Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Knit One Pearl Two - continued

Yesterday's post got me to thinking about when I learned how to know. At first blush of the memory my mind went back to a late teen years - or at least this is when it really took off in me. This was alluded to yesterday.

But in fact my very first knitting experience was a Christmas in the late 60's when I was 7 or 8 - my parents bought me a knitting machine. Not the kind that they have for kids now - round with a crank, but the kind that was straight across and you had a handle that you went back and forth on. If you can imagine an iron and ironing board - except you spat out knitting, not flat sheets.

Upon deeper reflection - although I was thrilled with the present (much more than the ski's I received the following year - but that's another story), it was a toy that required initial parental assistance. I didn't get that part, and as any excited youngster would do - I launched into my attempt with glee and gusto and .... broke it.

You would think that you average parent would see the error in their ways and assist a young thing in distress, but no - the knitting machine was returned and never spoken of (or replaced) again. (The same cannot be said for the above mention ski's - but again I digress).

I've never forgotten that knitting machine, and to be frank - I'd seriously like a second shot at it. I know I wouldn't need parental assistance this time. Or at least I think I could handle it on my own.

After the return of the machine that Christmas I went back to my tried and true system of an empty wooden spool of thread with nails hammered in around one end and I made oodles and oodles of long knitted snake coats.

Funny how I never met a snake that would wear my creations. Thankfully I had Barbie dolls to dress up in knitted boas, fingerless gloves, and long scarves.

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