Passing on the tradition

Surely there can be no greater joy for a knitter than to pass on the tradition to the next generation. Since I have no children and my brother managed to produce nothing but boys who are interested in sports and music, my only true hope to pass on my fiber fanaticism is my sister's youngest child--my only niece. When school closings necessitated a desperate need for child care 2 weeks ago, Victoria expressed her first interest in wanting to knit. Of course her Aunt Kristina was elated beyond words. The lesson was brief however, so I wasn't sure just how much Victoria liked it. So when she and Mark Thomas came back again this week to spend another couple of days I wasn't sure what to expect. But sure enough, the passion has been kindled and Victoria was ready for more.

Yesterday morning she crawled up in bed with me and intently watched as I was knitting. I was awake at that point but hadn't arrived on the planet yet, if you know what I mean, and was playing around with an idea for some fingerless mitts in a fine gauge yarn. That's when Victoria looked at me with her big cow brown eyes and sighed "I wish you would knit me something." I had made her mother the Fetching mitts for Christmas and they have seen heavy use since then. Plus, grandmother has been knitting on a baby blanket for my nephew Tyler and his wife who are expecting their first baby in June. So of course Victoria is taking this all in like a sponge. I make no commitments but ask her if she wants to practice her knitting. The enthusiasm swallowed up the whole room! I pointed to the yarn and needles she used previously and she was off like a rocket.
I used the little jingle "in through the front door, around the back; out through the window, off jumps Jack" to help her remember the sequence of the knit stitch. In the second picture Victoria is almost cross-eyed trying to get Jack to jump off without the neighbors coming off too! It was just too cute for my big mushy heart to stand. But this time she was able to knit all by herself and completed almost an entire row before the frustration of stitches sliding off the needle when they weren't supposed took over. For a seven year old I thought she did very well. I can't wait for the next lesson :-)