Knit Wits

Yesterday I took the ruffians to a knitting store for a lesson in knitting because knitting is the perfect activity for active one-year, three-year and five-year-olds.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn we found yarns and knitting teachers in the knitting store but the buttons may be a surprise.

The dreadlocked, yarn-loving teacher took one look at our crew, which was augmented by my friend’s daughters (she conveniently has three girls the same age as ours), gulped and said, “Um… well… I think we’ll start with finger knitting and see how it goes… knitting needles can be difficult and dangerous for children.”

Difficult and dangerous?  I am all for staying away from those two words in association with the ruffians.  But, seriously, I never realized knitting was an extreme hobby.

(I can see it now, ESPN coverage of the X-Games for Knitters, where fencing battles with knitting needles add to the emotional drama of yarn color choice and conflicting personal taste.  This is a reality show waiting to happen!)

When our knitting adventure was said and done there were no stabbings and each gal walked out with a bracelet and/or necklace of finger-knitted joy.

Our lives are now complete.  (The teacher took pictures for her advertising because it was the youngest class she’d ever taught.  I’m thinking she also wanted visual proof of the natural disaster she’d survived.)

I know you’re sitting on the edge of your seat to learn how we spent the rest of our day and the last thing I want is for you to be heartbroken with disappointment if I don’t tell you.

WIth your best interests in mind, I am happy to report all the energy expelled from extreme finger-knitting tuckered everyone out and we had a nap.

After nap we went to the creek and caught crawdads in pink, orange and purple nets from the dollar store.  That $3 investment has been VERY worth it because there’s nothing like seeing your child scream and fall in the water after the ugly, black crawdad sitting in their girly-colored nets lets loose a mighty flick of the tail and catapults by the ruffian’s face and into the water to drink sweet freedom.

Nets: $3.  Laughing at your startled daughter: Priceless.

To top the day off, I watched Harvey the movie for the first time.  And it was good!  I mean, how can a movie about a 6′ 3″ invisible white rabbit not tickle your funny bone?  Profound line from the movie?  “My mother told me I’d better be either very smart or very pleasant… I prefer being very pleasant.”

I considered being “very pleasant” as a life choice.  It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Then I thought about how sarcasm is one of my love languages and realized there was a conflict a’brewin’.

I’m going to stick with snarky and occasionally encouraging.  It seems to be working for me.

What hobbies did you learn as a child and at what age?