Sunday, May 29, 2005

Casting on

'B****y knitting.'

Ginny's thrown the yarn and needles down in disgust. This gives me the opportunity to investigate. I soon have a nice pile of wool wrapped around my paws.

'B****y dog. I'll never get this jumper knitted if you keep tangling the wool.'

Ooooh temper, Ginny.

Actually you'll never get this jumper knitted. Full stop. Knitting is not your forte, Ginny. Quit now while you're ahead.

That's my advice anyway. Ginny has spent over an hour trying to 'cast on'. Unfortunately Ginny has never cast on in her life. In the days when Ginny was learning to knit Class One's teacher, Miss Heywood, cast on for all the girls to get them started. Twelve girls arrived at school one morning with all the stitches already on their needles. All they had to do was to knit and purl. It was easy, Ginny told Clive.

Clive can't understand why Ginny is knitting. 'Look at the economics of it Ginny. How much have you spent on the wool?'

'Twelve pounds.'

'You could buy Jake a jumper for 12 pounds and you haven't had to lift a finger.'

'That's not the point Clive. By knitting Jake a jumper I am giving him love. This jumper will be a unique garment, an expression of my creativity and knitted with motherly love. Knitting isn't just about making something to wear. Every little stitch will have come from his mother's fair loving hands.'

Clive knows not to argue with Ginny when she's in full flow. He sighed and turned back to his newspaper.

Ginny had given up trying to remember how to cast on and turned to her 'New Complete Book of Needlecraft.' It's not so new now. In 1959, when it was really new, it was the only book a modern mother would need to make all those essentials for home and family. For 1950s Mum it was the handy reference book for rustling up embroidered place mats, macrame wall hangings, doilies, curtains, crochet dresses and woollen slippers for the man in your life. Even a rather natty gingham dog basket - now I like the look of that, Ginny could run that up in an afternoon. Ginny riffled through the pages for several minutes before finding what she needed. She read it out to Clive: 'How to Knit. Basic Techniques. To cast on means to put the first stitches onto the needle . . . Duurrrr.'

She went quiet. She fiddled with the wool and her needles contorting her fingers and thumbs into all sorts of positions. Now and then she muttered under her breath: 'holding the needle with the slip knot in the right hand, draw up the 2 strands of yarn between ring and little fingers of the left hand. Hold yarn securely.'

Ginny glowed with effort. 'Slip forefinger and thumb of left hand between the strands. The one coming from the ball should be at the back.'

Silence. Intense concentration. 'Bring thumb up and spread the fingers. Put the needle under the front strand of the thumb . . . . pull it through . . . let the loop slip from thumb . . . tighten the stitch. Hurray I've done it. Two stitches. Now where's the pattern. How many more to go . . . Oh . . . 96.'

Ginny looked a bit daunted but you've got to hand it to the girl, she persevered. It took nearly 45 minutes but eventually Ginny had cast 98 stitches onto her needle. Now she only had to remember how to knit.

Knit 'n' Bitch here she comes!