a little girl, so my birth was a grand event as far as she was concerned. Whenever she came to visit her parents, (I lived next door) there were always presents for me. She knit me beautiful clothes including a darling coat and matching hat that my daughters also wore and now great nieces of mine wear. I was her bridesmaid when she married. When she had children of her own, I often went to visit her and “help” with her little boys. She loved her children, of course, but always had room for me in her big heart.
She lived to be 93. I was able to help her celebrate her 90th birthday and I was with her shortly before she died when I was almost 70 myself. She was blind in her old age, but she always knew my voice and welcomed me with enthusiasm. I miss her still and am sure I always will.
Grandma’s sister, our Aunt Shirley, is da bomb! She plays cut-throat canasta, hates getting her picture taken and aims her butt at the camera. She is everyone’s favorite!
My father had three sisters who were all present in my whole life, all wonderful in their special ways. The eldest was an Episcopal nun, Mother Superior with the kindest and sweetest way of telling her ten nieces and nephews to reach for the stars. “Oh, I know you can do it!” Was her favorite phrase! The next sister was stern. She made her children do chores every morning before we could play, so I did chores to help my cousin get free to play. The third was a homemaker with so many talents. Her bundt cake recipe is in everyones file box. All three were pleasant and welcoming and ready to help any of us.
My favorite aunt was my great aunt Harriet. When I was 18 I rode a Greyhound bus from Omaha, Nebraska to visit her in Pocatello, Idaho. We camped out on Bear Mountain and we had a blast.
Aunty Mary was a larger than life character who made wonderful Romanian food dishes. But my fondest memory is dyeing Easter eggs with her and my Mom at the kitchen stove when I was about 10 years old.
My favorite aunt had 3 kids of her own but also watched my brothers and me all summer long. She makes the best cookie dough!
My daughter, while having three of her own is the adored aunt to her sisters youngest. Literally when together they are like glue, or matching hand knit socks! They play, laugh and snuggle and while I may feel a tiny tinge of envy – because I didn’t have an aunt!! the bond is so amazing to see!!! Aunties Rock!!!!
My Mom had 4 sisters, 2 never married, Agnes(executive secretary ) & Lucy(radiology nurse). The extended family all lived and worked in the same town. They both expanded my world. I would walk to their home/work and we’d have lunch and I’d explore. They’d take me to the park or beach. NYC was was just a car ride away, we went to the Opera, Shows, Museums. I (and my brother) even took two extended car trips with them across the country in the 1960’s. WOW… the memories.
Aunt Clara was a tiny (think less than 4’11”) woman who wore high heels and intimidated the high school kids that she taught. She smoked back when it was stylish and had the best whiskey voice. I loved having a cold and talking like Aunt Clara. She lived in a tall red brick house in Detroit, and I loved visiting her. In her 90s she outsmarted some burglars and ran across the street to a neighbor’s. She said she was thinking, “Look at me, running across this street.” I want to live old age just like her.
My favorite aunt is actually my friend Jackie. She takes 10 kid’s camping every year with only 1 other adult. They are so good together and it’s so heartwarming to see their adventures.
My favorite “aunt” was one of my mother’s friends. She and her family went on many vacations with my family and she was always doing something crafty. She knit, crocheted, embroidered, cooked, baked, and many other things. And she would always take time to teach me something new. I loved spending time with her early in the mornings when no one else was up to get my private lessons!
My favorite aunt was also my only biological aunt, my mom’s sister Betsy (and her real maiden name was Ross!). She didn’t marry or have kids till her late 30’s, so I got lots of love and attention from her before that. She worked in downtown Chicago and used to take me on the train for a special day out now and then. We’d eat lunch at a restaurant and shop at some fancy stores, maybe even Marshall Field’s (I really don’t remember that), but it was always an adventure and something I never did with my mom and 2 brothers. We would go to the suburban mall and shop at Wieboldt’s or Penney’s or Sears, never downtown in the Loop!
She sewed, as my mom did, too, but she also knitted and crocheted, which my mom never did. Aunt Betsy didn’t teach me, but when she later saw me knitting as my mom’s friend down the street had showed me, she told me I was doing it wrong. I didn’t realize until many years later that I was knitting English style and my aunt knitted continental style. She, of course, claimed it was much faster and thus “better.” She tried to teach me “her way”, but I could never get the hang of it. In my old age, I do think it is faster, but certainly not better, just different. I have tried to learn continental, but my tension is lousy and I can only purl Norwegian style, which I don’t really think is faster.
Aunt Betsy unfortunately passed away way too young at only 49, but I do have lots of happy memories of her and my Uncle Wally, too, who lived into his 90’s.
Aunt Bernice! i still use her recipe for gravlox. i vividly recall how thrilled she was when i told her i was pregnant 32 years ago.
My favorite Aunt on my father’s side of the family was Claire. I was born on her birthday and we were apparently immediately bonded. She was bubbly, loving, gregarious and fabulous. Her favorite color was pink and mine is too. While she didn’t knit, she did quilt and was always an inspiration. I miss her dearly. And I love Neighborhood Fiber Co. PICK ME!!!
Ahhhh Auntie Joy. My Mom’s twin. Sweet and had a great, happy laugh. I was short on aunts. Aunt Carol was adventurous. She gave me a limerick book when I was 11 or so & was mortified when she found out how many naughty limericks were in it! She took it back!!
My aunt didn’t have children of her own, but really doted on my 3 sibs & me when we were young. She made felt hand puppets and sewed us Halloween costumes. She always had a fun project to try whenever she visited – and very Mary Poppins-ish in making everything fun!
My favorite aunt was actually a great aunt, my Nana’s sister. Her name was Juanita Zelphia and she lived in Florida, but had lily white skin and jet black hair. She had bright red fingernails and grew the most beautiful roses! She had no children of her own and always believed there was something supernatural about her!
My Aunt Clair was so much fun when I was young. She would take us on drives in the country and fly up and down the hills making us lose out stomachs.. and she would laugh and laugh. What a good time she gave us!
My sister-in-law, my children’s Aunt Linda, gets my vote for fav aunt. (So many aunts, this was tough!) #1: Aunt Linda is a fantastic knitter. #2: Aunt Linda is the forerunner scientist in our family, a model for her niece, my daughter. #3 Aunt Linda is married to my brother, the musician (takes a special gift) #4 She is an amazingly welcoming and unpretentious host when anyone comes to visit.
I have to say I am a Darn Good Aunt! No kids of my own by choice, so the nieces & nephs are extra special. The effect a close caring aunt or uncle can have on a child is astounding. I am just one step removed from being their parent, but that space allows me to both reiterate the parental wisdom that is being ignored, as well as deliver on the unconditional love. It’s somehow less sticky than the parent-child relationship, for both me & the younger gen. This is why we need extended fam to help with raising them up!
I have two favorite aunts, Sally and Beth, both sisters of my mother.
I am named after my Aunt Beth (but actually my mother named Aunt Beth when she was born, so maybe she was named after some future daughter (me)).
As a math teacher, I always tell my students that I have a dear aunt sally when I teach them the order of operations (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally).
Both Aunt Sally and Aunt Beth played the music at my wedding and my three sibling’s weddings. Aunt Sally was a gifted organist. Aunt Beth played the flute in a number of symphony orchestras in Canada (I took after her and played the flute into adulthood).
Aunt Sally had a love of shaggy dog stories, and there were always groans after the punch line. Aunt Beth also has a wicked sense of humor.
Aunt Sally passed away in late June, and I will miss her. Aunt Beth deserves a visit from me in the not too distant future.
My mum’s sister recognised a fellow crafter and taught me to cross stitch. She died when I was 15, long before I realised how much we had in common.
My favorite Aunt is my Mom’s baby sister, Doris.
My favorite aunt was my mother’s sister Vita who died very young at 48. She was kind and funny and she and my mother did a brief rendition of a “rockin in a southern porch” drama. They were fanning themselves and started with. (In southern accents) my, my I don’t remember a summer this hot”
My favorite aunt was Barbara, my Dad’s sister. Such a cool lady, and so much fun. She was a wonderful knitter and liked a good time and a laugh. I miss her! The kids say I am the fav aunt now. Enie, they call me, because I am smaller than all of my family. I give lots of love and hugs, and I get lots of love and hugs back. It’s wonderful.
My Aunt Mina who has been a big wonderful part of my life forever ❤️❤️❤️. Not a knitter but she is a creative and tremendous cook.
I bought The Creative Act a few months ago. It’s not overstated to say it has changed the way I walk around in the world.
His podcast Tetragrammaton is fantastic. And the documentary, Shangra Lai, also amazing.
I can’t recommend highly enough.
Knit on to this over and over.
My favorite aunt lived in the country with my grandmother and we only saw her for a short 2 weeks in the summer, but my memories of those summers always include her. She liked to show us city kids what we were missing—berry picking, (and weeding the garden) long walks in the woods, feeding the chickens, and building sandcastles, just to name a few favorite activities.
I did not have an aunt, but have 5 sisters so I asked my daughter. Her answer wasUnt Banshee- or more commonly known Michele. She could feed the world- organically of course.
I loved taking our niece out for her back-to-school shopping, back in the day.
Never had an aunt, but would have loved being the niece of the great aunts written about in these comments.
My aunt margie was great. She was kind and worked very hard for her family. She was a bit 1950’s so for awhile i did not realize her toughness. Her kindness to all is what i remember most.
She lived in a nursing home for her last years. She was cheerful to the last … and her family was lucky to have her near. Sadly, i was a little distant.
My mother and aunt died close together – both in their nineties. I miss them.
Aunt Kate was the best when I was a kid (and is still now)! She was a “grownup” who actually taught us weird but fun stuff, and has been a sounding board for my sister and me throughout our adult lives.
My grandmothers sister is my favorite aunt. Loved going to visit my aunt verna in the summer. Evenings sitting on the porch and listening to her and my grandmother share memories made every visit special. We’d chase fireflies in the front yarn and play hide and seek as the day dimmed using the strangely shaped bushes in her yard to hide among.
My favourite aunt is lucy, she is wonderful and likes to bake as well as make all sorts of crafty things.
My parents were missionaries in Japan during the ’50s and ’60s. Since all the missionaries had families in other countries we were all one family in Japan. Out of respect, during that era, we called the adults, “Aunt or Uncle”. I wish millenials, genziers were taught to respect their elders with “Aunt and Uncle.” I think they wouldn’t feel so hopeless or lonely with so much mental health issues.
My mom’s sister is my favorite aunt, and that has been true since the beginning (I’m comfortably late-middle-aged now). She is smart and creative and independent, and visiting her when I was small was always so exciting. It’s still fun!
My mother’s sister, Aunt Olive, was my only aunt, mother to my only two cousins. My mother and her sister were always very close, even dressing alike especially for their skating club. Later, they would dress us cousins alike for special occasions. I remember she had a garden, and it was at her house that I had my first fresh vegetables right from the garden. That was a valuable experience as we lived in NYC and had no vegetable garden.
My favorite aunt could open a refrigerator and make something amazing from what others would consider nothing… I wish I was better at that!
I have two: a favorite aunt who is my mother’s sister, whom I’m named for and is so wise, and one of my father’s sisters, who took me to cultural events when I was a child. That aunt died in early middle-age; I’m now older than she was and am so grateful for her vision about how to be with your nieces and nephews.
My favorite aunt and I share the same name, as my mother named me after her favorite sister. Aunt Vi (pronounced Vee) was a dressmaker and some of my favorite memories of her include the matching dresses she made for my mom and me when I was a child, the dresses and suits she made for my work wardrobe, and most especially, the wedding gown she created and sewed for my special day. Although she passed many years ago, I treasure the memories I hold and the pieces of clothing that I’ve held on to and continue to wear.
My dad’s sister was my favorite aunt. She was crafty. Some of my favorite early memories of her sitting near her while she taught me to embroider. She lived several states away, but would spend a week or two with my grand parents every summer and always included me in everything they did. We played a lot of card games. During the year she often sent me an example of her latest craft or a classic kids book. After my dad died she propped me up with loving emails and phone calls and letters. I am sure this was no small feat as she was also grieving the loss of her brother. I miss her.
I only have one aunt, but she was a much needed touchstone when I was a teenager. My mom was super strict and hard to get along with, but I could go visit my aunt, hang out, vent about my mom, and feel heard. She also taught me how to make various Christmas candies and we would spend weekends before the holidays making candy together.
My Aunt Sis! Like many others here, I was nick-named for her. She was from Sylvester, GA, and an officer in WWII, a tough broad!
My favourite Aunt
Auntie Evelyn was a tiny person with a very big heart. She was a “spinster”, said she never found a man worth giving up her independence for! And she was very independent. Owned her own house, worked long hard hours at her alterations job so she had money to travel. Since she was single and only 4’11” she chose to travel US and Canada by bus and train. No overhead bins for her thank you very much. And she painted beautiful pictures of the places she visited and knitted in the evenings at the various stops along her way. So many beautiful sweaters, socks, hats and mittens for her favourite niece! I wish I had spent more time knitting with her but sadly she passed away after a car accident before I had that opportunity.
My dear Great Aunt Helen from Floyd County KY used to say “Howdee” in a special unique way that I hear in my mind. She also said “Down yonder” but we never knew if that was one mile or 20!
My Aunt Bev is a unique individual. She is my father’s youngest and only surviving. Never afraid to express her opinion, she has been an independent woman far longer than most others of her generation. At 93, she is still going strong. She stands as a role model for me as an outspoken, independent representative for our family.
My aunt Jessie was the best! She loved clothes, scary movies, and fun foods. Staying over at her house was always a great time!
My favorite is Auntie ‘Em from the Wizard of Oz. I always wondered where Dorothy’s mother was and why she lived with her aunt and uncle. Kudos to Auntie ‘Em for obviously loving her niece so much.
My favorite aunt who we called Beedo taught me to knit. She was beloved by all of us, my many cousins, and many of the next generation of women has Louise as their middle name
Aunt Bea. She took such good care of Opie.
Our daughter Susan is named after my husband’s favorite aunt. In a devout Irish family, she was the only one who was divorced and she also was the only one who owned a car! Susan has her spirit and takes her sister’s kids on all sorts of wonderful adventures.
Aunt Bea from Mayberry on the Andy Griffith show was my favorite. She had it all and was fairly unflappable.
My dad’s sister, Aunt Irene. She was single, lived at home with mom mom and pop pop and was so glamorous. She baked fancy cakes, sewed all her own clothes and painted ceramics. I keep one of her ceramic Christmas trees up all year. It’s white with sparkles and multicolored bulbs and is just a jolt of joy on a dark morning.
My favorite aunt died when she was younger than I am now. She was a fantastic cook. She would let me make a mess without fussing. None of her children managed her skill. She mentioned that it must pass from Aunt to niece when she heard about my nieces on 2 chairs behind me while I cooked at my mom’s stove. My mom complained that every dish towel was dirty when I was done cooking.
Very few of my Aunts lived near me, but two of my great-aunts lived in town. Aunt Pearl had been a 1920’s flapper and maintained that type of enthusiasm all her life. Aunt Betty was tiny and precise and pretty much the opposite of Pearl. Neither knitted or crocheted or were even very good cooks, but they loved spending time with me and my brother. They would take turns taking me “downtown” by bus where we would spend a Saturday looking and shopping at the big department stores and having an elegant lunch at one of them. I truly appreciate the time they spent with me and conversations we had together.
My Aunt Alda would bring a box of bakery cookies every Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was a wonderful treat for a little girl. :):)
Dear “Ancient Aunt” Betty (that’s what she calls herself). She’s my dad’s younger sister. Dad’s been gone many years, but Betty is still with us. When dad was alive, they wrote each other hilarious letters every other week. And occasionally, they’d play pranks on each other. I love Aunt Betty and hope she hangs on for a long time!
My Aunt Jeannette was my favorite aunt growing up. She was actually my dad’s aunt on his father’s side. She lived in Florida most of the year but lived on a nearby lake in a little cottage during the summers. I dont have a singular memory of her, just her smell like peppermint and camphor and her being so welcoming to us when we visited. She encouraged us girls, who were used to being told to be quiet, to jump in the water, not be afraid.
I’m endeavoring hard to be my delightful niece’s favorite aunt, and I think I’m succeeding. She’s a special tiny human, and I’m doing my very best to teach her how to be a good person, a smart person, a creative person, a funny person. It’s a special gift to get to be here for her as much as I am.
My Aunt Bertha was my fav. She lived to be 96. I remember being fascinated with the sequins she used to sew onto clothing.
Aunt Dana, my husband’s sister. She is fun, positive to be around, and so thoughtful. She brings the sunshine!
My favorite Aunt was Aunt Wanda. One of my earliest memories was catching a fish on a camping trip (about 3-in) long and begging my mom to cook it for dinner. She wouldn’t mess with it, but Aunt Wanda stepped in and fried it up for me. Thanks Aunt Wanda!
My mom’s twin was my favorite aunt. She was a women who knew what she wanted and didn’t want. Divorced in a time when that was unusual, she led a life that always stirred love and respect in my heart.
My favorite aunt has always been my Aunt Joyce. She always wears the most current styles and she never seems to age; her gray hair is so chic you’d think she dyed it that color!
My Aunt Carolyn was our relative who celebrated big events with us like graduations and visited more often, which I really appreciated. She is kind and supportive of our various endeavors. She’s now a model for how I want to spend retirement: traveling the world. This year I’ve received her postcards from Japan, Alaska, Israel, and Florida.
Favorite aunt would be aunt Mary. My mother’s brother’s wife. She is a hoot! She lives in Colorado. Great sense of humor!
I like to think I am the amazing Auntie!!!!
During 2020, Covid brought with it a work-from-home ability which was a double edged sword of wonderful and soul crushing. I’m unmarried with no children—my house is very quiet. That summer I lost my faithful friend and companion, Hank the dog. The loss and heaviness around this plus the state of the world in general was hard to carry…I decided to pack my car and leave my Midwest home to spend the holidays with family in New England.
My knitting bag and it’s healing properties accompanied me—I found an amazing local yarn store (shout out, Knitwits!!) and I picked up a project spending lots of time just being with my knitting…. My 8 year old nephew, Charles, was being home schooled and was happy to just have another person in the house. He watched every stitch and was obsessed—and wanted to learn!
Masking up, we braved the Maine snow and trekked back to Knitwits where we spent time talking, touching yarns, dreaming of what he would make. I bought his first needles and skein of chunky yarn plus a zippered bag with a sloth on it to wrangle his scissors and tape measure.
The next few weeks were spent side by side on the couch in front of the Christmas tree’s glow, knitting, bonding, healing together—it was magic. I’m so grateful to have had the time with him to share my passion, and even though track, lacrosse and drums have taken more of his time these days we always dream about yarn and the infinite possibilities together. . Love this kid!!
My favorite aunt is small, loud, colorful, unconventional, super friendly, very loving and loves to laugh. She is joy!
This is a pretty easy question to answer as I had only one aunt, Muriel. She was the black sheep of the family and was only known by the cards that arrived for birthdays and Christmas. I eventually met her when I was in my mid-teens. A lovely lady,
My favorite Aunt is my great Aunt Kate, who I named my daughter after. I have very few real memories of her (I was very young) but I remember stepping down on stones to get to her house and a feeling of love and warmth when I was with her. That’s something you don’t forget.
Aunt Jennie was actually my great aunt. She had cute nicknames for everyone (my son Dan was Daniel Boone…) I miss her, even tho she has been gone for 30 years…
My marvelous aunt Helen, may her memory be a blessing, who once signed a letter to my teenage self from your crazy aunt Helen with the leopard leotard and the whoopee socks!
My mother had a friend, Anita, who I thought of as an aunt. She took me to see Broadway musicals, and when I was 12, asked my mom (within earshot of me) if she could ask me to babysit her kids after school. When my mother said “don’t you think she is too young?”, she said “I think she is smart and responsible and more than capable”, a compliment that I heard and of course wanted to live up to. I am forever grateful to her for that.
My favorite aunt lived to be almost 100.
How am I supposed to choose a favorite between my aunts? They are all great in their own ways.
I always like visiting my Aunt Rubie in Mobile, Alabama. She always made us chocolate gravy and biscuits every morning for breakfast.
My world was blessed with a boatload of favorite aunts. I’ve just been down memory lane, thinking of Mary and Susie, and Mary (2), Lois, Pat, Betty, Kathleen.
Do great aunts count? Great Aunt Martha Christian Dagmar Jensen was born in 1892 in Denmark. She became a nurse to support herself because all the good men died in The Great War. She lived to age 102.
My aunt Helen, “Auntie”, taught me so many life lessons. Don’t give up. Turn the other cheek. Don’t take yourself too seriously. You are worthy.
My favorite aunt is my Aunt Ione, an aunt-by-marriage, who long ago divorced my uncle but is still one of the most important people in my life although we live several hundred miles apart and rarely see each other. She lives alone on a ranch in Texas Hill Country and, now in her mid-80’s is still an amazing inspiration to me. Maybe I should knit her a pair of socks to show her how much I care about her ….?
My Aunt Ginny. She was an artist & vibrant personality. My sisters & I loved her fiercely. Her life was one filled with multiple tragedies ending with death from cancer. She faced every obstacle with courage & a positive upbeat outlook that has influenced our family still. She was never down & never said a bad word about anyone. She was so beloved by all.
My aunt Linda was always fun. We loved it when she came to babysit and bring food treats. She was always joking around and making us laugh. She never married but always had a lot of friends who were also kind to us.
My Aunt Dot packed the very best brown bag lunches for me and my brothers when we were in elementary school and stayed with her while my parents were away. She was pretty stingy with the bath water- she’d only let me fill the tub a few inches. No luxuriating in a tub at Aunt Dot’s house. She also sewed the most beautiful dresses for me; I’ll always remember the pink Swiss dot with Peter Pan collar and full skirt. She was loving and stern- a Church of Christ teetotaler.
My aunt Millie. She enjoyed knitting, too.
3 months ago I’d never consider this answer but after my sister’s family moved to town, all her daughter wants to do is hang out with me. Personally, I don’t think I’m that cool, but this little 3yo says my name more in a half-hour exploration of our backyard than I’ve heard it in the last 3 years, lol!
Lady Catherine in P&P. As awful as she was she was the person that finally drew Elizabeth to Darcy!
My Aunt Maryann taught me how to drive, with 2 feet. To this day, 50 years later, I still drive with 2 feet. God forbid I ever have to drive a clutch!!! LOL
My favorite aunt is Nell Endicott, from the Sally Goldenbaum books. She’s a person I’d love to know in real life!
Augusta Bertram – Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene
My favorite aunt is my sister, the auntie to my 2 kids as well as my other sibling’s children. She is basically a modern day Auntie Mame! I love her so much & an so happy the kids in my family have her as an example of an adult who is creatively fun, wise, ridiculous, and unconditionally loving all in one!
My mother’s sister, Aunt Mary. She was only 9 years older than I was and she seemed more like a sister than an Aunt. When my mother died at a young age, I spent a lot of time with her . I recently told her how much that time meant to me and helped me get through my grief at mom’ s death.
My favorite aunt was really a great aunt. She was Aunt Bea! My grandmothers sister who lived in a mobile home and as a kid I thought that was the coolest little home. Also loved my great Aunt Carmen, another sister who crocheted like my grandmother and she made my son the most beautiful sweater, booties and hat that I still have to this day.
My father’s sister is my favorite aunt. She’s 99 years old and still going strong. She sponsored me when I wanted to come to the United States. She was married to my Uncle Frank and they had 6 children. My Tante Anneliese is the best!!!!
My mother was the favorite among my cousins. As an artist, she was a bit of “free spirit” and fun. I think my cousins appreciated her practical advice when asked.
My dear Aunt Louise, my father’s sister and my godmother. Born in 1919, she remained single. She first trained as a baby nurse at a Salvation Army school. She took her duties as godmother seriously, even though she was Protestant and I was raised Catholic. She opened me to the wonders of NYC, where we lived; taking me to the Museum of Natural History, a Children’s Theatre in Manhattan and even a tour of LaGuardia Airport. There we even took a tour of a plane and met a pilot. She taught me how to crochet and to appreciate the hand-made. She had lived in a rent-controlled apartment in Astoria since 1955, and when my sister and I cleaned out her apartment after hers death, we found copies of all her Bell Telephone bills and receipts for her rent. A dear woman for sure.
I’ve loved reading this joyful thread. How good it is that so many have been graced with wonderful Aunts (or else Uncles, grandparents, etc.)
My favourite Aunt is my Great Aunt Winnie. She’s been gone many years now, but was full of life and love. She made me feel seen and special when I was a kid (loved her husband, my Great Uncle Joe too!) She always had bowls of candy and nuts in her living room, was shocked when she learned we hadn’t had banana splits yet (a malady she immediately remedied – and she had the banana split dishes – so fancy!) and then introduced us to ice cream floats! She took my sister and I to the mall over March break and was so much fun! She inspired me to be the kind of Aunt and Mother that I try to be and I miss her so.
(We also met out Auntie Mame a few times – loved her! She had naughty paraphernalia around her house – like a love thermometer in her bathroom – that we thought were hilarious! My sister and I would go in to run hot or cold water over our hands to see what name the love thermometer would give us!)
Auntie Mame of course. Loved those books as a teenager, especially the photo scrapbook.
I love being an aunt! I have knitted jackets, sweaters, blankets, hats, and dresses for nieces and nephews—and for grandnieces and grandnephews. I have to get busy—another grandniece will be arriving in a few months!
I remember playing jacks with my grandmother Mimi when I was in grade school. She also said to eat the food you don’t like first.
My Aunt Beryl lived right behind us growing up. Since my Mom died when we were young she helped us so much.
My Aunt Gladys! She was a very large woman with a personality to match! Always sweet to us kids and a perfect match to her very quiet husband! Sadly she whittled down to nothing from cancer. Rest in peace, Aunt Gladys. I miss you!
My father’s younger sister who was closer to my age than his. Growing up she was like a big sister to me – taking me with her on all sorts of adventures. She would talk to me about all of those embarrassing facts about growing up that my very Catholic mom did not want to discuss. We’re still close to this day and I have a very close relationship with her daughters.
My nieces now call me “aunt doctor Sarah” for my skills at getting out splinters and my collection of colorful bandaids. I love those little munchkins! (*not a doctor in any way)
My sister-in-law, my kids’ Aunt Lisa! Her favorite adjective is intrepid, and she’ll walk up to anyone and start a conversation. My children are in awe even while they’re a little horrified. It’s good for them!
My mom sister used to take us on her company outings to the amusement park, it was so much fun to go on the bus from her office and have the day with her
My dad’s sister was the best! She was an elementary school teacher for her entire career, which was such a good fit. When we visited, I could always feel how much she loved and cherished me and the whole family. She lived well into her 90’s and remained caring, interested in others and interesting herself. She never talked about her physical ailments though she lived with a lot of pain. I hope to age like she did.
My favorite aunt was my Mom’s older sister. Though she mostly lived quite a distance away our connection was strong, and when she visited I was in heaven. She always made me feel like I was the most important person in the world. Sadly, she died at age 60 and my children never got to know her. My younger son is named after her so her memory lives on.
My favorite aunt, Aunt Nan , was the bread baker, while my mom was the knitter. Grandma made sure each of her 8 kids excelled at a useful life skill. Aunt Nan came up in conversation last night, for her love of staying in her pajamas at least until mid-morning coffee time. Years ago, when she was approaching 90 she told me she hoped she didn’t have to move to assisted living because then she’d have to get dressed for breakfast.
My favorite aunt was my great aunt Jean. She was independent, feisty, eccentric, and opinionated, in a time when women’s opinions were not valued. She left me a gorgeous cedar hope chest, some fine china, and her books. She didn’t knit, but was politically active and energetic until she died.
How about favorite aunts? My mother had 5 sisters but fortunately they all didn’t live close to us. One taught me to knit, another found a piano teacher for me, one did an oil painting of me, and another talked about AAUW so much that I joined after college. (American Association of University Women)
I have two favorite aunts. My Aunt Jaws was a night nurse in the ER for forty years, but always made time to get up early and attend family events and play the Jaws game with me: essentially hide and seek but with 1000% more tension and humming of the Jaws theme. My Auntie Les lives in England and each of her visits here was a big event. She let me stay with her for almost three months when I was 19 (and super depressed) and she was living in France. She introduced me to Georgette Heyer novels and baguette with local honey and Italian globe grapes for snacking, and it saved my soul.
One of my favorite aunts taught my mom to cook Italian food. We loved the results!
My Aunt Marleen is my only aunt right now. She used to make knitted caps Ala Green Packer as she is from upper Michigan. The whole family benefited from her lovely warm toques. A upper Michigan term for caps from the Canadian side.
My aunt Joyce got me into knitting socks. She started out with Christmas stockings!
I am the weird, old, ex-hippie aunt that looks like a stern librarian. And I knit totally cool stuff.
Well, “Sunny” was not a blood relative, she was my brother’s Godmother, she had been a close friend of my paternal aunt. Sunny lived in Washington,DC and Newport RI, she was a governess for a stepsister of Jackie’s (we all know who we mean when we say Jackie). Her stories of political and theatrical celebraties always entertained us in the 60’s and she gave the greatest thoughtful presents. Miss her all the time.
My mother’s sister who we called Kiki. She was a teen when I was born and introduced me to the Beatles, Gogo dancing, and the importance of matching your lipstick to your outfit. Such fond memories
One aunt only, Yvonne. My favorite memory is her agreeing to take a beginning rowing class with me when she was in her 50’s. It was a risk… neither one of us is athletic and learning how to navigate an 8 person rowing shell, after warming up on an erg at 5 am was a great challenge to accomplish, and have fun! Plus at 79, she is still rowing!
My Auntie Pat, who traveled the world and sent my sister and me dolls from every country she visited!
Oh my gosh, it would have to be my aunt Pat. She was my uncle’s wife on my mom’s side and she always had a way of making you know that you were special and loved. She had never had the chance to meet my husband but she always sent him a birthday card every year regardless right up until we lost her to cancer.
My favourite aunt was a bit of a rascal. Larger than life but tiny in stature, Eileen lived a life that reflected the decline of the British Empire with stints in Britain, Canada, Kenya, New Zealand and Fiji. She was a talented knitter and today one of her amazing sweaters adorns my slender, newly a mother niece, Kariann.
My favorite aunt expanded my horizons, encouraging me to learn as much as I possibly could, and to travel the world!
Sharon, my dad’s youngest sister, is my favorite aunt. She is a super talented crocheter. She has also shared the family tale of Grandma’s knitted and crocheted “weenie warmers” with me.
Aunt Tay— My grandfather’s brother’s wife. We didn’t see her often, but she gave my sister and me the best Christmas gift every year— a subscription to Teen magazine then when we got older Seventeen magazine and older than that Glamour. I loved getting those so much and was always impressed with what a great gift it was.
Aunt Helen was a wonderful crafter and a great cook. She could knit and crochet, decorate cakes, create hollow eggs made of sugar with candy scenes inside, and make other delectable candies. She made mouth-watering roasts with roasted potatoes and vegetables when we went to visit-yum! Thank you, Aunt Helen!
My two favorite aunts, Ruthanne and Paulette, were my father’s youngest sisters. And they were only 7 and 10 years older than me. So they were like “cool big sisters!”
My favourite aunt was my dad’s sister and her name was Margaret. SHe was quite the lady. SHe had a huge couch in her living room that would sleep two people end to end! SHe bought us fun presents at Easter and Christmas….things like special Easter egg cups. She also had a glass container in her bathroom held special soaps of different shapes…Often we were allowed to take one…happy thoughts. SHe liked good coffee and when she was in a care home she tried to escape..I loved her adventurous spirit
What I and my fave aunt had in common was our love of sewing. We bonded over tips and tricks.
My favorite was very kooky and did many unexpected things when she visited. I always enjoyed her visits !
My mother had 8 sisters, and it would be impossible to to choose between them, they were all so different. From the oldest, an organization queen, that could marshal the troops and get anything, no matter how complicated done in the shortest possible time, to the youngest, the absolute funnest person I’ve ever known, and every variation in between, I was surrounded by strong, loving, get things done, make things happen women. My boys say I have a story for every occasion and I do, it was the greatest shock of my life to go off to college and meet people without that kind of female mentoring. I came to realize just what a blessing they all were and what an awesome force the aunts in the collective truly were. All so different, ranging in ages and priorities, bickering and one upmanships and all, whenever they turned their attention to something together, the 9 of them were unstoppable. And there was no safer, happier place then when they circled around. I miss them, but their love and magic linger. They gave with such abundance, I think the ripples are still spreading.
My favorite “aunt” was a friend of my mother. Jean seemed to like to talk to me when I was a preteen and teen. She traveled a lot and brought me a Katchina doll among other things. We had great discussions. I loved that she treated me as an adult when I was so young
While not technically an aunt ( she was my dad’s cousin), my godmother filled that role. She’d send me letters when she was away at college and I loved getting my own mail. After my father died, she always made sure my mom and I were not alone on holidays. And when I was in college, she sent care packages. I tried to encourage the same feeling with my nieces but not sure I succeeded!
My godmother, Carol Ann, filled that role.
My favorite aunt took me to Radio City Music Hall to see a Disney movie. She bought me a souvenir Sleeping Beauty charm bracelet but that wasn’t the movie we saw! This would’ve been around 1961. How did it get to be so long ago?
Oh, and how could I forget! She taught me to knit! And embroider…
Marion B. is my favorite aunt. A widow with 2 young children to raise in the 40s she got her teaching certificate, then her masters and became an elementary school principal. She was charming, disciplined, and loved her students, teachers and family. It was such a gift to be part of her flock. She had a magic book shelf in her house (5 shelves) which always held books for us to read. She gave me the love of reading. The world would be a better place if we all had an Aun Marion in our lives.
My Aunt Marge was very creative, in between raising 6 children. When I was 5, and she had her own baby and a toddler, she hand-painted paper dolls for my birthday. I wish I still had those or a photo of them. In her 70’s and 80’s she designed and sold beautiful needlepoint kits, the designs like paintings. When I dream about her I know she is nudging my own creativity.
My favourite aunt on my Mum’s side, was Betty. She managed to become a travel agent (and a very successful one) in the heyday of luxurious flying, the sixties and seventies. She was confident, well-dressed, making most of her own clothes, and went all over the world on the airlines’ and resorts’ dimes…and she was not quite twelve years older than was I. She was more like an indulgent older sister than aunt and, as I aged, she took me places my parents would never have allowed. I accompanied her to the Wing (an airforce officers’ club), the local disco, and assorted dances while I was still under 21 (the drinking age at the time). I adored her. I also got a chance to take care of her when she was dying of esophageal cancer. She told wonderful stories and, eventually passing, left me “some” of her engagement rings. A maverick and a self-made woman in a time when that was not common, she had a string of boyfriends but never settled down. She made life exciting and fun and she inspired me in many ways.
Alas my mother’s only sister died in childbirth before I was born. I didn’t have a favorite to use as a pattern when I become an aunt. Since they lived across the country from me, I resorted to trying to find the perfect, unusual gift at any opportunity when they were young. That included making a large stuffed dinosaur for my nephew when he was about four, and getting henna ink for temporary skin designs when my niece was in her early teens. I thing that gift stuck, as she has quite an impressive inked sleeve on one arm now as an adult!
My favorite aunt was my Aunt Loretta, who lived to the ripe old age of 102 and still sharp as a tack. She was a wonderful baker and made some of the greatest cookies and desserts that me and my siblings still talk about. When I was younger, she worked at soda fountain/cafe and I remember me and my sister going to visit her and her giving us an ice cream cone or soda. I kept in touch with her until her death and when me or any of my siblings visited her, she always asked about each of us (I have 9 siblings) and she knew everyone by name. She was a treasure.
My Aunt Vi. Quilter, crocheter, China painter, cook.
My favorite aunt was my Mom’s sister Pat. We used to spend long weeks at her house in the summer. And even when I was an adult I loved hanging out with her. She was so funny. I loved how she and my mother used to laugh together.
My fave aunt is my mom’s sister. She has always been there to support me and have my back. She’s been the perfect aunt! And she’s knit worthy! She’s in her 90’s now and i dread the day she won’t be here. But she’s also in excellent health (better than mine!) and is always on the go!
My sister-in-law is the best Aunt to my daughter and her baby!
Both of my parents were only children, so my sister and I had only great aunts and uncles. Our great aunt Ruth lived up to the “great” moniker. She was a pip who lived to be 97, outlasting all other grand- and great grandparents. She lived near us and was a very engaged auntie. Sharp as a tack and very interested in current events, she was a retired interior decorator who lived a very vivid and color-coordinated life. She had a canary yellow ‘69 Camaro with a custom black and white houndstooth interior. She lived with us for several months when I was around eight years old, and we formed a special “across-the-hall-roommate” bond. Among other things, she introduced me to fiber art (needlepoint) and gin rummy. Needlepoint yarn led me – eventually – to knitting yarn, and I think of her every time I play gin. She also served as an *excellent* role model for my own auntie/great auntie role to my two nieces and two great-nieces. ❤️
Would have to be Aunt Dorothy. Was a power to be reckoned with!
My sister Carmi Jane would definitely be a very beloved and fun Aunt for my children. Unfortunately passed away too young. She bought them crystals and my son his first Swiss Army knife! She was an amazing cook, sister, aunt, mom and nurse.
My favorite Aunt, was my Great-Aunt Alice. She took care of us as children when my mother was in the hospital. She never married and was a quiet, kind, gentle soul to us and my father.
Me of course. I love all of my nieces and me!
My dad’s sister is just 13 years older than me (they were 14 years apart). She’s the beautiful “girl next door” – blonde with green eyes – and I, who look nothing like that side of the family, idolized her. She was so patient with my little brother and me – even when she was a teenager she made time for us. She’s kind, funny, and a wonderful person. I think I need to knit a pair of socks for her!
My favorite aunt is my mom’s younger sister. One time we were at a hotel with my almost 3yo daughter, mom, sister, aunt, and a whole bunch of other family/friends. My kidlet was wearing a Superman footed pj set, complete with attached red cape. Aunt Barb picked up kidlet, tucked her under her arm, and ran down the hallway so that Superman could fly. We were all laughing so hard we could barely stand.
Aunt Clara from Bewitched. Her spells were always a little off, but Samantha would be there to help! Makes me think about all of the questions I have about patterns + the mistakes I make and how my friend is always there to help me solve my questions/mistakes.
Gosh, this would be my Aunt Mary Jean my Father’s sister. She was an amazing fierce roll model, also the smartest person in the family. She held down two full times jobs as a computer programmer in the 60s and 70s when this is not what women did. She married a black man, my Uncle Frank in the 1960s. She was an inspiration just how she lived her life. I miss her
My Great Aunt Ruth, who always said she wasn’t sure had done anything all that great…
She taught me to knit
My only real aunt was not very aunt-y. My imaginary auntie lives a few blocks away from me, is a knitter and a GF baker and we regularly get together to share our interests.
My aunt Bettye had maintained a fabulous sense of humor despite a challenging life. She’s the best.
My favorite aunt always has a smile on her face for me and loved to have fancy tea together
Has to be my aunt lily. Spinster auntie who was short & feisty, make a fabulous meal outta nothing and loved me no matter what.
My favorite Aunt was Delores Jean. My family was the poor farm family (so I thought) and her family was the rich city family. She called me “Little One.” She was stylishly dressed and had a beautiful house with a view of the valley. Unfortunately, she did not do needlework!
My aunt Carol, my mom’s younger sister. She claimed me as one of her own when my mom, passed away even though I was already a grown woman myself. You always need a mom figure in your life though, right? I’ve held her in high regard my whole life but this kind act meant the world to me. Still does. We both miss my mom so much.
My aunt Mary was beautiful, creative, and loveable. She was also, in her own quiet way, very much her own person. When engaged in a creative endeavor, my aunt Mary had a great deal of patience, talent, and ability to focus. As a result, she was an excellent cook, created beautiful terrariums (which she sold in the flower shop she and my uncle John owned). She did the windows of their flower shop, which were the most originally designed and beautiful that I have ever seen anywhere. Over two of her three pregnancies, she made 14 needlepoint covers for my grandparents’ dinning room chairs (for 12 chairs + 2 extra covers). In her later years she returned to needlework, and asked for my assistance in getting started. That was the beginning of many happy hours that we spent together in our mutual interest. She knit eight generous scarves for her grandsons and husband, as well as hats for her seven grandsons. She made the most beautiful and neat knitting stitches that I have ever seen. My aunt Mary helped me to crochet 50 scarves, which we gave to one of my occupational therapy colleagues to distribute to her clients, who were school children in the inner city. A life long cat lover, she knit many mats to donate to the animal shelter for the comfort of cats and small dogs who happened to be staying there. My aunt Mary was my knitting buddy. She was my good friend. I miss her every day. ❤
I didn’t have a real favorite aunt as my only aunt was not a very nice person. I wish I had an aunt like Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith show.
My Aunt June, who had a natural sunny disposition, as well as being kind and caring. She died too young from cancer, but left a strong memory of a meaningful life.
As a child, I always enjoyed visiting my Great Aunt Maggie, because her house was a treasure trove of old puzzles and random craft supplies that we were often given to take home. (including glitter! can’t imagine why she wanted to give it away . . .)
Aunt Rose Murphy from New Cumberland Pa. Never gave up on loving and persistently extending herself to support others.
Aunt Noreen. She understood my devotion to fiber crafts, and let me listen to KOMA on the radio the summer I lived with her.
I called my godmother “aunt”, even though she was not family by blood or marriage.
She had an infectious laugh. I will always associate her with licorice allsorts and friut cream cookies that she kept for us at her house.
I loved the aunt in A Diamond in the Window! I read the book set in Concord, MA sitting in an elm tree in Oklahoma, and fell in love with the thought of an aunt who knit scarves so they could all go ice skating on Walden Pond. How happy was I to have student taught at Alcott Elementary School in Concord, MA years later.
my great aunt Vera, such a wonderful lady, she had so much spunk! loved me and my quirkiness and just let me be me. All the other adults tried to rangle the wildness (ADHD/Spectrum) in me. She only had electricity in the bottom of her old farm house in a small fishing village on the far east coast of Canada. We had to use the old oil lanterns to go to bed, so an adult always had to walk with it to take you to be put to bed for fire safety. she had old squeaky spring beds, with feather mattresses and loads of wool blankets piled on top of you (the original weighted blankets…lol), she always had lots of ice cream in the freezer, the old crank style ice cube trays, we used to make the version of koolaid that was flavoured syrups added to water which was pumped from the well by hand. She always made us toast with her homemade jam when we were cranky, tired, moody or hungry and always before bed. Toast with jam was her solution to everything. She told the best stories. Miss her still to this day. Fond memories.
I cannot pick a favorite aunt. Each of them taught me meaningful lessons on navigating daily life, capturing all its joys and reaching out to others, making a difference.
I had a great aunt Pearl who was a huge fan of the Green Bay Packers. She listened to all their games via short wave radio after she moved away from Green Bay, Wisconsin
I have wonderful memories of staying with my aunt when I was young. It was so nice to spend the weekend with her.
My favorite doting aunt belonged to my high school friend Shelley. Her Aunt Marie lived in NYC, was single, and worked for a fashion designer. When Shelley went to visit her, Aunt Marie would take her out to see Broadway musicals, among other things; and Shelley would come home with the soundtrack albums, which she’d play for me until we knew all the words.
My father’s sister, BB. “If you see a frown on Betty Brown, undoubtedly you’re upside down!”
I was the favorite aunt to my nephews when they were in elementary school because when they were in my care, we did things that their mother, my sister, would never do. I had my own motorcycle and used to take them for rides (all wearing helmets) thru the neighborhood. I was also a lot more fun to be with than their mother.
Trying to be that favorite aunt by gifting extra needles and yarn to a budding teenage knitter!
My favorite aunt, Aunt Claire is a polar opposite of my mother, who was her older sister. While my mom was fastidious in all things, Aunt Claire was relaxed about everything. A trip to Aunt Claire’s was a lot of fun. She didn’t worry about how her house looked and would rather spend her time visiting with her nieces than cleaning.
My mom is gone now but Aunt Claire is still living. Your column reminds me, I haven’t called her in awhile. I think I’ll go do that now.
My Aunt Christine was my favorite. I would spend a few summer vacations at her house (without my parents) and she would let me and my cousin drink Squirt! I was never normally allowed soda except on holidays. She also had the best garden where I discovered I actually loved home grown tomatoes.
My aunt Sharon is the best kind of aunt. She would tell us things our mother never would bother to say. She took us shopping each year for our birthday and always treated us as someone worth listening to and spending time alone with.
I had several “favorite” aunts. Hazel and Robena lived in the same house, owned by Hazel, a WW2 widow. Hazel was a flower arranger and a hairdresser. Had a piano and a chaise lounge we kids loved plinking on and sitting on. Robena worked for Burlington Industries for many years. don’t know what she actually did but I have a photo of her in front of huge weaving looms from the 50s. Family pictures were taken here whenever my family came into town between my father being stationed at different air bases.
My great aunt Sadie took me under her wing when i was a very young bride, out of my element (me, a small-town Alaska girl “outside” in the lower forty-eight sixty some years ago. she gave me laughter and a sense of self that has carried me through life.
My mother’s sister Mae was the kind of aunt everyone should have. She would take me to Central Park to ride bikes on Sundays. She took me on my first trip to the Bahamas, and also taught me how to sew on her sewing machine.
My sisters, all four of them, are my favourite aunts. My kids’ aunties can say and do things to and for my children in a way that I can’t. They show that there is more than one way to be decent human beings. Aunties and nieces and nephews love each other dearly. They are a great gift!
In 1987 I moved from the mountains of California to work in Washington DC. My fiance followed, and after a few years when our oldest nephew turned 10, my husband suggested we have Donald visit us for a week. He flew solo across the country and spent a wonderful week exploring the sites of our nation’s capitol with us. It was so much fun, hubby said let’s do it for all the kids when they turn 10. Sure enough, we stayed back east long enough for 10 nieces and nephews to spend their week with us. Now we are back home in California, and Donald turned 40 this year! How fast the years have gone by… And it was a wonderful way to be close to the kids when we lived so far away.
My favorite aunt always had gum. She gave the best gifts, usually something to which Momma & Daddy had said “No”. Her best gift was teaching me to knit, giving me access to that peaceful, rhythmic place that soothes my soul.
My aunt Judy had 3 sons and loved to buy “girl things” for me and my sister for birthdays and holidays. I’m happy that she now has 2 grandaughters to dote on.
I am blessed with over a dozen aunts by blood and marriage, so choosing a favorite is a challenge. Right now, I’m going with my father’s only sister who we called Auntie Belle. She loved to travel and took herself many places for extended stays. As a woman alone, she took certain precautions, including a blow-up doll for the passenger seat, but kept on traveling solo. She liked to learn her way around a new city by driving until she got lost and then finding her way back home. Her intrepid spirit serves as a guide when I am feeling unsure and out of place.
My Aunt Estelle, my sweet and beautiful aunt.
My favorite Aunt is actually my husbands Aunt Katie. She is so kind, always helps me with my crafting questions. She is awesome!
I had many incredible aunts, Mabel, Eleanor, and Fran were probably my favorites.
My favorite aunt is/was Aunt Wattie; actually a great second cousin! She traveled to all 48 continental states in the 40’s, loved art and music and ALWAYS gave me and my sibs a new book for every birthday and holiday! I loved knowing those special days would always end with me diving into my new book! Thanks Aunt Wattie!
Aunt Louise, age 94, was an airline stewardess for TWA in the 1950s. She taught me to knit when I was 6 but I had to wait for her to return from her international trips to learn to purl and bind off.
Aunt Ann and Aunt Gert – the first bought me a Princess phone on my 13th Birthday, the second gave me my first two hard bound books – Black Beauty and Little Women. Ann encouraged me to have some fun, Gert recognized a fellow reader, they both were lovely women.
My Aunt Louise was a character. She was my mother’s sister. She would greet everyone with a cheerful “how ya doin?” delivered with a thick Wisconsin accent.She would then pepper you with questions because she truly cared about what you had been up to. She lived in a pink house and had deep farm girl roots. Her and my uncle had a fabulous vegetable garden that would put my scrawny patch to shame. She has passed and now my sister and I greet each other with a “how ya doin?”. We hear the Wisconsin twang in our own voices and think of my sweet Mom and Aunt Louise carrying on in boisterous conversation.
Do I have to pick just one? I was blessed with 4 fantastic aunts, and many of my favorite childhood memories include time with them!
My favorite aunt was a great crafter, even though she had poliomyelitis when she was a child and lost movement of her right arm. Great inspiration for me.
My favorite aunt lives in another country and it’s always fascinating to hear her stories of how life is so different for her than for us!
I had 5 great aunts that never married or had children and lived in the house they were born in (13 children in all) until the day they died. They lived to see my child and my sisters and cherished every moment with them. I still remember seeing two 70 something little tiny Italian ladies playing baseball in the back yard! They always wore their batting helmets! It was a requirement! Such great memories for me and my son and his cousins.
I was the favorite aunt. I was only a little over than my nieces so much that I did was very relatable.
There is only one Aunt Barbara, my “second mother” (she never had kids) and a woman who knew how to treat herself and her loved ones amazingly well! I was at college in 1979 and received a letter from her with $100 cash in it, which at the time felt like $1000! The note was priceless…. “Had a good time in Vegas, don’t tell anyone, only you and your cousin Gary got this!” She now lives close to my parents in FL and showed up a few years ago with makeup and lipstick on early in the morning to go to the community pool, and I thought, “here she is, a true 1950’s gal”… I had rolled out of bed and thrown on a bathing suit and cover up! Love her to pieces, we’re dealing with dementia now but the legacy is there…. travel, parties, such a fun, happy personality and a life well lived!
My favorite Aunt is my Aunt Rae. She is my mother’s younger sister by ten years and she’s ten years older than me. She has been my big sister, my mentor, my sounding board and my inspiration. She taught me how to sew. Instilled a love of Indy rock in me. Had immense patience with my middle school drama. I saw her last week after a long time. Physical distance between our homes and Covid made for a long span of time. It was like coming home. Looking forward to our next meet-up.
my daughter is the best aunt ever. she has never wanted kids…never even babysat. but now she makes and takes and keeps and loves all the nieces and the nephew. they know they are always welcome in her life.
My Aunt Laura is pretty special! She is a huge animal lover and always keeps her home beautiful and inviting for visitors.
My favorite aunt is a great aunt. She and my great uncle lived down the street from my grandparents when we were kits, so when we went for the summer and had to get away from our mom, we’d run our little buts up the hill to Auntie Viv’s house for rescue. 90 years old and hasn’t changed a bit!
My mom’s sister is the best aunt I could ask for. She’s about 13 years older than me, so a lot of great music, art and culture that I fell in love with in my youth was filtered down to me through her collections and interests. She and I were more sympatico than my mom and I, having more unusual and eccentric tastes than my more conventional mother. (Years later, when my aunt’s first child was young, she and my mom were like peas in a pod.)
We shared (and still share) a deep love of books and learning, and her friends at the local bookstore where she worked became my friends too. Although time and geography have made connecting more difficult and infrequent, we are still close and still share both the latest cool books we’re reading and the news about old friends and haunts.
I try my best to be that “aunt” , it’s rather difficult when you have 17 nieces and nephews!
Oh, my Auntie is real. Real to a whole tribe of us nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews and great grands! I am the eldest, and she has been the strong female in my life, my entire 73 years, and many of her 94.
Because of our mutual time on the job, through our years, I know much of her history that shaped her personality today, as she does mine. With thought, this baring of souls can bring one equally to tears, or to joy.
Now imagine these interlaced fingers of relationship multiplied by the twelve first generation cousins, their children, and their children’s children!
We, indeed, have Family.
My favourite auntie is hosting me and my 2 daughters at the moment, (along with her husband, my dad’s brother). She is spoiling us rotten, filling us with healthy food and we couldn’t get through this season of our lives without her.
I had one aunt and I did not know her, nor did I know anyone else’s aunt. Maybe that’s why I try to be the best aunt, in fierce competition with my little sister. We both keep in close touch with ALL our nieces and nephews so they’ll feel connected to family and treasured.
Dare I say Auntie Em, because I love the Wizard of Oz? I hesitate to name my favourite aunt for fear of hurting the feelings of the the others but I think Auntie knows it is her!
My favorite aunt was my Aunt Sorel, who came from Russia to Cuba and thence to the US in the early 1900s. She worked to preserve Yiddish as a language, and taught me Yiddish songs and gave me Yiddish songbooks, which I have now passed along to a young teacher in my circle who wants to learn the language. But it was Sorel’s daughter, my favorite cousin Bernice, who taught me to knit.
My aunt Rose was not a blood aunt, but the girlhood friend of my mom’s. She was beautiful and funny and they got up into all kind of hilarious mischief well into old age. They laughed till they cried and were like sisters until my mom passed.
Aunt Si-she was one of a kind. She learned to drive a Model T when she was 12, worked in a factory that made conveyor belts (the first lady foreman in Michigan), had a good friend who showed her how to invest in the stock market (one of her first purchases was a little know company call Hoover Vacuum). She was always an independent person, lead life as she wanted to, travelled the world. She was one of the STRONG WOMEN in my life, that influence me still.
My daughter who desperately wants her own children is a wonderful auntie to her niece and nephew.
I love Auntie Mame.
My great aunt Carol was my favorite aunt. Great Aunt Carol was the first person who taught me how to finger crochet in the late 70’s when I was four. She gave me a ball of hot pink acrylic yarn, and I stayed up way past my bedtime crocheting away trying yo finish the ball before she left that night. She took that long chain home, and sewed it into a small basket for me. It was the first thing I remember creating, and one of my all time favorite core memories. ♥️
My favorite aunt was my Aunt Mamie. In addition to being the one who taught me to knit, she had more than a little bit of “Auntie Mame” in her. My parents were always keen not to play favorites among their brood of four girls, so being a favorite of Aunt Mamie’s was always a quiet thrill. After my dad died, I made it a point to spend more time with her and every summer we would pack up the kids and make the long drive from Georgia to Vermont to spend a week with her. By that time, she was in her 80s and much of our time together was sitting and chatting and knitting. I miss her still!
I became an Aunty at five years old. My nieces are five, seven and eight years younger than I am thus they are more sisters to me than nieces. Have loved and had fun with them their whole lives, and now they have kids who are just as loved as they are. Life is good.
All my aunts were favorites for various reasons. My favourite great-aunt was my Auntie Betty who taught me to knit when I was 9.
My favorite aunt was actually my greataunt, my grandmother’s sister. I was amazed by her sparkling clean house and hospitality. I still think of her when I see those pink peppermint lozenges.
I got the Rick Rubin book. A bunch of nothing burger.AND i almost threw it across the room early on when he commented on keeping his appendix…. Page 39. I am an RN and suggesting to people they don’t follow medical advice after a burst appendix is dangerous. Period.