Knitting Different

One of the most interesting things that happens when I teach a knitting class is that I think I learn more than any of the students do. I have yet to see any of my students knit the same style as I, and understanding the many and various ways that people have learned to hold their needles and throw or wrap or otherwise get the yarn around the needles is fascinating.

Because of the differences in how we knit, they sometimes see something very different than I do, or have to do a different sort of maneuver with their knitting to get the same job done. Such was the case last evening.

I was teaching a toe up sock class, and I wanted them to learn Judy's magic cast on. They were having a lot of trouble holding the needles in the proscribed manner, and one lady finally said, 'Can't I just move they yarn rather than the needles? ' She could see what she had to do, but she just couldn't get there doing what I was showing.

She held her needles upright and moved the yarn around the needles. With the tail yarn coming from the right and ball yarn coming from the left, she began to move the yarn behind both needles to reach the opposite needle, moved the yarn over the needle, and then down between the middle of the two needles. It was the same as if she was holding it as Cat Bordhi does only her tick tocks were made by the yarn. She accomplished a fine Magic Cast on in a few minutes when she had been struggling for almost an hour to get the same thing done the usual way.

Note to self: People often see the way to do it before their hands understand. Let them run with it, and sit back and learn.

In the end, we were all quite delighted with what we learned and with the beginning of the sock. Toe up on its way, and now all that needs to happen is that we are going to need to knit the foot so we can get to the heel flap for next week. Both ladies were concerned that they weren't going to make it. My task is to knit some stubby feet so that they knit a the heel flap and turn the heel in class even if they can't fit the knitting in.