Knitting can leak.

In lieu of actual knitting content, since all my projects are presents right now, I give you this litte essay on how knitting can leak into other aspects of your life.

From what I have been able to discover, knitters fall into two basic categories (within which there are a lot of sub-categories, but these are the first two):
1) Those who occasionally knit.

2) Those who have turned Knitting into a Lifestyle.

Obviously, I'm in category 2. And chances are, if you're a knitter reading this, you are too...since, uh...you're reading about someone else's knitting. Some might even call us "Obsessed" or "Crazy". (Yeah...call me crazy again and see if you get any warm mitts for Christmas!)

Some of you may already know this, but in my pre-baby life I was a daycare teacher. It's how I met my husband and my older son. I taught for 6 years, mainly with toddlers and I loved it. I basically fell into it, my cousin was working at a centre that was short-staffed, so I came in for a day and the next thing I knew I had a job...which turned into my career. I got credited with "equivalent to trained" (and knowing what I know now, I almost wish I hadn't done that...it's a politics things that I wish I could get rid of altogther...but that's a story for another time), and several years ago Phil and I decided that now was the time for me to go back to school part-time, and get my Early Childhood Education, before we have more kids (I got pregnant after my first semester with Grace. But the college has been so accomadating and wonderful). I'm now close to being done, only a couple courses and my practicums to go.

Now, to be 100% honest, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my ECE once I have it. I do know that I have no desire whatsoever to go work at a centre in a classroom. My main issue with the field is the nonsense going on between staff. Gossip, backstabbing and generally acting highly unprofessional is keeping us way below our potential. If we are ever going to be taken seriously as a profession, then we need to start taking ourselves a bit more seriously. I would love to direct a centre, get it to meet it's full potential, but on the other hand that seems like a lot of stress, and not nearly enough pay. My other options are to work with resource centres or open my own pre-school program where everything is on my terms (guess which one appeals to me more, lol).

I have a lot of other issues with the field as well; such as public perception of our job, the number of untrained people getting jobs and then being pushed into their equivalency (yes, I'm aware that that's exactly how I got my start, but that still makes it wrong), the high number of unregulated in-home childcare spots (80% of Canadian children are being cared for in private homes...how many of those care providers have any training in early education? How many of them have basic CPR and First Aid? It's scary out there...) Harper breaking the deals that were already made, Harper's "Universal Childcare Benefit" which is a joke. Sure, give parents $100 a month per child under age 6, that'll cover two and a half days of childcare a month in a quality centre, maybe three, but it's of no use since you did not give centres any money to open up MORE SPOTS (can't pay for childcare that doesn't exist). Oh, and don't worry about the 7 year olds. They don't need after school care, everyone knows that 7 year olds are totally mature enough to take care of themselves...

Hey, where did this soapbox come from and what the heck am I doing up on it? Sorry about that...let me just put this away...I had a point around here somewhere...

Ah!

One of my classes this semester was Emergent Literacy. It was a great course, taught with enthusiasm by a great instructor. I enjoyed it quite a lot. Our major assignment was to create a "Story Sack", which is a teaching tool based on one particular book. Essentially, one chooses a book, brainstorms all the things that you could do to enhance children's learning by using the story as a jumping point. Then present to the class.

I chose "Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep; A Yarn About Wool."

In brief, Farmer Brown shears his sheep, who are then freezing. We follow Farmer Brown as he takes the wool to various people to be washed, spun, then dyed. He noticed his poor cold sheep, then sits down with the yarn and knits each sheep a lovely warm cardigan (lovely Fair Isle creations, by the way).

So...from this I wrote up my "Web"...citing things like "spinning demo", "trip to farm to see sheep", "spinner's guild rep", "dyeing experiment", and on and on. I then created 3 activities for 3 differen age groups, including Kool-Aid dyeing for the older pre-schoolers. I wrote my own version of "Baa Baa Black Sheep", using the primary colours (and green) and talking about different projects you can make with wool.

For my presentation I read the story, I sang my song (using colourful sheep props). Then I pulled out my drop spindle and spun up some yarn, while handing around a piece of roving. I then pulled out some chunky yarn and big needles and demonstrated actual knitting, and passed that around. I showed off a knitted toys pattern book, a baby clothing book, offered up an old knitting magazine for collage purposes. I spoke of how knitting has become a hobby, where it used to be extremely important for the livelihood of the family, how young children used to be responsible for so much of it (and in some countries still are), the role men have played in the history of knitting, how we are losing this art as it falls out of the mainstream.

Then I handed it all over to my teacher and waited two weeks for her verdict.

Her comments to me included how my obvious passion would make this project so engaging for the children, how important it is to get back fading arts, and how I made the concepts Real with my hands-on demonstrations.

My mark?

100%

That's just one way my knitting has leaked. Does your knitting leak?