Learning and Teaching
Blog Postscript: No one likes having their name misspelled and so I need to correct Clare’s name…no ‘i’…just like the Irish county.
Politically Correct Preface: This is not to make light of anyone who lives with disorders of any kind. Just a bit of fun to be taken in the spirit in which it is written…
Learning
Yep, I’ve learned that I have Knitting ADD…however, that diagnosis is not original with me. Nice-Anne-From-Utah-Who-Has-The-Cool-Blog-Title was kind enough to see the symptoms and confront me with the truth of my malady.
What shall I cast on next? No idea, really. Too many nice things out there to be done. Once again….blinders….I need blinders.
So, while I shilly-shally about casting on the next project, in the meantime, I have to say that I’m quite encouraged about those who were taught to knit in the Irish national school system and after many years have returned to the craft with jazzy new enthusiasm…
Teaching
Very-Nice-Clare-Who-Is-The-Best-Kind-Of-Teacher-In-The-Kiddies’-School came to me asking me to teach her and her mother to knit. ‘Right,’ say I, ‘happy to do so. Do you know how to knit?’ And so they reply, ‘Only a little…what we learned in primary school.’
We begin by me saying to Clare and Clare’s-Mum-Ann, ‘Show me how you cast on.’
And they do.Then we continue as I say, ‘Show me what you remember about the knit (or plain) stitch.’
And they do.
Then I add, ‘Do you remember anything about purling?’
And they do.
Fancying myself a knitting guru to be so adept at this teaching stuff, I finally say, ‘Can you cast off?’
And they do.
A tribute to the Irish National School curriculum of years gone by.
And so off they went to lay in a supply of yarn and needles. No Knitting ADD in that family…..yet. But as Blogger-Anne says, I think it may be contagious…
Interesting the way Claire is holding her needles. Is this the usual way in Ireland? It sounds as though they really just needed a little encouragement.
19 Jan 2007 at 3:21 am
It is an interesting way to hold the needles. Perhaps it works out better that way if you’re holding the yarn in the right hand? It could facilitate the use of the index finger to “throw” the yarn, I suppose, and you’d probably not have the usual wasted motion which is so common when you carry the yarn in the right hand.
ADD? No - perhaps not that. Myself, I finally finished up an immense (for me) project, and am very much happier for having it done with. Not that I’m not proud of it, but to be able to knit small things is so much more rewarding, ’cause you get to give them away and get all the appreciative comments more frequently.
Perhaps not ADD - or, at least, a different meaning of the word “attention” … as in, I miss receiving attention if I’m stuck with a large work, so I do small pieces so that I get compliments more frequently.
19 Jan 2007 at 6:05 pm
Yes thats the way I was taught how to hold my needles in school also, and still continue to do so. If you look closely at the photo you may be able to see the yarn wrapped around her little finger to give it a bit of stability, the yarn doesn’t go all over the place then and you don’t have to search for it everytime you go to knit a stitch. The right hand rarely leaves the right hand needle, the forefinger does most of the work.
19 Jan 2007 at 6:36 pm