Friday, November 24, 2006

Victory: Knitting

My child had asked me to purchase a knitting book that came with two needles and a ball of wool from the bookclub sheet they bring home once a month from school. At the time I considered the 9 dollars a dubious investment, but agreed to it because I figured if he only ever used it three times it would pay off because knitting is an intense fine motor task.
Yesterday it arrived. Initially it was a bit of a disaster until I sat and we did it together. The needles are handy dandy because they are wooden, a bit pencil like. Eventually after six rows he assumed responsibility for the needles and I did the part where you wrap the wool around for him.
“It’s teamwork,” he remarked at one point. “All kids should do this with their mothers.” I will confess to an ache in the arm region because in order to help him I had to wrap my arm across his back, over the shoulder type arrangement. But the great victory was the delight at seeing what really was a modest 3×3 square of knitting emerge. It certainly wasn’t easy nor independent but it felt like a small victory because initially he felt it so impossible.
The set we used was a French one: called Tricot Minute. It’s a book, two wooden needles and a ball of wool. I will try to hunt down a link and place it here. I think the type of needles you use will make a huge difference to it. Fat, wooden ones if poss. Bonne Chance.

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