Last week's blog post went over the steps of how I made the needle case for my single point needles.  This week I made another case for my circular needles, but I thought it would be boring if I talked about the same thing back to back for my posts, so instead I'm going to show pictures and talk about teaching.  Because as crafters, we often come across the woes and joys of teaching other people new things.  

For the last few weeks I've been teaching Kindergarten-5th grade kids about life on a farm on an actual farm.  The program I'm a part of teaches kids, including kids who are food-insecure, where vegetables and fruit come from.  I teach the soil module, and it's all sorts of lovely now that I actually know how to teach children and have come to terms with the fact that kids will simply enjoy playing in dirt.

Knitting everywhere I go lands me with a lot of questions and interest.  From strangers to friends, people constantly ask me what I’m doing and what I’m making.  Most recently my knitting caught the eye of one classmates.  He had asked me several times throughout the term if I would be willing to teach him, and each time I told him I gladly would.  It made me happy that I live somewhere where men feel welcomed to crafting, even though culturally it has been so female-dominated.

So I'm here to tell you about what I learned, not from crafting, but from teaching.

When it comes to kids, it's so important to be as hands-on as possible and show no fear (they can smell it from a mile away).  

Adults on the other hand need a little more wordiness with their demonstration.  

With both, though, there are so many things to remember in what it means to share an understanding of something.  

For one, people need to get their hands on what they're working with.  Don't be afraid to put a pair of knitting needles in a beginners hands and let them make mistakes, or give a kid a pinch of soil and ask them what they see.  There is endless value in letting people experience what they're trying to learn from, and words can often only go so far, and don’t just expect people to make mistakes but let people make mistakes; it's only natural and can genuinely help the learning process.  

Secondly, what you do is amazing.  When you are teaching someone just about anything new, understand that the more energy and love that you have for that subject, the more engaging it will be and the easier it will be to learn. Passion is contagious.  Anyone can drone on for what feels like eternities, but the best teachers make us feel like they're bringing us in on something special.

Lastly, remember when you're teaching that the facts of your world are not always the facts of the students’.  I learned from the kids on the farm in particular that sometimes things can seem impossibly clear and obvious, but for someone on the outside it's completely opaque.  The easiest and plainest steps are unknown to the newcomer, and that has to be appreciated.  Being gracious about the student not knowing or understanding is one of the best ways to make them feel safe learning from you.  

Now to explain this project.  I wanted a circular needle holder specifically for a long time.  Circular needles in particular just get so unwieldy and messy when they don't have a proper place to be, and circular needles happen to be my favourite things to knit on -- probably because they are what I learned how to knit on.  

This case has all the slots I wanted along with a tie in the middle to secure any of my cords for my interchangeable needles, because when I make something, I don’t start until I have about 80 notes on how it would be perfect for what I want.

Both with teaching and new projects, I find it's always wonderful to enjoy the growth that they bring.  There were so many things that were made much simpler in this case by having done the last one, and every day it gets easier to teach people.  

It's all about practice, positivity, and pressing on -- even if it's daunting or difficult.

Stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned my dear ones.