After School Knitting Club

Oh, I’m loving it.

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I tootle in on a Tuesday afternoon, laden with baskets full of needles and wool, and I’m greeted with such enthusiastic little people. Granted, we’ve lost a couple along the way, but of the original fourteen, twelve stalwarts remain, and of them only two have still not quite ‘clicked’. But they’re determined. I love that.

I bit the bullet between the last session and this, and bought a bundle of chunky bamboo needles – 9mm – as the 4mm they were using were proving just a little too fiddly for their little as yet untrained fingers. And I grabbed a few balls of chunky wool I had, ahem, lying around (let’s not talk about my wool mountain).

They were cock-a-hoop and we have got more done in one session today than in both of the others together.

We now have some little ‘squares’ and the beginnings of some big ones.  We have some with ‘extra’ stitches, some with unexplained holes, some with interesting ‘loops’. We have some advanced little bodies who even mastered casting off today!

We have all agreed that when we have joined all these squares together, we are going to be left with a cushion cover that is quite unique. 😉

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I am ever impressed by the enthusiasm and dedication with which they manage to greet me every week, in spite of just having finished a day at school.

Oh, and quite apart from the knitting, the conversation of 8-10 year-olds is absolutely killing…

“You’re Jazzy Jack. I’m Jumping Jessica.”
“I’m Dancing Daisy!”

One little girl approaches me shyly.

“Alice…? I’ve got a name for you, too.”

(A little nervously) “You have?”

“Adventuring Alice.”

“Jessica, I like that!”

A Jack Russell, a Tunic and an Adventure.

Oh, I know, I know. I’m rubbish.

Life hurtles along at breakneck speed and before you know it months have flown past and now… SPRING! And hallelujah, because frankly winter can jolly well do one. There have been enough bugs under this roof to sink a small fleet of battleships and this family is emerging, battle-scarred but undefeated, blinking into the sunlight.

But I have been busy. Honest.

First of all I have this to share with you:

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I mean loooooooook! And before people get all stuffy and snippy about dogs already having coats, take it from me that the harsh blooming winters up here do not agree with our dear teeny skinny Juno’s demeanour. Admittedly, pure wool may be treating her rather more as a Princess than warranted 😉  but she is most grateful for an extra layer.

If you fancy making something similar, have a little look over here, where you can download the pattern for free.

In other news, I have completed a granny square tunic, which will be on the backburner till autumn:

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And I have just embarked upon a little after-school adventure with 14 of the children from our village primary.

This afternoon, armed with a great mountain of goodies from loveknitting.com (bless their hearts), I headed off into the unknown:

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The hour flew by in a flurry of

“Miss, I can’t do this! Miss, is this right? Miss, what’s happened to this?”

(I know… “Miss” >.< It cracks me up)

But they were little troopers and are coming back next week for more punishment, and I am proud to report that we have a few already managing garter stitch, along with a valiant few who have yet to ‘click’, but we’ll do it!

And here are the fruits of the first session’s labours:

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I will be very happy to report on our continued progress next week 🙂