2020 - Companions and Creators 

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The month of January is often dreary, with bad weather restricting what can be done outside. At St. Michael’s N.S. Crimlin it is the perfect time to get creative with yarn of all colours.     

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All of the children from 2nd Class to 6th have learned the basics of knitting: holding two needles, gripping yarn with little finger, inserting the needle in the stitch on the other needle at the same time, getting the yarn around the right needle without dropping anything, using the left index finger to push the newly-created stitch off the left needle, and then repeating the whole process for the next stitch.

 

This is excellent training for developing nimble hands, which will be very useful to the children in every area of life from knotting a tie to soldering electronic components onto a circuit board. 

 

The children started with two knitted rectangles, which they formed into a cross and mounted on a cardboard frame, to be ready in time for St. Brigid’s Day. Then they moved on to using the rectangle in different colours to create Mayo wristbands, headbands and patchwork squares for a blanket.

 

Working at a craft like knitting is absorbing and encourages easy neighbourly chats with people sitting side by side, which adds to the enjoyment. 

 

Cniotáil is Comhrá

 

Ní bhíonn an aimsir ró-chineálta i Mí Eanáir, de ghnáth. Deas bheith istigh ag díriú ar obair chruthaitheach. Anseo i Scoil Náisiúnta San Micheál Cromghlinn, bíonn cniotáil ar siúl againn agus gach uile dath againn mar shnáth.    

   

Tá bunphrionsabail cniotála ar eolas ag gach dalta ó Rang a Dó ar aghaidh: Conas an dá bhiorán a choinneáil agus an snáth faoi smacht ag an mhéar bheag; conas an biorán a chur isteach san chéad lúb eile agus an snáth a lúbadh air; conas úsáid a bhaint as an mhéar thosaigh chun lúb nua-dhéanta a bhaint den bhiorán - agus an rud go léir a dhéanamh arís.        

 

Is oiliuint den scoth í seo, a réitíonn an bóthar don deaslámhacht, rud a bheidh úsáideach ag na páistí mar dhaoine fásta. Seans go mbeidh na gasúir seo againne ag cur snaidhm ar charbhat, nó fiú ag sádráil comhpháirteanna leictreonacha le clár ciorcad, mar daoine fásta san saol atá rompu.   

 

An chéad rud a rinne na páistí ná dhá chearnóg glasa. Chuir siad le chéile iad i bhfoirm croise. Tá  crosa leagtha ar chártaí acu anois, mar cheiliúradh Fhéile Bríde. An méid sin déanta, lean na daltaí ar aghaidh ag cniotáil go dtí go raibh rostbhandaí Mhaigh Eo, ceannbhandaí faiseanta, blaincéad bábóige agus scaifeanna déanta acu.

 

Bíonn na páistí an-togtha leis an obair a bhfuil idir lámha acu agus is minic a thosaíonn an comhrá réidh eatarthu.