File under

be careful what you ask for.

Yesterday when I arrived at Skein, Ann Mary gave me some money that was owed for a couple of students from last week. I told her sister Clare that that was a good thing since I was out of cash and was hoping I'd have some students that day.

About that time it all began. I was swamped for the whole day and an hour beyond. Not that that isn't a good thing but it does get pretty tense trying to keep six or eight different people going at the same time, all working on different projects. Plus answering questions about yarn and needle size for all the just wanna make a scarf people.

I did have a first time experience though. I've taught several mother/daughter combos. This was the first time I had taught a father/daughter combo. They were both left-handed to boot. I don't teach left-handed knitting. I teach everyone the right handed throw method as I see knitting as a two-handed activity and I get away with it. I have worked with people who knit continental but I'm not very proficient at it myself.

The daughter had tried to teach herself from a book, with only moderate success, but she had enough knowledge that it wasn't hard to get her going. I don't know how she convinced her father that he should take up knitting but there he was, willing to give it a go. I kept wanting to call him Ed, for some unknown reason, and that isn't his name, but he'll always be Ed to me. I would guess him to be in his late sixties or maybe even older. Judging from his faded Marine Corps tattoos and his really calloused hands I'd say knitting was the least likely thing I'd expect him to do. He didn't exactly do a stellar job but he was determined. I thought he might bend his needles at one point. He developed his own little rhyme to help him through each stitch. It'll be interesting to see if he continues. His daughter seems to be determined that he will.