Two nights ago Chris announced that he was ready to learn how to knit. So after doing a series of backflips & cartwheels I dug up some Lion Brand wool-ease (the practice/scratch paper yarn) & taught him to cast on. Within 10 minutes he was one casting-on mother trucker. Next I showed him how to make the knit stitch. He was naturally a little fumbly at first. Remember when you were first learning & you just couldn't figure how in the hell to get the yarn wrapped around your fingers so that it flowed while you spastically stabbed into the cast on stitches??!! You probably looked like a deaf crack addict trying to sign (i.e. sign language) the Declaration of Independence. He fumbled & grumbled a bit, BUT he kept on truckin... He got a little frustrated & tensed up from time to time, but he was getting it, and more importantly, he was hooked! HA HA He spent about an hour knitting, ripping out, casting on, knitting, ripping out....
While I slept in til 11 the next morning (a major rarity for me), Chris was knitting his cute little butt off. He proudly held up a garter stitch swatch about 6" wide by 4" long. He had started over a whole new swatch that morning & just knit, knit, knit!! I nearly wept with pride! Sure there were a couple of holes, unintentional yo's, a dropped stitch or two, but my guy is a natch. Maybe he got it from me. Maybe he got it from his Ma. But wow, he really "gets it"! He worked on that swatch all day. Later that day he announced, "Okay, I'm ready to purl now!!". And purled we did. An hour later he was working in stockinette stitch.
Today we went down to the shop and he picked out some yarn to make his Ma a scarf. He went back & forth between Noro Silver Thaw in a really gorgeous purpley/greeney/fuschia-y colorway & Malabrigo in Hollyhock, another really gorgeous yarn. He went with the Malabrigo, like myself, he is unable to resist that buttery soft goodness. I offered to treat him to lunch, he said that he really wanted to get home & start knitting. Now I know for sure that he REALLY "gets it"!!
My Malabrigo color of choice is currently Frank Ochre. Though I do LOVE the Hollyhock cozied up to good ole Frank, they are not destined to be together at this time. I have decided that I want to make the leaf lace sweater from loop-de-loop in Frank Ochre. I only have 2 skeins now, so I will have to wait until we get more in at the shop. Tempting to start it now.... But I will wait.
Final news... I am still waiting for my delivery, so that I can finish Chris's slippers. In the meantime... I am starting mine. Lamb's Pride in colors; Seafoam, Spruce, Bronze Patina, & Rosado Rose.
