Fingerknitting

Neither Barb nor I are sure how the idea of fingerknitting came to our attention. Our family is like a tiny solar system. We mostly exist in relation to each other, our planetary bodies swinging around in accordance with Newtonian law, every one influencing the other according to his or her mass and velocity. But occasionally new things transit our orbits, like it or not: asteroids of influence, comets of ideas.

Parents hear this over and over from other parents: "I don't know how she even learned about [the Disney princesses], but all of the sudden she was obsessed!" (It might have to do with the fact that [Disney] pays many very smart people six figure incomes to ensure that your daughter becomes obsessed with [Disney princesses]. And so in that sense the analogy breaks down, as well-paid alien intelligences aren't shooting comets full of biological memes into Sol's system.

Or are they? (cf. the works of Terence McKenna.)

But I digress!

Elizabeth, one way or another, became interested in fingerknitting. I'd never even heard of it. I don't think Barb had, either. It was referenced recently in an episode of Sparkle Stories, the excellent subscription storytelling service to which we've subscribed for a year or two. But I think that was a coincidence, not the originator of the idea.

So after watching with Barb a short instructional video on YouTube, she started knitting, and knocked that ball of yarn out of Knitter's Park. She quickly knit scarves for Joey and Clara (Clara's turned out to be too small, and Clara has a ruff around the neck of her outfit anyway, so Elizabeth gave Clara's to Rusty, who is surprisingly pencil-necked). Today, one day after she started knitting, Elizabeth presented me with a beautifully knitted headband that was big enough to go around the entirety of my noggin, which must have been quite an effort. My head is big around as a blue ribbon mushmellon.

Fingerknitting. The scarf-in-progress is descending from Elizabeth's fingers down the back of her hand. It could potentially go all the way to her elbow, or beyond! 

Joey's jaunty new scarf. Being from the tropics, he was most appreciative.

Elizabeth embracing Joey after he thanked her for his gift. There's a lot of love here.

Kindergarten

Elizabeth started full-day kindergarten over a week ago. She has been doing great with all of the changes, despite a double-whammy of painful urinary tract infection and head cold. She's going to bed earlier, getting up earlier, and having to get out the door on time in the morning. But the biggest change of all is just being away from Mom for six hours per day five days per week. That's huge, but Elizabeth is embracing her new lifestyle. She likes school, for which I am very grateful.

Her best friend Lily and some of her friends from preschool were originally slated to be in her class, but the class got too big and was split into two. Lily and Elizabeth's preschool pals were all moved into the new class. But Elizabeth didn't mind! She sees Lily on the playground at recess, and that's fine. (Barb and I -- and probably Lily's parents -- are kind of glad they were split up. Their friendship and sisterly competitiveness might have proven to be a distraction in the classroom.)

Tonight we went to an open house at the school, and Elizabeth eagerly showed off her seat, her cubby, some of her artwork, and, the things she was most eager to show, the tiny toilet, sink and water fountain. Suzanne was so psyched to see the toilet that she spent 15 minutes on it conducting business while a line formed outside. She didn't care. Suzanne is unflappable.

After the open house, we went to the playground, which was Bedlam: dozens of kids ranging in age from one to probably ten were swinging, sliding, jumping, running, in all directions. Elizabeth strode into the thick of it to show off her much improved skills on the monkey rings. I was proud of her bravery -- the playground was nuts.

I really liked seeing the school. It's an old building with lots of beautiful wainscoting in the halls, and it's bright and cheerful. I only said hello to Mrs. Doss, Elizabeth's teacher (because Elizabeth was dragging me across the room to see something), but she gave a good first impression.

I think it's going to be a good year.

Here's Elizabeth sporting her new haircut and practicing her reading.

Suzanne looking very comfortable in Elizabeth's seat in Mrs. Doss's Room 2. (No wonder she's comfortable: she's still wearing her nightshirt.) 

Elizabeth's portrait of her family. Two things are notable, and might make it worth your while to click on the picture to enlarge it: her drawing is fine-lined and detailed -- no crayons here -- and her family includes not only her sister and parents, and not only Joey, Clara, Oliver and Rusty (the puppets) but Handy and Lefty (Daddy's hands, which are puppets when no puppets are around) and Fingerman (which is just Daddy's first two fingers walking around -- he doesn't talk or have a personality, so I was surprised to see Fingerman included). God only knows what Mrs. Doss thinks. 

Elizabeth's self-portrait.