Chapter 28
And so, my first knitting class began. Now that I knew Dante was a student with some interest, of course, I felt fully motivated too. I cheerfully asked the two of them:
“Do you happen to know anything about knitting?”
There was no reply. I had anticipated this. After all, they didn’t even know much about embroidery, one of the more common types of needlework, so it made sense that they wouldn’t know knitting.
“Neither of you knows, huh? Then shall we start from the very basics?”
I handed them the yarn and knitting needles and began explaining energetically. Rowan, who had been making a face like he’d just been hit while in the carriage, whispered to Dante:
“Um, Your Excellency… why do we have to do this? Isn’t just watching her enough?”
Dante found the end of the yarn in the round skein and replied:
“Just move your hands quietly.”
“…Your Excellency, are you sure you’re not sick? You wouldn’t come all drenched if you didn’t like water.”
“Shut your mouth.”
“….”
Rowan pouted at Dante’s curt reply, but still obediently held onto the needles and yarn.
Alright, now everyone is ready to study. I cheerfully began my explanation:
“The easiest thing is to keep knitting flat, row after row. Just repeating it blindly would be boring, so let’s try making a scarf. Once you learn the basics, everything else will be easier.”
If they could make something tangible and use it, they might be motivated to continue knitting.
I didn’t expect Rowan or Dante, who were both busy, to take to needlework and continue persistently. But I thought that at least experiencing making a single piece could someday be helpful for them.
With that thought, I decided to teach them the absolute basics without forgetting the essentials. And the most fundamental part of knitting was making stitches and forming rows.
“First, hold the yarn in your left hand and the knitting needle in your right. Then loop the yarn onto the needle, pull it tight, and it will catch around the needle like this.”
Of course, it wasn’t easy from the start.
Even after making just one stitch, Rowan raised his hand, looking completely confused.
“I don’t really get it, teacher.”
“….”
I nearly sighed but swallowed it. Trying to recall how I learned it initially didn’t help at all. Strangely, once I held a needle, knitting became as natural as breathing—just like anyone could write if they knew how to hold a pencil.
“Wait, let’s start over from the beginning.”
Right, not everyone finds it easy. Everyone had seemed indifferent when I did knitting or embroidery, so I’d assumed anyone could do it with enough time.
I held Rowan’s hand and taught him closely how to wrap the yarn. As he pulled the yarn tight, a small round loop caught onto the knitting needle.
“This is called one stitch.”
“One stitch.”
“Repeat this stitch by stitch until you reach the width you want for your scarf—that forms one row.”
“One row.”
Rowan struggled slightly but managed to knit ten stitches. When he realized ten stitches weren’t very thick, he rounded his lips in surprise.
“So, to make a whole scarf, I’d have to stack an enormous number of stitches and rows?”
“Not enormous, maybe about three skeins of yarn?”
“Ugh.”
After only ten stitches, Rowan declared defeat:
“I can’t do this. I won’t do it. I’ll just buy one.”
I soothed him in a calm voice. Needlework is tough at first, but once you start, it’s easy to get hooked.
“Things you make yourself feel completely different from the ones you buy. Because they carry your effort and care.”
“Still….”
“And knitting also clears your mind while you do it. Repetitive work usually refreshes your head and relieves stress, right? So it’s good to at least know how to do it.”
“…Alright, I’ll just learn the very basics. Only the basics.”
“Good. That’s perfect.”
Rowan nodded at my persistent persuasion. I smiled warmly, encouraging him.
“Keep making stitches like this. Adjust the length for your neck. Narrow is charming in its way, wide is charming in its own way too.”
Rowan smiled brightly at my words.
“Oh, now that I think about it, I remember the melancholy baron wearing a tie like this before.”
“Yes, knitted ties look stylish too. That baron seems quite fashionable.”
Though… is his name Melancholy or is it a nickname? Either way, it’s an extreme label.
“I think I’m starting to get the hang of it.”
With that, Rowan knitted diligently. I showed him how to move to the second row and watched him with a proud smile.
While struggling with the second row, Rowan sighed and got distracted. Then he pointed to Pepe, sitting like a real person, and asked:
“Is that doll knitted too?”
Our Pepe is pretty cute. I smiled gently.
“Knitted dolls are usually made with a crochet hook, not knitting needles. Want to try that too?”
I felt very pleased that she was showing interest in knitting. Seeing my enthusiasm, Rowan straightened his face and drew the line.
“No, I’ll just be curious. What else have you made? What kinds of knitted dolls can you make?”
“I can probably make most animals I see in books—chicks, raccoons, whales, ducks, chickens.”
“Mostly birds?”
“They’re cute.”
Attaching small arms and legs is fun, but round, legless forms are undeniably cuter and fluffier.
As a merchant, Rowan’s perspective was clearly different from mine. She examined Pepe carefully and said:
“I think these would sell well. Just imagining them lined up is adorable.”
I shrugged.
“Don’t stores already sell a lot of lace?”
“You can knit lace too?”
Rowan was so surprised she almost stood up, barely avoiding bumping her head on the ceiling. I blinked.
‘Is lace really that amazing?’
Honestly, making Pepe seems harder to me.
“Knitted dolls and lace are similar. The challenge is in the pattern; the technique is basically the same.”
“Wow, you have to supply our store someday. ‘Must’ supply it.”
Rowan whispered as if sharing a secret.
“Actually, lace is in high demand, but not many people can make it. It sells for a lot.”
Hearing that what I casually made sold for high prices was both surprising and a little pleasing.
‘I thought I’d have nothing to do once I left the Kline Count family… but that’s not true.’
Making lace alone could earn money. That was encouraging enough.
Rowan subtly set down her needles and held my hand.
“Then let’s make a supply contract…”
“Stop wasting time and make stitches.”
“Yes, yes, understood.”
Dante stopped Rowan from trying to make me produce lace. At Dante’s curt remark, Rowan replied half-heartedly, narrowing her eyes.
“So, Your Excellency, have you not made a single stitch yet?”
“Wait, I’ll show you.”
Distracted by Rowan, I hadn’t noticed what Dante was doing. I saw his large hand holding the yarn and needles. His hand was so big it blocked my path, drawing my face closer to his.
“You need to wrap it on your left hand and then insert the needle like this…”
As I spoke, I grabbed his fingers. His large body flinched like static had shocked him.
“Oh, sorry.”
“No.”
I thought to myself: even if I’m eager to help, grabbing a stranger’s hand like this…
‘I’ll have to be careful from now on.’
Perhaps because Dante reacted excessively, or because I realized it too late, my heart started pounding.
Anyway, as Rowan said, Dante had not made a single stitch. I taught him slowly and thoroughly.
Even after completing one row, problems arose. The second row puckered and wrinkled unevenly because his tension on the yarn wasn’t consistent.
“Don’t pull too tightly. Consistent tension is important.”
“….”
Dante’s brow furrowed deeply. Observing our lesson, Rowan stuck out her tongue and said:
“Your Excellency, you’re a failing student.”
“Shut up.”
