Passing on the Stash Gene

My daughter claims I intended this all along, but really I am innocent!

Until two years ago, she really did not have any interest in anything needlework related. She enjoyed the bunnies being part of my life, could fondle fiber when she visited me (except for turning up her nose at wool) and was not against accepting anything I would knit for her. Then two years ago, she saw silk fiber for the first time, and that got her hooked.

So for Christmas that year, I bought her a drop spindle and silk roving. In no time at all, she was spinning. It coincided with a dyeing project of silk hankies, and she found out she liked them even more than the roving.

Then about 10 months later, I started hearing her ask, just what should I do with this yarn that I am making (heeheehee) She snagged some of my crochet cotton and a hook and asked to be taught how to crochet, because in her words, it was only one needle to deal with not four (DPN)

She picked that up with practice, and tried her own thread, learning the hard way that one should not try and crochet with freshly spun singles :) For Christmas that year, I got her a set of crochet hooks, and a book of stitches and patterns.

In December I made a trip to Threadbear Fibers, and took her along. She was properly impressed by all the wonderful yarns, and easily let me buy her a book on crochet socks. She got the Cascade Fixation yarn for her first pair, and I can proudly say, showed off her first completed sock at spinning group last night.

Yes you can make very nice socks with crochet. They fit her wonderfully, because crocheted socks are not attached to any needles, and she just continually tried them on and made adjustments as she worked on them. It almost tempts me to give up my DPN's.

What is making me smile to myself the most these days though, is all of her enthusing over different yarns she is seeing online, or in yarn stores. She has purchased several different types of cotton, with intention of making more socks. When she was telling me this over the phone one day, I just had to crow, "you've gotten stash!"

And to top it all off, she is now studying my knitting patterns. She looks all the same as when as a three year old she was studying books to try and fathom reading. Next Christmas, I just bet, it will be a set of DPN's.

CW