Knit Together

The clickety-clack of knitting needles has never been far from me. My mother is still an avid knitter, and I grew up seeing her knit beautiful and fun creations, for herself, for us, and for others. When I was 7, we were on holiday in Colorado. My dad and sister had gone water-skiing, so I was left with my mom in the cabin. That was when I first learned to knit, and a passion was ignited.

I didn't knit all the time. I tended to go in spurts – I still do, in fact. I found that I became bored quite easily, so I always wanted to change the pattern somehow. This is something else that I still do. I'd only knit sporadically for years, occasionally making toys or afghans or sweaters, but I never did any regular knitting. I'd been on a knitting hiatus for a couple of years, probably, when I found out I was pregnant with my first. Nothing like reigniting the passion for knitting like the prospect of knitting for my child.

Knitting for children is quite fun, so I've been slightly more prolific with my knitting since Kieran was born, though still nowhere near as prolific as my mother. Because of this, my children are growing up hearing the clickety-clack of knitting needles. They even like to help me. Of course, for Charlotte this usually means stealing my yarn and waving it around until it's gotten rather tangled, but she does have fun. Kieran, however, actually wants to help.

from Kaboodle.com

A couple of years ago I was given a Prym Maxi knitting mill. While it's not good for creating a diverse array of items, it can be used for hats, bags, or flat panels. The great thing is that it's perfect for children. Kieran and Charlotte both like to play with it, with Kieran really turning the crank. One of his friends also enjoyed making a hat with it.

Sometimes, though, Kieran wants to actually help me knit with the needles. I honestly never imagined that my 3-year-old would want to help me knit. I've taught children to knit before, but never one as young as Kieran. He's quite good at helping, though. His personality is such that he's very focused and very keen on things that have to go a certain way to work, so it suits him. I was rather surprised at how well he did, sitting in my lap and holding onto the needles with me and helping to guide the yarn. He doesn't do it much, but I enjoy that time with him, once I remind myself that it's OK to knit a bit more slowly than I normally would. And sometimes he gets distracted and just wants to put a bunch of markers on the needles, but that's fine. It's wonderful that we can share this interest.