When I pulled out my extra yarn the other day to share with Lydia, one of the unfinished projects I discovered was the hat for a little gnome that I began knitting before Evangeline was born. The knubbelchen pattern is available as a free Ravelry download. The doll itself has been complete for quite some time, patiently waiting for her hat and a proper face. I think I began knitting the hat around Christmas of last year. As you can see it really is not a very large or complicated piece to knit, so why has it taken me so long to finish? I love to knit and would spend hours of each day happily stitching away if that were at all possible or practical. Sometimes though, the very children for whom I am attempting to sew or knit for can, with their eager interest, slow the process way down. And sometimes I find it easier to just put the project away for another time.
Crafting with my children is still something that I am striving to find balance in. How to craft *with* them and still be present and not completely focused on my own work. Learning to have greater patience, and be grateful that they show such an interest in the work I'm doing. I have found that it helps to work on simple things while the children are right there with me, and to give them materials and tools of their own to work with. I've also found that long car rides are a fantastic opportunity for mostly un-interupted knitting time, thanks to Robert for always driving on such occasions.
As my girls grow, I look forward to involving them in my crafting even more. I think it may be time to get some burlap for Lydia to practice sewing with. And I need to learn how to finger knit so that when she is ready I can teach her that as well.
How do you involve your children in with your crafting?
