See, knitting really can fix anything

One of my favorite theories is that a hand knitted item can fix most bad situations.

For instance, pre school registration was this week.

Now, little-sis will not be going to this pre-school next year because we are moving. But, big-sis got it into her head that her little sister was going to “real” school for the day. By the time I was up they had been out of bed for at least an hour. They had donned matching outfits and big sister had packed lunches for both of them. And done their hair.

I didn’t have the heart to say no, so after un-fixing the hair we went off to be oriented.

It was a sham folks, a total sham.

Basically there are a set of parents that are also “child professionals”. We were never allowed to know what kind. They had volunteered to “evaluate” all the incoming kids for next year to try to get good class mixes. So I dropped the little one off on the playground and then realized the kids were being followed around by these clipboard people. They kept checking things off.

Since we are leaving I don’t have to worry about being “that” mom, so I asked “Why are there people with clipboards following our kids around?” I got a “we’ll explain in a minute”. They never really did. Instead we got a lecture about it being a sugar free school. All of the moms with kids already there had a good laugh over that one.

Anyway, when the kids were returned to us she saw me and burst into tears. Her ponytails had totally wilted. The clipboards had tried to make her put down her “ni-night”. That’s the blanket I made while pregnant with her that goes EVERYWHERE with us.

This is the part where I get really irritated. As we were leaving the clipboard lady stopped me to let me know that I didn’t need to worry about her carrying around a blankie. She was “able” to put it down and participate with the other children once I was gone. “So it is OK”.

Of course it is OK. She’s two! She is potty trained, can count to 57 and uses the words “concentrate” and “annoying” on a regular basis. She also draws tattoos on her legs, takes on bullies three times her size, and gets stuck in trees. She’s wacky, always has been.

So? She has a blanket.

All afternoon she was pretty meek, and would not let ni-night out of her sight.

Big-sis to the rescue. She said we should make a small ni-night, so little-sis could have one in her pocket when big ni-night couldn’t go. Sounded like a grand plan, and I was going to dig through the stash to see if I still had any of that yarn. (Webs Valley Cotton, my favorite).

So yesterday I got up, and there was big-sis, furrowed brow, bent over her knitting. She wanted to finish it so little sis had a new little ni-night to take with her to school. Little sis was watching everything, and obviously feeling much better.

I didn’t have the heart to explain that ni-night was crochet out of cotton, not knitted out of pink wool. It doesn’t matter. She got two whole stitches by herself after 30 minutes of trying. That’s a first. I think those two stitches are more full of good intentions than anything I have ever knitted.

And that brings me to another knitting theory. I believe that what you are thinking and feeling while knitting goes into it just as much as the yarn does.