Knitting Club: Week 3

I was honestly too depressed by last week's complete lack of progress to try and describe it. One of the girls didn't come and the one who had pestered me to sit down and work with her later in the week bailed to go use the computer. The two little ones had forgotten everything I'd spent a painstaking extra hour teaching them and there was a meeting in our conference room at 6:30 so no one could stay late. No one managed to do much of anything except get frustrated.

I thought about just scrapping it. We weren't making progress and was it worth the frustration when I am leaving? The kids don't know that yet though and I'd promised them another two weeks--so after rolling into work a full two and a half hours early to possibly cover a coworker who might call out (she didn't)--I drug out the yarn and needles.

We'd been getting hung up on casting on so I decided that this week we'd skip that and just work on knit stitch. We can go back to the other another time but for right now, I wanted them to see progress. I lost two more girls--one because it's boring and the other one refuses to slow down long enough for me to demonstrate anything.

We've tried sitting around tables and in a circle without success. This time I had needles with stitches cast on laid out and some books open showing the basic knit stitch. We awkwardly stood/sat around the table. I moved from one side to the other, demonstrating, prompting and mostly--praising. Tonight FOUR young women learned how to knit and were doing it successfully.

The older girls worked with one color of yarn but my two little ones found it easier to see how to pull a loop through if they could work with a different color yarn that the color than the stitches on the needle. Whatever works....seriously. Both were SO much less frustrated and were picking it up so much faster. There were problems. One girl was having trouble separating her tail from her working yarn. One of the little ones is so unsure that she's convinced she's doing it all wrong--when she isn't. But it was the most rewarding ninety I've had with them yet.

I started with eight young women. Five will complete and will get to take needles and yarn home to keep, along with a list of local yarn stores. I'm very proud and told them I'd be bragging about them. So here I am, celebrating my new knitters.