Not for the kids, for me!

I’d been wanting to get a swift and ball winder for some time now, and saw a set on sale recently and bought it.  It’s a metal/plastic Laci’s Swift and ball winder, and while I love having them, I think if I could purchase over I’d spend a bit more and get a wooden swift.  For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, a swift is a contraption on which you put a hank of unwound yarn to keep it untangled while you wind it into a ball.

Something called a ball winder should be self explanatory, though I bet those among you with baser inner workings could come up with an alternative meaning.  Basically, it rapidly winds up the yarn into a little yarn “cake” from which you can pull your working yarn from the center and work tangle-free without a pesky ball rolling all over the place. Here’s a pic of a triceratops tentatively checking out a finished cake.

The boy loves helping me with winding, and it’s fun to do together.  I love having a craft that is all my own that the boy (and, hopefully, the girl when she’s a bit older) can share with me.  Sometimes the boy “knits” with me, and it’s really cute.  He’s a bit too young to teach for real yet, but he’ll get the hang of it quickly when he starts.  Or if he starts.

I saw a recent Ravelry post where someone was lamenting the fact that their children did not share in their knitting, and it made me a bit sad.  I mean, I’m completely aware that the kids aren’t going to be into everything I am, but I’d love it if the kids were into this with me.  I think it’s beautiful, creative, and you get such a sense of accomplishment when you finish something tangible and can actually wear it.

More importantly, it’s something unique that the kids and could I do together.  Some parents play sports with their children, some go shooting, I’d love to knit with them.

When we were all done, we had a nice little pyramid of yarn, all ready to go for a secret project! Can you guess based on the colors? (Hint: they’re NOT the colors of a collegiate sports team)