Currently teaching about a dozen 9-11 year olds to knit, and have repeated the knit-stitch rhyme about a million times. I always tell them that once they know knit and purl stitch, everything else is just a variation on those two. . .so I wrote a two-chord song for the two stitches! (Em7 and Dm7, but using different inversions and textures throughout the song)
v. 1
In through the front door, once 'round the back,
Peek through the window, and off jumps Jack.
That's the rhyme for knit stitch, the first of two
Stitches that you need to be a knitter too!
Chorus:
Knit and purl, knit and purl
Use your sticks and string to warm a chilly world
Purl and knit, purl and knit
You'll be glad you learned, once you get the hang of it
v. 2
Under the fence to catch the sheep,
Back we come, and off we leap.
That's the rhyme for purl stitch, and now you know
The two you need to be a knitter--let's go! (CHORUS)
v. 3
Hats for chemo patients, scarves for chilly days
Little tiny baby socks to celebrate!
Just a few of the ways that we use our knits and purls
To reach out to someone, and make a better world...with our (CHORUS)
Bridge:
Now it's true that there are more ways
to use your sticks and string:
Lace, bobbles, entrelac, and cabling
But they're all variations of the
Stitches that you know,
So gather up your needles and off you go...with a (CHORUS)
@infilktion Feb 2022
I'm finding the chorus to be most compelling. What's also great about it is that the chorus is almost meta to the world in general. At least it strikes me that way.
@annaharp1 Feb 2022
This is lovely. Nice to hear a fellow harpist on here
@readerwriterpoet Feb 2022
one of my favorite things is finding a chord progression that's simple, but still interesting and compelling enough to suck you in and keep you engaged, and that's exactly what you did here! every musical choice you made in this works together perfectly to create such a lovely and fun teaching singalong! :) please save this song so that if i ever pick up knitting, you can send it to me to listen to. <3
@wylddandelyon Feb 2022
Oh this is so much more fun than I ever found knitting! (I do embroidery and applique and other fabric arts.) I love the line "use your sticks and string to warm a chilly world".
@andread Feb 2022
This song is absolutely charming. The words and tune made me smile as I was cooking dinner. Thank you Jen!
@jendistad Feb 2022
What a delightful, relaxing song. I don't know about you, but when I'm learning something new, I get tense. This easy-going melody helps balance against that quite nicely. I think I might need to pull my needles and yarn out again (I don't think I've done any knitting since I broke my wrist several years ago)!
@rwhosings Feb 2022
When I learned to knit from my Oma (paternal grandmother), she taught me these rhymes in Dutch! I don't know if I remember the purl one anymore, but I do remember the knit one!
The bridge gives me so much delight as someone who can never follow a pattern completely, but always has to change something about it.
So fun!
@alyxanderjames Feb 2022
As a knitter myself, I love this!!