A tiny wooly dress
behind the Cantonese term 溫暖牌 "wun nuen pai"
Happy to have found a seat in a quiet cabin, I plopped myself down and watched the city whoosh past the window across. Ah. Sigh. The joy of non-rush hours.
A flash of blue caught my eye, and I glanced over to see where it was coming from.
Right to the side was this granny knitting this tiny wooly blue dress. She was so slow and careful, her fingers trembling with each stitch she made.
In Cantonese, we call things hand-knitted by our loved ones 溫暖牌 (pronounced as wun nuen pai). It is literally translated as a ‘warm brand’. Not only does the wool shield you from the cold, but more importantly, the love that went into it keeps you warm throughout the harsh winters, literally and metaphorically.
Seeing this granny reminded me of how the Cantonese term came about. I’ve seen young people crocheting things, but I can’t remember the last time I saw someone elderly knitting. It doesn’t seem very common in Hong Kong now.
I wonder if this dress is for her grandchild. But whoever it is for, I hope the little recipient will take good care of it.
~
(I am in the process of migrating my commute tales from Instagram to Substack for easier reading. This is one of those older tales.)