A childhood belief about family

When I was a kid during world War II, my grandmother was a keen knitter and it seemed she could create almost any shape from those flashing needles, of which she had many different types. On finding a huge pair about 15inches long, I asked my Dad what they were for, and he told me, "For knitting battleships for the Navy". Now, as every four year old knows, Dads know everything, so I accepted this as just another incomprehensible adult explanation that I still couldn't really understand. Then I saw my Mum scouring a frying pan with some metallic stuff, and she told me it was called steel wool. So that explained everything - of course you could knit with wool made of steel, so my Dad was right again and my grandma was as brilliant as I always knew she was.