My Knitting Beginning

I recently wrote about my memories of my Grandmother knitting me beautiful sweaters and the connection I now feel as a knitting mom. My Grandmother shares a part of my knitting story with my neighbour who taught me how to knit.
After school my brother and I went to the neighbour's house until my mom got home from work.
She had 2 boys and knit like a boss. I remember she had grown up in a close knit Catholic family and  was one of 5 children. She told us stories about her siblings and I felt like they were my own aunts and uncles.
Being a mom to 2 boys I think she liked having me around so she could have the daughter she maybe always wanted. I don't remember being crazy about her. To be honest I thought she was weird and liked my brother better because he was little and cute. I was 10 and 11 at the time and wasn't super excited about being babysat and certainly not without other kids to play with. Her boys were older and not particularly interesting to me.
But I do remember her giving me huge wooden needles and a lovely soft ball of wool and showing me how the stitches were formed. I was thrilled to have something to do and I liked the feel of those needles and that soft ball of wool. I knit the most holey doll blanket you can imagine. Where those stitches kept going I had no idea! I'd start with 10 and end with 6! So frustrating but I wanted to learn.
Soon I was able to start with 10 stitches and end with 10 stitches and graduated to smaller aluminum needles and baby pink wool. That was better I thought at the time (give me wooden needles any day now I say)
It's funny the mark people will leave on your life. I would never consider my neighbour to be a pivotal part of my life except that she was the person who taught me how to knit. Because of her I picked up needles and wool again when my children were babies and knit them things that now live in a special box in my crawl space full of other cherished baby things. Because of her I can keep myself and my family warm with mittens, hats and scarves that aren't just mittens, hats and scarves. There's love in them thar' stitches. Because of her I knit a Holden Shawlette. Because of her I am able to patiently wait in lines, furiously knitting on socks and mittens, but patiently waiting.
So, thanks Lynn for your patience with my 10 year old self. It paid off :)