Knitting lessons have begun
Apr. 10th, 2006 03:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
celticdragonflyI am so excited!
I read recently that back in colonial period, when children[1] were routinely expected to knit an inch on a sock before being allowed to go play, which I'd known about, that this started as early as age 3, which I did not know.
Maggie will be 4 in less than 2 months. Clearly, I'm behind!
So I figured It Was Time. Start her on something nice and simple - worsted weight yarn, nice comfy colored Lion brand plastic dpns, knit stitch only at first, in the round so it's stockinette. Socks are traditional, after all, plus they're what *I* started on, and I do sock charity knitting anyway. She can help make a child's worsted wool sock and we'll send them to Children in Common.
Even better, scrap yarn. I have leftover yellow and orange wool from the first Jayne hat I did. So I did the cast on and the set up, in orange, did some k1p1 ribbing, then switched to the yellow for the leg. And sat down with Maggie to teach her to knit. Keeping the yarn in my left hand for now, her in my lap, holding the right needle, with my hand over hers.
She's getting it. Awkwardly to start, but I do think she was getting it. It's step 1 of many, but very exciting. She was up for watching one row as I demonstrated slowly with explanations ("through the hole - wrap it around - bring it back - hop off!"), then for doing one row with our hands together. She was doing the wrap arounds herself, and by the last third of it she clearly had the direction down. (Only 30 stitches, but you start small.)
That was enough for her for now. She was excited, though. I am excited. She got lots of praise, and I gave her a chocolate.
Update: after playing outside, she came back in. "Can I have some more chocolate?" "We'll have more chocolate later, after we do more knitting." "Can we do more knitting?"
I am clever on this, yes.
She did another row and a 3rd more.
[1] Yes, boys too. When Jamie reaches the appropriate age, his lessons will begin.
I read recently that back in colonial period, when children[1] were routinely expected to knit an inch on a sock before being allowed to go play, which I'd known about, that this started as early as age 3, which I did not know.
Maggie will be 4 in less than 2 months. Clearly, I'm behind!
So I figured It Was Time. Start her on something nice and simple - worsted weight yarn, nice comfy colored Lion brand plastic dpns, knit stitch only at first, in the round so it's stockinette. Socks are traditional, after all, plus they're what *I* started on, and I do sock charity knitting anyway. She can help make a child's worsted wool sock and we'll send them to Children in Common.
Even better, scrap yarn. I have leftover yellow and orange wool from the first Jayne hat I did. So I did the cast on and the set up, in orange, did some k1p1 ribbing, then switched to the yellow for the leg. And sat down with Maggie to teach her to knit. Keeping the yarn in my left hand for now, her in my lap, holding the right needle, with my hand over hers.
She's getting it. Awkwardly to start, but I do think she was getting it. It's step 1 of many, but very exciting. She was up for watching one row as I demonstrated slowly with explanations ("through the hole - wrap it around - bring it back - hop off!"), then for doing one row with our hands together. She was doing the wrap arounds herself, and by the last third of it she clearly had the direction down. (Only 30 stitches, but you start small.)
That was enough for her for now. She was excited, though. I am excited. She got lots of praise, and I gave her a chocolate.
Update: after playing outside, she came back in. "Can I have some more chocolate?" "We'll have more chocolate later, after we do more knitting." "Can we do more knitting?"
I am clever on this, yes.
She did another row and a 3rd more.
[1] Yes, boys too. When Jamie reaches the appropriate age, his lessons will begin.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-10 09:08 pm (UTC)I have long been fervent that both Maggie and Jamie will learn to knit. And cook and bake.
And do various boy things, too, although I'm not as sure what those should be. Basics of car maintenance, sure, although that's a long time off.
I have noticed that boys tend to get a lot of encouragement in hobbies - things like model trains, or lego building, or rocketry, or such. I keep hearing about boys getting opportunities and encouragement I never would have. (I had one set of legos as a child. They were all the same size and shape, about the length of my hand. You could build... a wall, basically.) I want to find ways to give all my kids that kind of chance and encouragement, but never having seen it done I'm not quite sure how, and concerned I'd miss opportunities.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-10 09:20 pm (UTC)Hopefully by the time they get to that age I'll know enough car maintenance to be able to teach a lesson. Before that they'll get to do apprentice duty on various projects. "Now hand me the such-and-such."