Passing It On
The first class seems to always be the toughest. Casting-on – arguably the hardest thing to learn about knitting - is one of the first lessons to learn.
As I feared, Bella had a difficult time with it. She couldn’t quite get the hand/finger/thumb coordination. After showing her several times, I cast-on a few stitches for her so she, and the rest of the class, could move on to the knit stitch.
I knit and teach the continental method — where the working yarn is held in the left hand. When I saw that Bella had a tough time with that, too, I really got a knot in my stomach. I decided to try showing her the throw (English) method. Success! Bella got it right away and happily stitched along for the rest of the class.
When class was over, Bella’s mother, a student in the class herself, promised to work with Bella re: the cast-on. I gave the handout guide to Bella and told her to practice, practice, practice.
Low and behold, the following Saturday Bella proudly showed me how fast she could cast on — and she whizzed through it. That second class focused on the purl stitch — along with a few lessons on common beginner mistakes. Bella learned it so fast that she was showing her mom how to purl.
After a little show and tell of my old projects, samples of a few tools and yarns, the final class was all about casting-off. Bella said “this is easy” and my heart just sang. She purled away while chatting on and on about her summer vacation in Puerto Rico.
I wished I’d taken a picture of Bella — such a beautiful and sweet little girl. I got tremendously more satisfaction teaching her than I did all of the adults. I don’t mean that in a bad way … I like my adult students, too. Teaching her, though, felt more important — like I was passing this great body of knowledge to the next generation. Yes, I realize it’s just knitting … 
I’ve since found out that to continue teaching kids at the Air Force Academy I have to get special liability insurance. If a little darling pokes him or herself in the eye with a needle, I’m liable to be sued! I surely can’t afford the insurance OR being sued. So, Bella will likely be my first and last offical youth student. Sad, isn’t it?
