Spreading the gospel of knitting.
So last year, over the July 4th holiday, I posted that I’d taught my sister-in-law and my niece to knit. That’s my niece on the right. She was 13 then. Fortunately, I brought extra Jayne yarn that weekend – the production line never stops!
I didn’t know if she was going to stick with it or not. She had the typical beginner issues of the ever-widening rectangle, extra holes, and the mystery stitch that came from nowhere, although she did keep plugging away. After we got home, I sent her some Big Kureyon or Iro (I don’t recall which) and needles, and I may have also sent a book. I didn’t want to pressure her or make her feel bad if it was just a passing whim, but I know there are no yarn shops where she lives, and they don’t have a lot of extra money to devote to fancy-schmancy craft stuff. I never heard from her about the package, so I wrote it off with a “c’est la vie.”
I saw her a couple of weekends ago on the way to the beach. She happened to be visiting my husband’s folks when we dropped by. Turns out she stuck with it! She’s made a teddy bear for her mom, and is making another for her mom’s roommate. And she’s already getting that thing that experienced knitters get when everybody suddenly wants a hand-made gift but has no clue about the amount of time and effort that goes into it. It’s a kind of a roll of the eyes. Of course, all teenage girls learn that roll of the eyes, so maybe that doesn’t mean anything.
Anyway, she’s very proud of herself, and I’m proud of her too. I’m going to send her more yarn, and maybe another book. I wonder if she’d like to try felting. Any thoughts or recommendations? I’m not sure how advanced to get. I don’t think she’s working on circular needles. Hmm.
I’m thrilled that she’s doing this. There’s a special pride that comes from knowing that you can make something really cool with your own two hands. That’s got to be good for a kid to have.