Charity Begins at Home ...and all that

As my husband likes to say, "If you want something done, ask a busy person."  So here I go.

At the end of our Friday night knitting, one of our knitters mentioned that she was going on a Rotary mission to Ghana on January 5.  She has been involved in several international trips like this, usually offering medical help and knowledge, which is her area of expertise.  She will be visiting kids with AIDS, from birth up to about 10 years of age.  Even though Ghana is near the equator, it does cool down in the evenings ...and these compromised children have a hard time keeping warm.

And now for our request.  Robbi would really love to take hats with her to share with these children. 
- They should fit kids from birth to 10 years of age.
- They need to be soft because AIDS children tend to be hyper-sensitive.  Soft wool or wool blends would be ideal.
- No buttons (for the smallest sizes, as per usual).
- Cheerful, colourful, happy hats would be most appreciated.
- And they need to be delivered to Little Red Mitten by Wednesday, January 4 so that she can pack them in her suitcase!  Can we do it???  It is a busy time of year ...but knitters have big hearts!!!! 

Last night, a quick search through my stash turned up these cheerful colours,

and this morning, before work, I cast on ...

The Power of Knitting

When a busy woman needs to learn to knit, she will find a way.

With long and late hours dedicated to helping troubled families and challenged children, this lady needed to schedule a private lesson.  She had knitted in the past, but had never purled, cast on or cast off.  She walked in with a coffee ...and a bad headache ...and told me about the history of migraines in her family, the tension that she holds in her shoulders and some of the challenges of her job.

I was concerned.  She was stressed.

We talked and we focussed on her knitting.  She wanted to understand.  She asked questions, took notes, and made sure that she got the process and the results.  An hour and a half later, she left with her goal of working on a 10-stitch strip of wonkiness to explore combinations of knits and purls and the resulting fabrics.  Time to play.  She left without a headache.

Yesterday was a good day.

A Visit to Koigu Wool Designs

I love a long weekend ...even if it is only one hour longer!  It means that today I will likely try to cram in at least 3 extra hours of fun. 

• I started the morning off by creating a new, improved techniques list for my Basics and Beyond class this week.  Hope they like it.
• Next, I think I'll tell you about our trip north to visit Koigu Wool. 
• Then, it will be on to the newsletter, and then Matt and I will settle in for some NFL, knitting and spinning (Matt will not likely be knitting and spinning ...but you never know!) 
• Maybe I'll get some bulbs planted in our new garden. 
• Oh, and then we'll take a walk in the beautiful sunshine, wearing some cosy knits and pretending it's winter!
• It's amazing what you can do in an hour, isn't it?

As promised:

On Hallowe'en, Matt and I took a drive north in search of beauty.  I think we found some!

Our visit to the gorgeous location of Koigu Wool Designs was so private and beautiful, that I felt like I would be trespassing to take pictures.  So you'll just have to imagine the beautiful pond, pastures, buildings and trees.  Breathtaking.

And then we went inside to choose "a few" colours.  Although we ended up with many bags, we were also able to choose from a display of single skeins.  I think that my biggest smile of the day came from watching Maie Landra, the founder of the company.  After I had chosen a dozen or so colours, Maie's hands gently reached out to move one skein next to a different skein.  And then she moved a few more.   In a few moments, they were all arranged in beautiful groups, with subtle changes from one to the next.  Obviously, this is an artist who loves her work. 

An answer to, "What can you do?"

You never know what shape you'll get back when you send a child home with needles, yarn and a few stitches.  :)   But apparently that's okay!

In our first hour of one-on-one knitting, 8-year-old Cassidy learned the knit stitch (and a few other fibrely diversions). When she returned a week later, she had a pretty blue garter stitch shape that somehow had tripled in width at one point.  We took turns adding rows while looking at the cover of Rebecca Danger's, The Big Book of Knitted Monsters. 

We were inspired!

Cassidy chose the colours and continued to make her monster body grow.  I got busy with ears, an eye, and two I-cord arms.  We gathered up the few stitches at the top and the bottom of the blue body and each worked a seam from opposite ends, stuffing it full of woolly goodness.  She made a twisted cord scarf while I hurriedly attached body parts.  (We had to work quickly because Cassidy had a birthday party right after knitting.  Oh, the life of an 8-year-old!)

While Mom and Dad were waiting, she found 2 matching pink buttons that would make beautiful eyes ...for Mom to sew on later.  Can't you just imagine them, one on the purple spot and one right beside it?

Knitting is fun ...but it's so more fun when you can make a child smile.

Elgin Arts Trail

Little Red Mitten and eleven studios/galleries are now members of the new Elgin Arts Trail. Like "Savour Elgin," the goal of this association is to invite you on "an imaginative and unforgettable journey of original paintings, pottery, fibre art, candles and more."

Here is a taste of our display table at the opening event for the Elgin Arts Trail this week.

Look at all that colour!

Fibre art.

Fibre artists.

Yarn and needles.

This is art.

When invitations went out to join this group, weaving was, as usual, recognized as an art. 
Knitting was not mentioned.

I am not bitter.  Really :)  But I am determined to open some eyes!

Knitting is an art.  And an art with a purpose.

Knit on!

For more information, please visit www.elginartstrail.ca or call 1-877-GO ELGIN, x 168

Enlightening Conversation

A couple of weeks ago, I had a chance to sit and knit with the Wednesday afternoon knitters.  The conversation is always interesting, you never know what you'll learn, and I always seem to come away with something new to think about. 

People talked about what the group had meant to them and how coming to the group had really opened their eyes and made them feel better about their knitting. 

Before attending the sit 'n knit groups, some knitters had been hard on themselves when it came to their knitting.  It's funny, but although making mistakes is common for everyone, we seem to think we aren't very good at what we do.  We harbour the illusion that everyone else probably goes from beginning to end of a project without any mistakes or 'frogging' (rippit, rippit!).  Over the years, I've gotten pretty good at fixing mistakes and tinking (unknitting) my work ...because when you make a lot of mistakes, you get a lot of practice!!!

So, I guess, the message today is that knitting is like life.  Mistakes are human.  Learning to deal with them and then "get on with it" is what is most important.  And unlike life, there are lots of do-overs in knitting ...and that's a good thing!

Watch What you Say

You have probably noticed that I like to add quotes to our monthly newsletter.  This month, there was, "Will knit for chocolate, beer, wine, coffee,  ...or whatever," and "Will trade husband's tools, ...or husband, ...for yarn, needles, or whatever." 

The other day, Sue took a phone call from a new customer who asked about one of our programs.  She had received her first LRM newsletter and was interested in trading in her husband's tools because he was older and really didn't use them anymore.  What did she need to do to make this trade?  Sue wanted to giggle, but listened, realized that the woman was serious and explained that this was just a silly saying from a button. 

Happily, she really didn't want to give up her husband. 

His Majesty

This week, spinning night had a special guest.  Janice brought along King Henry VIII, her "50-hour" project for the OHS spinning program. 

He was jauntily attired with a duck feather and beads edging his cap, and gold metallic yarn, all so necessary for royalty, such as himself.

This regal fellow was hand spun and hand knit but demanded much more than the required 50 hours to complete: Janice spent more than 90 hours working on his lordship.

His well-padded body required several layers of undergarments, including this charming "cod-piece," a definite "stand-out" feature!

We were all charmed by his masculinity :)

Well done, Janice!

Knitter's Fair 2011

Here's our Little Red Mitten booth at the K-W Knitter's Fair ...before the crowds arrived!

What a fun event!  So many knitters - young and old, female and male - we are a lively, friendly, varied and creative bunch.  I feel so lucky to be part of this great community of knitters.  This is exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up ...but didn't know it back then :)  

I had a chance to walk around the event before the day ended and saw lots to inspire me. 

I think that is what I love about knitting: there are so many variables. 

You can get totally different results just by changing the yarn ...or the needles ...or the edging, or the shaping ...and the list goes on.

And we live in a time where the choices are virtually endless.  We have multiple fibres and breeds and weights to choose from.  It really wasn't that long ago that knitters spun their own yarn, all from the same breed of sheep, often the same weight yarn and with a limited choice of colours.

Yesterday was a feast.

Today, I will try to digest what inspired me.

Friday Night Visitors

We're an eclectic bunch at Little Red Mitten.

You just never know who will pop by to sit 'n knit on a Friday night!

(Thanks for carpooling with these charmers, Michelle.)

Scott brought along some yummy cupcakes disguised as a turtle.

The turtle was made to honour another beautiful season at the Blooming Bog north of London.

And Isa brought along this cutie from the Patons "Monkey Business" booklet (available at LRM).

I feel like the luckiest woman alive when I get to sit and knit with the inspiring women and men who join us twice a week.

Thanks. You keep me in stitches.

Janet Morton: Tangled

If you're looking for something knitting related, and maybe a bit "out there," then try to visit the "Tangled" exhibit at Museum London.

The work of Guelph-based artist, Janet Morton, will put a smile on your face. You'll see knitted houses, a large wall overgrown with knitted vines, flowers and found objects, and a tree-like shape with its own knitted "sweater" and tangle of yarns at its base.

"She pays homage to the skill and time required to make hand made objects and resists the demand for mass-produced and ready made." And this lady once covered her home in knitted fabric!

If you're like me, you may come out dreaming about future yarn storming activities. Remember the flowered ankle bracelet idea for Jumbo??? Anybody with me?

The exhibit closes September 18, 2011.

Museum London is at the fork of the Thames, at Dundas and Ridout Streets.

If you're curious, you can read more about her as "Artist in Residence" at U of Wisconsin.

http://www.arts.wisc.edu/artsinstitute/IAR/morton

Elephant Ankles

What a sweetie pie! Knitting a scarf for his monkey. Giraffey already has one. :)

* * * * *

I have an idea that has been percolating in my mind for a few weeks. Last night, while watching the news, it all came together. Here are the stories:

• St. Thomas made headline news in both the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. Apparently, we made the top of the list ...of cities hit hardest by the recent economic downturn.
• Nelson Mandela celebrated his 93rd birthday on July 18. In honour of the 67 years that Mandela worked for equality, people of South Africa are donating 67 minutes of kindness.
• Local yarn shop owner notices endless numbers of tourists visiting Jumbo Monument. "Every time I look out the window, there are happy people taking photos of the big guy," said Joan Janes. "This tourism is a much needed boost for our local economy." (Okay, this didn't actually make it into the news.)

So, what if everyone in St. Thomas spent 67 minutes doing something for their town? It could boost morale! It could be the start of our great recovery!!

But what can we do?

Some might choose to improve their front garden, pick up litter, smile at a stranger, donate time or money to a worthy cause, or promote local heritage. I'd like to make an ankle bracelet for Jumbo. Okay. It's not exactly an earth shattering plan, but I think that stitching up pretty flowers to adorn the chubby ankle(s) of the world's favourite elephant would make people smile. Tourists would remember the cheerfulness and happy spirit of our city. Colour, flowers, elephant ankles. I can see it all now. Can't you? Are you in?

* * * * *

...and regarding the comments for my previous post about the "dumbing down" of patterns, I wish someone would dumb down "blogspot." After spending a half hour crafting a response to all 3 comments, do you think I could post to my own blog???? It just disappeared into the cosmos. Rather than face more failure and frustration, I picked up my knitting and chilled.

By the way, the comments are well worth a read.

Pattern Writing, Designing, Teaching

A while back, I was asked to do an email interview on a Toronto designer's blog. Although it was a fun thing to do, I've been puzzling over one question ever since: "How do you feel about the so called controversy of "dumbing down" patterns for knitters?"

Until the interview, I wasn't really aware of a controversy ...or of the "dumbing down" of patterns. It has taken me a few months, but I think I finally have an answer.

If you are a designer, you want to create something lovely. Writing the pattern is a secondary goal. You probably assume that the knitters you are writing for understand the process and can follow your directions ...or improvise. For the experienced knitter, patterns may serve as a jumping off point with inspiration to take you in new directions. There may be new techniques which challenge and excite you but do not defeat you, even if you end up improvising your way through!

If you are a teacher, you also want to create something lovely, but writing the pattern becomes your main goal. You want the knitter to follow your instructions without confusion, end up with a successful project and learn a few tricks along the way. Since inexperienced knitters may not have a mentor or know how to access information, their pattern needs to be thorough and complete. In my books, this is not "dumbing-down." It is step-by-step skill development.

So back to the interview question - maybe 'dumbing down' is something else entirely? If you have an opinion, I'd love to hear it.

And in the meantime ...there are patterns out there for everyone. I hope you'll check them out and be inspired!

* * * * * * * * *

Okay, you've heard of Jack-in-the-Pulpit plants and Knitting-in-Public, but have you ever seen someone Knit-in-the-Pulpit?

Here's Mandy at the Old St. Thomas Church posing for her scavenger hunt photo:

Thanks for the great photo, Nadine :)

Knitting-in-Public

It's true. Knit-in-Public Day involved actual knitting in public this month! While many of us relaxed and enjoyed some comfortable, air-conditioned moments (or front patio moments) with yarn, needles and friends, there were several energetic types who got out and about and had a blast.

The wonderful weather, combined with many interesting St. Thomas locations on our scavenger hunt list, had our intrepid knitters laughing and enthusiastically sharing their photos to qualify for prizes. They certainly had people about town wondering what was going on!!!

And maybe that is what it's all about. Sharing our passion. Admitting to the world that we are knitters. Coming out of the closet. Inspiring others. Creating. Relaxing. Challenging ourselves. Being proud of what we do. Whoever thought of promoting knitting-in-public got it right. This is something that is needed.For the next little while, I'd like to add some k-i-p photos at the end of each blog. If you would like to send in a photo of yourself (or just your knitting) knitting-in-public, email me at info@littleredmitten.ca . By sharing your passion, here and in the real world, maybe we can make the world a calmer, friendlier place. Well, it's worth a try, right?!?!

Yarn, a Podcast and a Souvenir

"Some people bring home the darnedest things from their vacations," to quote a good friend :)

It seems that I brought home laryngitis. I know you'll have lots of sympathy when I tell you that I likely caught it from someone else with laryngitis ...in a yarn shop ...in Sweden. Oh yes. I can just tell how sympathetic you are feeling! Poor Joan. Someone made her go yarn shopping in Sweden. Yup! My life is tough.

But it hasn't been all that bad. I did manage to start and finish this little "Talbot Street" shawl (in one of Zen Yarn Garden's Serenity yarns) between Friday and Tuesday evening. That's gotta be a record for me!

While it is hard to believe that I kept focussed on one project from start to finish, I had a couple of secret weapons.

Secret weapon #1: The yarn felt delicious and scrumptious and I just couldn't wait to see the finished project.

Secret weapon #2: I discovered a great "new to me" spinning podcast ...and I bet I listened to it for 8 hours over two days of forced silence. Apparently, I can get a lot done this way.

So if you have an interest in spinning, check out the "Spindoctor" podcasts: spindoctorpodcast@gmail.com

Sasha Torres, a very nice UWO prof (therefore, the doctor part) does reviews for handspinners that are informative, well-prepared and entertaining. Enjoy - and see how much more knitting you can accomplish!

A Few More Fibre-Vacation Photos

Can't say much because I have a fine case of laryngitis ...but I can still blog :) And I'd love to share a few more fibre-related vacation pics.

When our ship landed in Helsingborg, Sweden, we were greeted by a musical troupe dressed in traditional costume. I wished I could get closer to this guy. Fabulous knitwear!

Inside an ancient church, we found traditional ripsmatta or rep weave table toppers.

At the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway, we saw what had been unearthed from a burial site. It is believed to have been the ship of a Viking princess from 800-900 AD. The princess would have needed these textile production tools
for the afterlife.

Looks like a nostepinne /nostepinde and the clay whorl for a spindle. It boggles the mind to realize that all fabric for the masts of Viking sailing ships was first spun on a drop spindle such as this.

...and a niddy noddy for winding skeins.

The squares in the centre of this photo are cards with a hole in each corner. These cards act as heddles when used for tablet /card weaving. The warp goes through the holes and when the cards are turned the weft yarn creates the design.

Here's a close-up of the carving on a Viking sailing ship. Cabling inspiration, anyone?

Some travellers found a Norwegian Heritage Museum with lots of clothing samples, but we weren't so lucky. Guess I'll have to go back someday! :)

And the sun sets on my vacation blog ...sometime around 10:30 south of Oslo. (This photo was taken around 11:15 pm.)

Fun Times

When work life and leisure time are devoted to knitting, what do you do for fun? Go on a knitting cruise, of course!

Matt and I had a great time visiting ports in Scandinavia. Before the cruise, we explored Amsterdam for a few days, then left the port of Rotterdam for Helsingborg, Sweden, sailed off to Copenhagen and Skagen, Denmark, and made our final stop in Oslo, Norway.

The knitting portion of our trip involved 13 hours of classes with Lily Chin (always fun, inspiring and informative), meeting interesting knitters and crocheters, sit 'n' knit times in the uber comfortable ship's library, and group trips to yarn shops. I didn't purchase much yarn since many are available at LRM, but I did manage to buy lots of pretty and unusual buttons. This Knopenwinkel shop in Amsterdam was full of charm:

These adorable "corkers" caught my eye while strolling the streets of Amsterdam. What a fun way to decorate windows that are constantly being passed by tourists. Because of picture quality, I can only share half of what was on display :(

Cute, eh?

Don't feel too bad for Matt. He had a special tour, too!

And a few delicious beer samplings en route:)

It's coming ...

Knit-in-Public Day is coming soon!

Visit Little Red Mitten on June 18 to participate in some fun and yarny adventures.

We'll be unveiling the first of our Landscape Series yarns: skeins dyed

by Roxanne of Zen Yarn Garden ...with a St. Thomas theme.

Watch for more news and bring along your camera.

If learning something new is good for the brain ...why does my head hurt?!?!?!

I spent the weekend planning cable and lace classes and decided that I would use a charting-for-knitting program that I had played around with briefly. The learning curve was a bit steeper than I had thought, so there went a few hours.

You'd think that I would have learned to "save," considering all the time I've spent in "Word," but apparently not. I really believe that I did "save" ...but that the computer ate my homework. Since my "search" button refuses to work, I guess we'll never know. Yup! That was fun!

Realizing that, in "Word," copied charts just bounce around like bunny rabbits for no apparent reason, my husband introduced me to "Excel" ...once again. Then we hooked up to a larger monitor and he said that pdf's would be more user-friendly. That sounded nice. So, thank you, dear husband, for helping me out with that.

So from now on, I'll be able to point out things on a monitor and move them around with a mouse. That really does beat holding up a piece of paper with cardboard behind it. Gotta love technology.

So when you read cable or lace charts for the first time, you may be learning something new, and your head may hurt, and your eyes may cross ...but the technology really is worth the effort.

They Fit!

Mr. Christie tried on his first pair of "Sunblocker Mitts" last Tuesday.

These are my husband's hands - didn't want to embarrass Mr. Christie with all of the

fame that might come from this blog! ;)

These mitts will keep the sun off of Mr. Christie's 93-year-old hands while he golfs and rides his bike around the neighbourhood.

33 years of battling skin cancer with protection such as this has lead to a long and full lifetime.

This Friday, he'll have some skin-toned mitts.

And someday soon, there will be a pattern available.

You'll have warm and protected hands, and freedom of movement, too.

All proceeds will be donated to either the Canadian Cancer Society or the clinic which has been treating this lovely man for decades.

For more info about Mr. Christie, please check out my blog dated April 29

...and please remember to use sunscreen this summer.

It's Election Time

We hope you'll get out and vote on Monday. But if you aren't thrilled with your choices, maybe for the next election, we can put together our own party - The Knitting Party.

We'll teach everyone to knit, with no age, gender, race or religious discrimination ...because we are, of course, very liberal-minded.

Our choice of knitting patterns will be quite traditional. No knitted bikinis for us because we're just too conservative for that!

We'll promote the knitting of afghans as group projects so that we can work bloc by bloc.

Our stance on the environment will be green, of course: knit a sweater, hat and scarf and turn the heat down low!

We'll be big into charity knitting so that we can share with those less fortunate than ourselves. We might even put all of our New yarns into one giant stash to be shared Democratically amongst everyone. Oh wait ...that might lead to a proroguing of parliament.

With everybody focussed on working and knitting together, our country could be a warmer, "nicer" place. Hey, I really think that this giant coalition could work. Anybody want to throw their (knitted) hat into the ring?

Sentimental

A young gentleman of 93 years walked into our shop this week ...and we were all enchanted.

His wife, Helen, had passed away 6 years ago and he was in need of some new gloves. She had designed and knit them specially for him to protect his hands from the sun because he has been battling skin cancer since 1978. The gloves cover the backs of his hands but leave the palms and fingers bare. What a great design - they feel wonderful while working with your hands.

Andy (remember that he is 93) rides a bike at the velodrome in London every week. An avid golfer, he also cleans up used top quality golf balls to sell for $5.00 a bag - all proceeds go to the clinic where he is treated. If you'd like to support this cause ...or need some golf balls, we'd love to put you in touch with Andy.

The more I talk to Andy, the more connections I discover: both he and my Dad were career Air Force (RCAF) and were stationed in many of the same places, but always at different times. Andy worked in maintenance and my Dad was a sheet metal worker. 5 years apart in age, they were both sent to this area from Toronto. Both were of Scottish heritage: my Dad from Edinburgh and Andy's family from just north in Dunedin. And this morning, I realized why his last name was so familiar to me - it is the same as my great-grandmother's. Hey! Maybe we are related!
Andy will definitely have his new gloves next week.

An Interview ...with me :)

In case you missed it, I did an interview with Torontonian, Robin Hunter, on her blog, "How to Become a Professional Knitter". Although usually she interviews designers (always quite interesting), this one is about how Little Red Mitten came to be.

How to spend a Saturday

In 5 short hours, these three happy ladies learned how to knit a top-down sock. We didn't have to worry about tiny needles and fine yarn - we just cast on with our 3.5 dpns and created these adorable, though slightly unwearable, mini-socks.

Normally, we offer a 6-hour sock class over 3 weeks, but today it was great fun to go from top to toe with no worries about completing the sock to a certain point for the next class. All questions were asked, answered and solved on the spot ...and no terrifying feats of heel turning had to be completed unsupervised.

With "Sock Science" in hand, they are well-prepared to complete their first pair of wonderful hand-knit socks. Welcome to the world of sock knitting, ladies!

Weeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

It's vacation time. Houston - here we come!!!

It goes without saying that when you go on holiday to visit your son, he and his gal will be the highlight of the trip. But when I remembered that I had 2 straight hours of knitting time just to get to the airport, I was positively gleeful!

Packing clothes from two seasons ago was not that good a feeling, if you know what I mean ...but packing my entertainment was a whole nuther story. I would not be sitting idle ...like my husband, who forgot to pack so much as a book for his own free time.

The packing was worth the effort. On the plane, I did whatever I felt like doing. I bounced between two knitting projects, planned a third, read some of Brave New Knits, listened to a knitting podcast and watched a downloaded Lucy Neatby DVD. Phew! My day couldn't have been better.

And the good times continued. We visited two of my son's favourite spots: The Chocolate Bar,"Where every hour is happy hour," and The Maple Leaf Pub, with 3 or 4 hockey games playing simultaneously (okay ...we could have skipped the hockey, for once). And the part that will really make me smile, when I go out this morning, my coat will be staying in the closet.

Alive and Well

Two and a half years ago, people began to wonder about me.

I had a big idea. I was going to open a yarn shop and we had purchased a building in need of some serious loving care.

After I spent time talking with my hairdresser, who owns the building next to the Mitten, he, of course, spread the word to many of his curious customers. What was going on next door? What kind of business would it be? Another tea room, perhaps, maybe with Boston Cream Pie? This is what people really want, after all. The idea of a yarn shop had most of them shaking their newly coiffed heads in disbelief. After all, nobody knits anymore, do they???

I'd like to reassure all of them that people really do knit ...big time ...and it is not a dying art practiced only by aged women in rocking chairs. Our recent Friday night knitting groups will attest to this.

It included: two husbands, one child, young women in their 20's and 30's (who sometimes outnumber those over 50) and women who are there to visit with friends, share stories, give comfort and advice and simply care about each other.

Knitting and fibre arts are alive and growing,

...but Boston Cream Pie would have been nice, too!

Continuing the Tradition

The "string revolution" changed history.

When mankind learned how to take fibres and make them strong by twisting and plying, civilization took a turn for the better. With string, we could tether animals, make nets to snare a meal, tie things together to make rafts or huts or tools, and, of course, weave fabric to warm and decorate our bodies. So important were these techniques, that the survival rate of babies and children improved once 'string skills' had been discovered.

Back to the present: learning how we can turn yarns and fibres into useful items

was the goal for our 3 mornings of fibre fun.

These important skills have been passed on for centuries, even millenia.

Such creativity is rewarding, challenging ...

and sometimes, full of surprises!!!

But with young minds, anything is possible and clever uses can be found.