A new knitter

My daughter said that she wants to knit for the first time about a year ago, when we were at Hobby Lobby looking at yarns.  She picked up a ball of yarn.  I chose a set of DPNs and a circular needle, setting my mind NOT TO RUSH.  I said to myself, "She's just three years old." again and again.  Of course, she had forgot what she got when we went home.  It was OK.  From that day to the last week, she wanted to start knitting and got frustrated or bored while I was showing how to, on several occasions. 

Last Thursday, on November 20th 2008, she got it.  She said "I wanna knit, too."  (I was knitting, naturally.)  I made 15 or so stitches on "her needles" with "her yarn", let her sit on my lap and show her in English style, telling her "put the needle in, yarn over, needle comes under the stitch, and let the stitch go out of the needle.  In, Over, Under, Out."  She let me hold her hands, which is not her normal "I wanna do it, don't let me do it" attitude.  She was serious.  And after several stitches together, she made it solo.  

I told her dropping a stitch or putting a needle in wrong place (like into the yarn, splitting it) is not a big deal.  When she make a mistake, she can just fix it or start it again the right way.  She is now old enough to understand that.  I told her that when she got tired, she can just put her knitting down and have a rest or do something else,  and come back and pick it up later.  She got it.  

A new knitter has born.

On Saturday, at a golf range (my husband and she practice golf, me knitting), she got tired hitting the ball and being told to be a good girl, she wanted to knit.  I gave her a mini ball of leftover yarn and a pair of US 3 DPNs (CO 15 and knit one row, and gave it to her), she knit several stitches.

Yesterday, when she wanted to play games with Dad and he was busy watching soccer game or something, she wanted to knit.  She knit 10-20 stitches.  She already knows how to soothe herself by knitting.  

And yesterday, she picked up a dropped stitch by herself.  I saw she cleared a big step.  PICKED UP A DROPPED STITCH WITH A SMILE.  I can't be proud enough of my smart daughter.

Her first project looks like to be a garter stitch scarf for her best friend stuffed horse.  We started to make a jacket for him, but I made too many stitches.  ETA; A garter stitch scarf knit sideways, that is.  I am going to take on knitting most of it.  I think it's important for her to feel she made something for her loved one.  She doesn't need to do it all the way just by herself yet.