The old-fashioned way

I took Lily to her "ballelet" class yesterday, leaving Campbell and Ella at home with B. He took them on a bike ride up to the neighborhood store to buy provisions for dinner, which they greatly enjoyed.


Since I didn't have to chase after Campbell during Lily's class, I was able to sit in the parent waiting area and knit while chatting with my friend L, whose daughter is in Lily's class. There was a boy in the waiting area, who was maybe 8 or 9 years old, and he was fascinated by my knitting. He asked what I was doing, what it was called, and what I was making. I explained everything to him, showing how I'm knitting from the top down and how the sleeves are part of the whole thing.


Later, his mother came over and whispered to me that after I had finished my explanation, he had leaned over to her and said, "Mom, she's making a sweater the old-fashioned way!" I had to laugh, because he is exactly right. The basics of knitting haven't changed in centuries, and the pattern I'm making has probably been around for a long, long time.


I was hopeful that I'd converted a new knitter, but when his mom asked him if he wanted to learn, he said no. Ah well. I'll just have to keep working on the girls.