Posted by Stitchy McYarnpants On December - 11 - 2005   ShareThis

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It. Is. Adorable!

This is Madison. She just turned 10 and she’s a knitter. Her mom taught her when she was 8 and she’s made a number of scarves for friends and grandparents. Her current WIP is a light green wool scarf. When it’s finished, she’s going to put pink pom-poms at the ends to jazz it up.

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Now, when I say she’s a knitter, I don’t just mean that she happens to know how to knit. Heck, you can teach a monkey how to knit, but you can’t convince it that starting a knitted sweater for it’s cage mate two weeks before Christmas is anything but a bad idea. Nope, Maddy is one of us (one of us, one of us!). I was showing her parents something in the kitchen and as she waited patiently for the boring grown-ups to finish their boring grown-up conversation, she stood there with her little knitting bag hanging on her wrist and was KNITTING! She’s a standing knitter, people!

She also confided to me that it’s totally annoying that when you give handknits to people, they don’t understand that they have to hand wash it and never put it in the dryer. They need to take special care of this stuff. It’s exasperating for us all, to be sure.

And so what else could I do but drag her up to my apartment and help her on her way to SABLE status. Seeing as how she’s only 10, she’s going to need a HUGE stash, and I did what I could. I let her pick some stuff out and I also gave her some special things I had tucked away. I’ll admit there’s some candy-colored Berroco Plush in there, but there’s also some undyed alpaca.

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When it was time for them to go, I’ll give you one guess what she said. All together now . . . “One more row!!”

Maddy’s dad is Scott, my brother’s college roommate. Because I’m in such a ridiculous state of denial about being 36, I still remember hanging out with Scotty and my brother at the dorms like it was yesterday. It’s like no time has passed and the only difference is that people just don’t think Howard Jones is da bomb any more. Sometimes I’m still taken aback by the fact that he has three little girls (and a female cat, and he’s just assuming that the guinea pig and the parakeet are girls. He also works in an office of 16 people and he’s the only guy. Scott is the very definition of a ladies’ man.)

Maddy’s mom is Shanna, a fellow knitter and real peach! I don’t know her nearly as well as I do Scott and I don’t get a chance to see their family as much as I’d like to. But as soon as I saw Shanna the other night, I forewent the traditional “Hello, nice to see you.” and went with a finger pointing exclamation of “Clapotis!” It’s the customary greeting of knitters in the wild, is it not? It just so happened that Shanna was wearing a gorgeous Clapotis made with this incredible silk/merino that I failed to photograph. It had the perfect texture for that scarf with just enough unevenness in its single ply. You’ll recognize one of her other daughters, Emma, from this photo from Jon’s and my wedding. She’s the short one. Perhaps Camryn (I’m pretty sure it’s “Camryn” and not “Cameron”, but I’ll need a judgment on that. Shanna??) will model something for us someday so you can see her. They really are the sweetest little girls ever, always with the pleases and thanks yous.

Here’s the thing, Shanna is an avid blog reader and yet I can’t link you to hers. Know why? Ain’t got one. That’s right. Can you stand it? All in favor of Shanna and Maddy starting a blog together, say Aye! (and maybe give them at least one good reason as to why they should join us (join us, join uussssss))

Aye! One of the best reasons I can think of to start a blog are all the amazing people you’ll meet. It really is a wonderland of delightful people out here.

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27 Responses

  1. KT says:

    AYE, AYE, and AYE! I have tried several times to get my offspring to knit, but she(unfortunately) got that pesky “if-I-can’t-do-it-within-the-first-two-seconds-then-I-can’t-do-it-at-all” gene DIRECTLY from me.

    We will try again, of this I have no doubt.

    Till then, well done you, Shanna!

  2. emy says:

    Just let Madison know she’s amazing. I’ve got a 10yr old kid from the neighbourhood knitting too :)

  3. I am impressed that your SIL was excited enough about knitting that the daughter started BEFORE SHE LEFT HOME. I was SO sad about having to knit by myself because my DD had other. things. to. do. that. were. more. important. But now, she knits, blogs and is as ever, the most wonderfullest daughter I can imagine.
    She’s going to do a clapotis, too. It’s not my thing. Maybe she’ll recognize “lice stitch” on socks one day.

  4. maryse says:

    i tried to teach my 10 year old nieces to knit and it was a no go. so here’s to madison!

    yay madison!

  5. Norma says:

    Yes, yes, yes! Shanna & Maddy — A blog together! You must, you MUST!

  6. elisa says:

    Are you calling us freaks, dude?

    Shanna and Maddy must definitely start a blog. That would be awesome. :)

    Now I’m thinking that maybe I could send my 13 year old sister a learn to knit kit for Christmas…hmmm…

  7. Carole says:

    Oh, she’s adorable. And look at that glint in her eye while holding the yarn you gifted. Definitely ONE. OF. US.

  8. stephanie says:

    The wee knitterly are so charming. Until you realize that these people are going to be competing with you in a yarn shop and that they are younger and faster than you.
    Good thinking with the stash yarn….distraction.

  9. Cara says:

    A blog is a must, for sure. Can you imagine? If Maddy starts now, with the stash and the blog, by college she will have SUPERSTAR status. And also be like Alice Starmore and Teva Durham knit into one. God I love the knitting. And the blogging.

    (I mean, c’mon. Where else am I going to get a Springsteen reference on a knitting blog at 8:45 in the AM! Thank you, by the way!)

  10. Juno says:

    I love the picture of M with the stash enhancements – I know that look she’s got on her face. We ALL know the look she has on her face.

    Wool. It does a body good.

  11. Rachel H says:

    yes, she does look like a very satisfied little person with the stash haul clutched tightly in her arms. Heck, I would be too.

  12. claudia says:

    You are totally not 36. No way.

  13. tabbytuxedo says:

    She’s adorable! And most definitely a knitter.

  14. Lauren says:

    They definitely need to start blogging!

  15. Fiber Fetish says:

    Dude, HoJo, I have all his albums, even the imports! He was just here in concert last summer…

    http://fiberfetish.blogspot.com/2005/07/hats-and-henna.html

  16. Daphne says:

    Oh my god. Looks like you had the best wedding ever. I’d give a million bucks to have those ladies at my non-existant wedding. Grass skirts on kindergardners!!!

  17. christine says:

    Look at how happy Madison looks with her new stash! Gotta love it………..

  18. chelsea says:

    I’m with Claudia… 36? Pfft… maybe *technically* but not *functionally*. I would put your functional age in the late 20s: old enough not to pass out on the floor, but still young enough to dance on the tables.

  19. Mary says:

    Did my eyes deceive me? Was your wedding at a bowling alley? You GO girl!

    My 12-year-old niece is a knitter, too, although probably not as prolific as young Maddy currently is, but it’s just so cool when they start young, isn’t it? Good for you for bestowing stashy goodness upon her!

  20. Anna says:

    what a great kid! so cool of you to give her some stashy stuff, too.

    I echo the “36 — pfft!” sentiment! I’m 39 now, and although I can’t quite wrap my mind around having the number 40 tacked on my tender self next year, I’m striving to be a great role model for aging gracefully…

  21. Wendy says:

    Add me to the list of AYE AYE AYE…start a blog!!!

  22. marti says:

    they definitely need to start a blog. that is a very sweet picture of Madison holding her newly purloined stash. it was also a great story.

  23. April says:

    AYE!!!!! OMG they HAVE to!!!!! a STANDING knitter at 10! awesome. I hope to have my DD endoctrinated the same way by that age if possible =) She’s trying very hard to learn (she’ll be 5 tomorrow)
    AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE

  24. Kristen says:

    aye!

    I shared some of my stash with an 11 year old and her schools “knit club” this weekend; we didn’t have a whole lot in common sofar as our “favorite yarns” but she liked blues and greens and that I had. :) (I’ll slowly start working in wools as time goes by…)

  25. mayflwr says:

    AYE indeed!!

    I was always a crafty chica…when I was in third grade I started crocheting…I taught myself for the most part!

  26. Mary says:

    Hey Stitchy, have you seen this website?

    http://www.houseplantpicturestudio.com/HPS/handknits/handknits.html

    Reminds me a lot of your MOKS. Thought you’d appreciate it! :-)

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