To knit or not to knit!

Thank you, it's been lovely reading all your reminiscences of learning/teaching the art of knitting. I'm sorry Maywalk that your memories were tainted by the not so merciful Sisters. I too was Convent educated so I know what you mean!

I think I'll take your advice, Jalima, and knit penguin myself and show GD how to make a scarf.

I too tried to teach my granddaughter, aged 5, to knit at Christmas, but I think she was a little young. We kept changing the colours making a scarf. I never thought to put her between my knees, but will do this when she next visit in the summer (They live in Dubai). I ended up teaching her mother instead!

I was convent educated as well, and have never really recovered! So hard and unsympathetic all those nuns. I don't think they like children.

I was rapped over the knuckles with a ruler too, but by the headmistress at my primary school, not a nun.

However, we did learn to sew and embroider at primary school!

I tried to teach DGS to knit a simple scarf for his soft toy, but he got bored after a few rows (he was doing really well!) and ran off outside to ride his bike!

I think 6 is a little young but I don't think I could have been much older than that when I learnt. I remember as a right-handed 8 year old I taught a left-handed friend how to knit left-handed!

I managed to knit when I was 6 yrs old. I am still miffed that no one even thought there was a left handed way and so I was just taught the right handed way.
I was in my late 20s when someone asked me to teach a left handed child and I realised there was a different way! It is too late for me to change.
It does explain why I can't flick the wool over the needle. However I feel better when I was told last week that the world's fastest knitter takes her hand off the needle,to put the wool around, like me.

I taught my DS to knit when he was about 5. I can still picture him now concentrating hard on his work and muttering "stab it, strangle it, throw it away!" He's 35 now and can't remember how to do it

Narrowboatnan.... as the mother of sons, that really made me laugh out loud, but I bet your son could conjure it up again if he wanted to, and you reminded him of that.

DS1 knitted a red and blue stripey scarf for his teddy when he was around 5, but nothing more since.

I taught one daughter to knit but couldn't get it across to the elder one who is left handed. Recently my 22 year old granddaughter asked me to teach her. We started with 20 stitches and garter stitch. After a couple of hours she thought she'd got it and went home. A week later she was back with a piece of knitting full of holes and now with 37 stitches! Amid much giggling we tried again but so far she's still trying to get it right.

I am left handed and luckily it was my mother who was also left handed who taught me to knit. She produced wonderful cardigans but I lost interest.

I cannot sew for the life of me but it was a right handed teacher who taught me at school so I ended up threading a needle using my right hand. Now my eyesight is so bad I could not do that now!

Just shown my 7yr old gd how to knit. She saw me doing some and asked how to do it. I happened to have some short chunky needles and found some thick wool. We spent the next couple of hours learning. I cast on 10 stiches and when she went home she had acquired two more! Didn't bother to correct her at this point as I didn't want to discourage her. According to my daughter she had done quite a bit the next day and now had even more stiches!! At least she stuck at it.

I am left handed and so were my mum and sister. I knit right handed. And have successfully taught my granddaughter.
I iron lefthandedly and so do my right handed son, daughter and husband as that was the way I set up the ironing board.
The advice on sitting the child between your knees is probably the best, but as long as they can knit an acceptable square to begin with it does not matter how. It's the sense of achievement that is important.