Well, we arrived in Mullumbimby on schedule and after the obligatory gift-giving (this time I was just the carrier from grandparents to grandchildren), we got down to the serious business of trying to teach knitting. I had not anticipated just how difficult it would be. Not only is it a matter of learning the movements, but co-ordinating small hands (6 and 9 year old) is quite challenging. I decided there was no point to a discussion regarding the theory behind knitting, or to even teaching how to cast-on - that's the job of my sister-in-law or one of the nannies. But after choosing their own ball of multi-coloured yarn, we got them both started on a basic 25 stitch scarf in garter stitch. It didn't take either of them very long to get the basic process, although the younger one kept forgetting where he was up to.
We stressed the point that knitting is fun and creative, and that yours is not supposed to look like everyone else's because it is an art-form and everyone does it differently and that's wonderful.
Nephew K - 6 took this concept on with gusto and is busily creating a free-form scarf - he's the ultimate in loose knitters!
Nephew J - 9 developed some real skill in a short period of time and is now teaching himself how to purl from the cheat-sheet diagrams I provided.
He's done the same number of rows as his brother - but what a difference!
Naturally there are some dropped stitches and many increased stitches - but that was not a problem. We never set any rules that you had to end with the same number of stitches as you started with.
It was so nice to be able to see these two kids knit without anxiety - they dropped needles out of multiple stitches as they talked and waved their knitting around, and just calmly brought it over to me for re-insertion. I so wish I could achieve the same level of anxiety-free knitting - but at least I know that I've set them up right for enjoying their knitting time.
2 comments:
That is so cool!
So YOU will be the person in the "how I learned to knit" stories they tell when they grow up (along with "how I got named K-9").
Ripper wool choice, incidentally, for the young knitters. - Liz
Oops, he's really a J-9 - the fingers went astray....
But he'd love to be a K-9!
The needles were really good two - just rough enough to gently snag the yarn as it slid past.
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