grandkids | Knitting In Flashes

I took some knitting to our daughter’s while she and her husband were out of town. I always have great plans to knit and I usually end not knitting at all. This time I took some seamless slippers to finish.

Our grandson was taking a nap, E wasn’t feeling well and was camped out on the couch with Mr. Aitch and Z. They were watching something on TV. I sat down in a chair with my knitting.

“Nona, will you teach me how to knit?”

I only had four metal double-point needles with me so I transferred the live stitches from the slippers to some stitch holders and cast on 16 stitches for Z.

Wooden needles are better than metal ones when first learning to knit as the metal ones are very slippery and fall out.

After I got Z started, E wanted to learn.

Both did several stitches with a lot of help. They even knit a row or two and some partial rows with much satisfaction.

After much “This is so hard” and “You knit faster than me because you’ve been doing it longer”, I finished knitting their coasters and gave them some yarn to weave through the bumps.

They liked the weaving much better than the knitting.

Coasters for hot chocolate.

Plus they appreciate how long it takes to knit something.

Our one granddaughter is taking dance and was recently in a ballet.

Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty.

Now a four-year-old isn’t actually doing ballet but if you know anything about dance, music, or theater, then you know even the newest/youngest will have a part in a production. 1) It shows parents, grandparents, family, and friends that the child has accomplished something for all the time and effort it takes to go to the lessons. 2) It increases ticket sales. Who could resist seeing their special little someone on stage?

Our special little someone played one of Cinderella’s coach mice at Sleeping Beauty’s wedding.

Surprisingly this was Mr. Aitch and my first ballet. And we were very impressed with the quality of all the dancers. Unfortunately the quality of my photos are not that impressive. It was dark, no flashes were allowed and I was using my iPhone.

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In the opening scene the King and Queen throw a huge christening ceremony for their new-born daughter, Princess Aurora, and invite seven fairies who honor the baby with gifts of virtues and special traits. Unfortunately one fairy, Caraboose, was not invited and she was ticked.

Caraboose shows up at the christening and casts an evil spell on Princess Aurora, which is to prick her finger on a knitting needle on her sixteenth birthday and die. I love her hat. It was black and acid green.

The Lilac Fairy, who had not given her gift, could not reverse the spell, however she could alter it in that Princess Aurora would not die but sleep for 100 years and be awaken with a kiss from a prince.

Knitting is banned from the kingdom though some innocent knitters are unaware of the ban and knit (and I use that term loosely). Fortunately they are not put to death for their crime but given a reprieve by the Queen. The knitting ban is serious stuff!

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There’s Caraboose hiding in the background!

Princess Aurora has a big Sweet Sixteenth party and Caraboose shows up to witness the death of the Princess. A concealed Caraboose gifts Aurora with bouquet of lovely flowers with a sharp knitting needle hidden inside

A concealed Caraboose gifts Aurora with bouquet of lovely flowers with a sharp knitting needle hidden inside. Aurora pricks her finger on falls into a deep sleep.

Caraboose leaves the party thinking her evil spell worked.

The Lilac Fairy casts a spell over all the kingdom and they all fall asleep, too.

Later, I assume 100 years later, the Lilac Fairy meets Prince Désiré while he’s out hunting with his buddies. She gets the prince alone, shows him a vision of Princess Aurora, and gets him up to speed with all the details. The Prince is immediately head-over-heels in love with the princess. He agrees to go to the castle and lift the evil spell with a smooch.

Once at the castle Caraboose emerges from the shadows and tries to deter the Prince from his appointed kiss but she is not successful. Prince Désiré lays one on Princess Aurora and all awaken. The King and Queen approve of Prince Désiré and he and Princess Aurora marry.

Several fairy tale characters attend the wedding including Little Bo Peep and her sheep, Alice in Wonderland and the hearts, Snow White and the seven dwarfs, Red Riding Hood and the wolf, and Cinderella and the coach mice.