spreading the joy...of knitting

Friday night I taught Laura to knit. She's my Saturday riding partner. Isn't it amazing how quickly you can become friends with someone if you have just one thing in common? We'd talked about having a knitting & baking night for several weeks and Friday was the night.

She has a cuisineart breadmaker that she received as a wedding present; she's still a newlywed at one year. And the only time she used the bread machine, her bread was a fiasco. Not certain she read the instructions. We started on making the bread straightaway, decided on Cinnamon Swirl and substituted dried blueberries for raisins.

Then she popped in Annie Hall, her Netflix selection, which neither of had seen, because of a lobster scene reference that a local band, Catbird Seat, threw out in their set a few weeks ago at a show we attended. Didn't watch Annie Hall. Even turned it off. Guess the 1977 cinematography was very ugly, distracting, even, from our beauteous knitting lesson. Then we popped in Namesake, my Netflix selection, and mostly ignored it, too. Because I was teaching her to knit.

Actually, to make a slip knot. I went really slow. And that she still didn't get it. Who knew that making a slip knot was such a chore? We spent twenty minutes, at least, on that. Finally, I decided to cast on a few for her and let her just play with knitting and not bother with the casting on. Also brought a set of clover straight needles and a set of Addis so she could decide which felt better in her hands.

When I taught Kellie to knit, I mistakenly gave her straight needles to use and she never got over the awkwardness of them in her hands. And to this day, I doubt she's ever finished that scarf we started. Laura picked the Addis. I brought several yarns and said she should choose between a scarf and a washcloth/dishcloth. She chose the latter and a variegated cotton yarn.

Occasionally there were breaks to go peek at the dough in her machine. There was a false start, too. Didn't have the bread container attached properly to the bottom and the dough wasn't moving. Wasn't being kneaded. Sigh. Had to unplug the machine from the wall a few times to get it back to start.

Mostly though, Laura's fingers didn't want to work in that way. She claims she never learned to play guitar because of her lack of dexterity; that's why she played baritone for all those years (in Virginia Tech's band, too! Go Hokies!). So by the time I left her house Friday night, my tummy filled with hot bread, I wasn't sure she'd take to knitting at all.

Then Saturday, after riding, we went to my LYS. Ostensibly to see our PCP, whom we learned we have in common, who is also an inveterate knitter, so that Laura might get a scrip for cough syrup. But anyway, she was amazed at the variety of yarn. And we looked at books. I took several over to her house for her to browse at her leisure the night before, but didn't have a good intro knitting book to share with her. I suggested Stitch n Bitch. Then I asked C., my LYSO which book she'd recommend, and she concurred with me about SNB. We both valued it highly for its reference abilities, plus there are "Edgy" patterns, there, too.

Then we went to lunch. Then Laura and I spent way too long at Tennessee Quilts, selecting fabric for our class on 12 May. Way too long. I've never had such trouble deciding which fabrics to use for a project. The ladies at TQ strongly urged us to select batiks for the Seasonal Table Runner that we're making. Apparently, having not ever worked with batik before, they're perfect for the quilting technique we'll learn because it doesn't matter which side you use.

Paper piecing. That's what we're learning. I'm sort of excited, sort of cautious/skeptical about it. And instead of Laura going out and buying a new machine, her first machine, on a whim, she's using one of mine. See, I'm such a bad influence on Laura. Getting her into knitting and quilting and who knows what all else. And causing her to spend money. What kind of new friend am I? Introducing her into this world of sewing and quilting and knitting and all. What a bad, bad influence. But, the best bad influence, right?

Later on Saturday after we parted ways I ended up stopping back by her house to retrieve my purse. And she made me come inside to see what she did. She taught herself the long-tail cast on method from the SNB book! I was so proud of her! Then the next day she texted me a photo of her progress. Her only complaint is that it takes so long to knit a row. She's knitting far too tightly. She asked if she was supposed to be in pain, and I told her no, not unless she'd been knitting for 6 or 8 hours. Had to tell her to relax, relax her shoulders, just like Jim does when we're riding.

Comments

[Jodi]

Good for you, spreading the crafty joy!

[del]

Yay, you got a convert! She might think you're a bad influence when she's surrounded by more yarn than she knows what to do with, but I think that's a good thing.

[del]

Sorry if my comment shows up twice (having problems over here)...anyway, yay, you got a convert! She might think you're a bad influence when she's surrounded by more yarn than she knows what to do with, but we know better.

[Mallow]

Congratulations! I am always so nervous teaching people to knit or crochet - I don't want to overwhelm them and make them hate it!

[Alicia]

YAY! Another horsie girl that knits :) May the force be with you!
That night sounded perfect, baking & knitting after a riding lesson. Somehow, I think you and I would get along well. (I also love to bake)

[Kel]

ahem, you taught me to knit, and i'm a knittin fool these days!