Beaver Foundations

Giving my recent knits a little bath!

I am usually too excited to wear or gift what I’ve knitted or crocheted to have time to block or bathe them but it really does help to relax stitches and makes what you’ve made SO much neater!

Do you block your knitting or crochet?

Wednesday classes at SolusHolistic, Burntisland.

Such a beautiful studio to work from.

“I can’t knit socks, I’m not very creative.”

Was what the lady at the station said to me when she asked me what I was knitting.

There’s a whole post I want to do on what creativity is but I’ll save that for another time!

What makes YOU believe that YOU can’t knit socks? I know there are many of you. You think you, yes YOU in particular can’t do it.

On one hand I do empathise as I used to think the same, I used to think knitting socks and knitting in general was reserved for those who learned as children or who have this generational gift for knitting. Even though my mum is a knitter, I still believed firmly I had missed that knitting gene.

On the other hand, knowing what I now know. It’s nonsense. I’ve seen 11 year olds make these socks and I know you, yes YOU IN PARTICULAR can do it too.

In fact, I can teach you in 32 weeks.
Yup, complete beginner to sock knitter in 32 weeks.

Would this be something you’d be interested in? I might have to make this a course!

Another term another project…

I can’t believe we are already on our final project of the year!

This project we learn to cast on and off during a project to make shapes that we can sew up to create a form.

The younger class are all working on the Lion while the older class are doing a mixture of both and some colour changing.

Both classes are beginner knitters but depending on ages, there can be more flexibility in what projects we work on. The older kids are more able to be left to work away while the younger kids really need to work together and be supported.

The new beginner knitters start on the 5th of May! Message if you’d like a spot for your child if they are 7 and over!

I hope you all had a happy Easter weekend!

As we didn’t have enough chocolate to hide in the garden for an Easter egg hunt, I made more of these butterflies to hide around the garden as well.

I love making these, they are such a good beginner project and are look so pretty hanging from a window or as a mobile.

If your child would like to learn to knit and maybe make a few of these then I have the very class!
My beginner knitting class starts on the 5th of May at 3:30 in Burntisland for ages 7 and up.

Spaces are limited!

Spring butterflies!

🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

It’s still too early to see our butterflies but we can make do with these sweet knitted ones!

I like to have small projects up my sleeve for when some children get their main project finished early and this one is perfect to keep those little hands working and practicing colour changing, knitting and finishing.

I like this as a first project too as there’s no pressure to make them neat, in fact I think they look better when they’re not too neat 😉

KIDS BEGINNER KNITTING CLASS REGISTRATION OPEN!
ages 7+

We start on the 5th of May at 3:30pm at SolusHolistic

Add your details to this list: https://forms.gle/cCVr3jjz11NMABPV9
To receive your registration pack.
(to those who have already added their details, I am sending yours out before the end of the month!)

Handwork at the park in the sun.

Obviously need to look up every now and again to respond to “watch this mummy!” demands of course!

This is a nålbinding project; an extremely old - findings dating back 10,000 years ago - craft using just a needle and yarn. This stitch is the Oslo stitch.

It’s listed as an endangered craft on heritage crafts website but it is gaining popularity due to the many free and accessible resources available to learn so may not be endangered for much longer!

It requires little concentration, its very calming and mindful; perfect for doing on a bench by the play park!

My handwork basket yesterday at the end of the classes reflecting what my current students are working on in beginner knitting:

🧶 A lion

🧶 A pig

🧶 A ball

🧶 And a bag

All in progress!

We try and work through the same projects at the same time but I also like to support their interests in the nature of what they are making needing to be FUNCTIONAL (I did a post on that before!) and of use to them.

I wonder if you can guess which project is which?! 😂

Knitting is BI-MANUAL.

Meaning both hands and both sides of your brain are being engaged and used together.

Phew, what a workout!

For children, this is a particularly supportive handwork craft at the age of 7-9 when they are starting to ‘wake up’ from the dreamy early childhood realm of 0-7.

This left and right brain engagement helps with reading and writing in a similar way to using monkey bars - you don’t see enough of those around anymore do you?!

That movement back and forth between the hands is tricky to learn for children, waaaay more than for adults because of this engagement of both sides of the brain and because at this age, there has rarely been any other opportunity for anything similar.

This is also why, if you ever witness a child’s perseverance to learn to knit at this age; it will inspire you no end!

Those little hands and brains working so hard, sometimes through tears and frustration to reach the point of making their first project, which they hold up with big smiles on their faces and then wonder…

“what can I make next?”