Yet you believe in your secret heart that your niece–who is exceptional in so many other respects–will be different.
But human nature will out.
The day does come. And though you swore you would not suffer it gladly, after the briefest hesitation you straighten your back, pull out your sketch book, marshall your knitting needles, and start swatching with the excruciatingly pink 220 Sport that has suddenly, as though by magic, arrived in the mail from Cascade.
How did they know? Because everyone knows. Even you knew, though you tried to deny it.
Oh, well. Amor vincit omnia.
More to come.
ooooh, purple flowers on pink. Every girl's fave. You are one good unkie.
ReplyDeleteIt's a stage; she'll outgrow it just as she'll outgrow My Little Pony and fruit loops.
ReplyDeleteWith my niece, step 12 was learning to say, "whatever".
ReplyDeleteAW, has she reached the pinkandpurple milestone already? How cute! Don't forget the sparkles!
ReplyDelete(insert evil cackle here)
And it better come with a princess tiara and a pony, Mister!
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't sound so bad. It'd be bad if *you* had to wear it.
ReplyDeleteHow cute! She knows how to get what she wants.
ReplyDeleteAnd, what a contrast in topics between this post and the last one! The juxtaposition is priceless!
Have you experienced the full brunt of her fashion sense? The refusal to wear things that because she doesn't like how they look? My oldest fashion diva was there before she could talk. When you held up clothes in the store she would nod yes or no and shove the stuff she didn't like away from her if you ignored her. And the absolute worst was her declaration at about age 4 that all handknit wear itched.
ReplyDeleteAs a non-pink loving mother to a pink loving daughter, you are my hero.
ReplyDeleteAbigail is sure lucky to have you. :) Can't wait to see her PINK! and PURPLE! FO.
It happens to us aunties as well Franklin. I've also been called upon to make hats and scarves too. Just relax and enjoy it! You know you will. ;o)
ReplyDeleteHad to get my son to translate that Latin for me...
ReplyDeleteI can relate... my niece asked me for an entrelac blanket in 3 shades of pink! (She got it, too.)
ReplyDeleteI say you got off easy. Those little kiddos can have amazing...um, taste? :)
ReplyDeleteaaawwww
ReplyDeleteyou know that if she asked for Barbie in a pink cape riding a sparkly unicorn, you'd figure out a way to knit it...because you're that uncle.
my 26-year old weight-lifting hairy-legged daughter who graduated from Smith, and who just completed the Chicago triathlon today....yeah. she asked for pink socks earlier this year.
ReplyDeleteshe swears she wears them "ironically." :)
Oh, see, mine asks for "ha-pink" (Translation: Hot pink)
ReplyDeleteToo bad for her...
I'm knitting her Christmas present in red.
It's a phase and you will survive it. I knitted the pink poncho also, and now DD (age 11) won't even look at pink.
ReplyDeleteyou are a good man and a better uncle, Franklin. My daughter wore purple for three years .. spandex, no less.
ReplyDeleteIt's really best that they get through it before puberty .
ReplyDeleteBe strong!
Its a sing-along: "Its Only Just Begun..."
ReplyDeletePurple and Pink, the favorite of little girls. Maybe she will grow out of it? Good luck.
ReplyDeleteIt could be worse.....she could have asked for Fun Fur! "SHUDDER"! Or even worse than that....SPARKLY FUN FUR!!!
ReplyDeleteAwww...I wish I'd had an uncle like you :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see the poncho-in-progress! Pink with purple flowers is so-o-o princess. If you can figure out how to insert a pony or a unicorn you will be a mega-cool-uncle.
ReplyDeleteNot being good uncle material, do they tell you in Uncle School about the possibility of Gothic Backlash in a later developmental stage? This is where pink and purple is replaced by BLACK. And maybe some purple, but mostly BLACK.
Ooh, apparently I'm lucky. My nieces just run around screaming, "More socks, Auntie!" And since my favourite colours are pink and purple, this is not a hardship.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter, who is also named Abigail, has been in the pink (and purple) stage for about 3 years now. I pray every day that she grows out of it. You're a good uncle to cater to her little girl whims.
ReplyDeleteYou missed one step:
ReplyDeleteBeginning whining.
It's a sad day in every parent's life.
Could be worse. She could look at your socks (knit from Opal that was discontinued before her birth) & say, "You know the yarn in those socks has all my favorite colors in it." This shortly after you've promised to knit her socks & asked her what color. Fortunately, I was able to find a couple of lonely balls in an online shop on Vancouver Island. Hopefully, she will be as happy with her birthday socks as I expect. I've found my grands to be the most appreciative recipients of my hand knits of anyone I've ever knit for.
ReplyDeletePink and purple I can handle, it is the poncho part I am having issue with. Although I suppose a little turtleneck, with some cabling. She can probably pull it off.
ReplyDeleteI made my middle child a poncho, pink and green with fun fur held in for some rows. She wore it a few times, then said it was too warm.
At least she didn't ask for fun fur!
ReplyDeleteYou'll like it so much that you're gonna make a matching one for yourself!
ReplyDeleteMemories! All there. The pink. The black (and gray and navy years)the twenties when it was "Mom, I don't DO pink." Now it's the early thirties when some pink has finally entered the wardrobe along with bright red (incl. a great pair of red w/ white polka dot HIGH heels). There's even a pink and gray tweed suit in her professional wardrobe! Hang on! It's a bumpy ride!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the world of Little Girls!! If said poncho had a hood on it OR a matching hat, your niece will be over the moon.
ReplyDeleteLibby
Just wait until she asks for Flip-Flop Socks - oh, those 5 year old tiny big toes! In pink, of course! With reinforcement on the inside of the toe areas. Set aside a lot of time for that project.
ReplyDeleteI apologise for using 'lol' in your comments. But that is what I did. Yes, nieces are like that aren't they. Our family has issues with pink so I'm sending this to my daughter who will feel for you too.
ReplyDeleteIt happens to mother's too. Just when i had fully embraced her pink fetish and even sewed on heart and star shaped buttons, she decided actually her favorite color was blue. Thank god.
ReplyDeletemy poncho was Purple with long fringe that flew in the air when I twirled around and my mother knit it -- I still love her for that. You'll be a HERO!
ReplyDeleteI'd give anything! I have 2 nephews who - except for the Harry Potter scarves (which were a HUGE hit) have no interest in knitted garments. Pout!
ReplyDeleteI did teach the older one to knit, to his father's horror (see if he ever says well one could stay with your sister for the week, again).
Fairy Tale Knits - there's a pattern for a princess crown you could make to match!
ReplyDeleteYup. Which is why I sewed and hand-quilted two horse-themed quilts in purple, pink, turquoise, and ... wait for it ... orange. I call them the Girly Horse quilts. Happily, my nieces love them so much the quilts are bound to wear out some day when their tastes might be more, well, tasteful.
ReplyDeleteI know we can all rest easily knowing that if an elegant, stylish pink poncho can possibly be knit, you are the man for the job.
ReplyDeleteAnd if it cannot be elegant and stylish, at least it won't be acrylic.
My own Amazing Abigail, the Wonder Neice, has thankfully passed thru this stage already. Her poncho was crocheted, in a variegated pink-lavender-lilac from *gasp* Red Heart. She still wears it! But would very much like a pirate hat for Talk Like A Pirate Day, with a big purple plume, thank you.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it with little girls and pink? It must be genetic. My twin niece and nephew just turned 6, and she is all about the pink and purple and ponies. He's into trucks and Spiderman, even though they were raised sharing toys. I just don't get it.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't inevitable. I liked blue (and still do) growing up and there are virtually no pictures of me in pink.
ReplyDeleteI'm also with Sally. You aren't wearing it, which makes it 100% better, right?
I made the Auntie version. Two of them, one for the niece, one for the hairstylist's daughter. Niece wouldn't wear it because it "didn't have sleeves". The hairstylist couldn't get the poncho off of her daughter. That's what happens when you don't wait for the request.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I had a hand-crocheted purple poncho with fringe on it in 1970. So my niece wanted one and I obliged - and yes it was made from variegated Fun Fur, had fringe, and contained, as my brother put it, "all the Barbie colors." What a hit!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, the pink & purple phase! My older granddaughter (5) has moved past to loving "aqua", I suspect because she enjoys saying the word. Younger granddaughter is still very pink. My own daughter insisted on pink...dresses. This at a time when she was always falling & scraping her knees, & I desperately wanted her in overalls.
ReplyDeleteBoys have a similar "thing", by the way: fascination with guns. My son at 18 months of age, never having seen a gun anywhere at all in his short life, came out of his first hour of gun-free daycare pointing his first 2 fingers and shouting, "Pow!"
You are a terrific uncle. She is a lucky girl!
When my nephew P was 8 he asked for something made of fun fur. (That never came up in Aunt School.) Funny. I never came up with the right pattern...
ReplyDeleteThen he and his brother asked me for Nascar socks (I sang opera and bake a lot of cookies). They got their socks. I had to write patterns for two very different sizes. And it had to be a mix of intarsia and FI. Good thing I love them.
Now, at almost 13, he's only interested in the mathematic properties of knitting. :-(
Oof, the things you do for love!
ReplyDeletefunny! btw, didn't know cascade now does 220 wool in sport weight. =D My friend's daughter (only "baby" in my life at the moment) is just learning to imitate talking sound. =)
ReplyDeleteOh, been there. Except for me, it was multicolored Lion Jiffy with hot pink Fun Fur trim. *shudders* Totally worth it in the end though, because my then 5 yo niece loved it so much. She wanted to sleep in the thing. And now she's older and has much better taste, and loves every single thing I make her (that's not hideous!). So, totally worth it in the end.
ReplyDeleteWhat is sad about the passing of my youngest niece's pink/purple stage is that it also ended the "will you make me.." phase.
ReplyDeleteAs for the fun fur, she'd love it, especially the sparkly kind, and then really love the uncle even more. Just sayin. If you are in need, I believe I have some in stash from the neighbor girl's pink stage.
Remember: what doesn't kill you...
My niece wanted a purple chenille with beaded fringe poncho. At least it didn't have flowers and went pretty quickly. As compensation I had the pleasure of teaching her to knit.
ReplyDeleteFor my niece, I made an Icelandic wool cardigan in pink and purple (who knew Icelandic sheep came in those colors?).
ReplyDeleteMy 13-year-old daughter just started high school this morning. She still loves pink, although the purple accessorizing of the pink items has long since ceased. It's more that pink is used to accessorize otherwise boring items. For example, her graphing calculator has a pink clip-on casing and she decorated her laptop case with green and pink duct tape. Yes, duct tape.
You will supply the pattern when you're done, right? Because I've got a new little granddaughter who is going to want one of those, eventually.
ReplyDelete(sigh)
You're a good uncle....
As the mother of four sons, the thought of getting to knit something pink fills me with awe and envy.
ReplyDeleteAll little girls, it seems, will at some point want to wear only pink or only lavender/purple. The good news about about your niece choosing pink is that it is a more stable color to photograph (but of course, this is probably not so much of an issue for you...)
ReplyDeleteyeah, you are gonna be in a purple and pink stage for a while! HA! HA!
ReplyDeleteI cackling wildly because almost the exact same thing happened to me recently (only she chose an insipid carnation pink). Time to put on our Big Knitter pants make it work ;)
ReplyDeleteYou're a great uncle and your niece will love you forever for this.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to see you are able to Uncle Up. Just be happy this isn't the "HOMEMADE! ewww" stage.
ReplyDeleteThat is what Debbie Bliss yarn and patterns are for - another tip for Uncles! MX
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see what you consider "excruciating" pink!
ReplyDeleteDouble that yarn, knit it on size 15 needles and get it the heck outta there! Pink is just ew.
ReplyDeleteI've got a granddaughter with a pink and purple bedroom. It nauseates me. I can only hope for some sort of paint-related accident ...perhaps in blues....
Wait a minute. I've worked hard to shelter her from ponchos and fringe. What's going on here? (The pink and the purple I can do nothing about. That stuff is everywhere--outside of our house!)
ReplyDeleteLittle girls and the colors of purple and pink, why is that I wonder. Most little girls seem to go thru that state though, you can see them on the streets somedays, all purple and pink - sometimes with sunglasses.
ReplyDeletesweet
ReplyDeleteMy daughter loved purple when she was little as well, must be programmed, she also did nt like the boys toys I bought for her either!
My Granddaughter is now 12 and it's all about HOT pink and black. Her room is still Hot pink and purple " not lavendar, Grandma, purple. The real color..." Congratulations on letting her be who she is!
ReplyDeleteMa7sha
I made a pink poncho for the small one next door, no fringe, no flowers, but a variegated yarn from a grab bag. She loved it and it was very easy for her parents to stuff it over her head on the way out the door. I can look up the pattern for you if you want.
ReplyDeleteand you will love knitting it for your ENA because inside unka fwank is another exceptional child who might also love pink and purple!
ReplyDeletepix please when finished so we can see how big ENA has gotten in the past year!
Oh yes, all my thoughts of not doing pink with the daughter were dashed the minute she was born - she seems to dream, live and exist only in pink and purple :) 4 year olds - you have to love them!
ReplyDeleteAhh the things we do for love:) Purple and pink are the universal colors for little girls of a certain age. Horses and unicorns are next---look out.
ReplyDeleteLove it!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, that sounds about right. Except that mine has jumped the 'make me a...' stage and gone right to the 'show me how to make...' stage. She's 3 1/2.
ReplyDeleteYou have justs started. Here is another progression:
ReplyDelete1.I want a pink and purple poncho, please make me one
2.I will wear anything as long as it is green
3. I will not wear beads, ribbons, ruffles, lace, sequins, or any other decoration, it has to be pretty and black and not like anything anyone else will be wearing but I won't try on the size 0 on the clearance rack at Banana Republic because the dressing rooms scare me
4. It has to be pink and strapless and have a crinoline, did I say bright pink? really bright, and sparkly.
5. Two teachers asked me where I got my outfit and one stopped me in the hall and measured the skirt length twice, do you think I should wear this outfit to school again?
6. When are you going to start knitting my hat? The purple yarn in your sewing room is really cool and the things you make are warmer and better looking than anything in the store.
One of my regrets in life is that I did not keep the poncho my mother made me when I was about 7. It was red, white, and blue -- granny squares -- and yes, it did indeed have fringe. Just think of the pink and purple poncho as making memories, it'll ease the pain of the bright pink yarn.
ReplyDeleteFranklin, enjoy this stage while it lasts. Most of my nieces and nephews are young adults and it seems they grew up just TOO fast.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, nieces (and nephews) have a way of making knitters eat their words. Only love makes it bearable. :)
ReplyDeleteI believe psychologists call this stage of female child development "barbie-itis", characterised by a life over populated by all things pink and girly!
ReplyDeleteBut,as it is a developmental stage, it will pass...then you get lilac, then the joys of teenage nihilism...enjoy the pink!
I'm currently working on a small quilt for my niece in lime green and purple. The purple will be a peace sign. She just turned 10. See what you have to look forward to? ;)
ReplyDeleteYup - my daughter held out until it could be pink and turquoise striped. Think miters...
ReplyDeleteMaybe Delores can offer up a few design suggestions? I'd trust her take on this.
ReplyDeleteMy grandaughter lives in a world of pink. There is no point in me even trying to knit something is some color other than Pink. Although I'm dreading the day she wants everything in Black even more than I dread the acrylic pink with sparkles.
ReplyDeleteI've been making pink hats for my niece for years now...I just can't wait (or maybe it's hoping in vain) that she goes all goth when she hits the double digits (she's 7 now...).
ReplyDeleteIt's not so bad. Remember that class you took with Brandon Mably? Channel your inner Brandon (or your inner Kaffe), and make pink, purple, and white sophisticated and gorgeous. If anyone can do it, you can.
ReplyDeleteAnd on a purely technical note, check out the "knotted cast on" in the back of Alice Starmore's Fisherman's Knits. It makes a firm edge with built-in openings PERFECT for adding great, substantial fringe, without distorting the edge of the fabric.
Give Abigail another heirloom!
somehwere down the line in the development time line: "Rolls eyes at anyone older than 25 when said person speaks."
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, you will look back on this as the "good times". Before you know it, she will be wearing nothing but black and wanting to pierce her eyebrow.
ReplyDeleteMine got the poncho in stitch 'n bitch by Debbie Stoller, but in three shades of pink. Check out the pink angora scarf I designed and made for the same niece, but kept for myself, in Stitch 'n Bitch Nation!!!! It happens to all aunts and uncles. I'm guessing, though, that you won't be deciding to keep the poncho for yourself....
ReplyDeleteThere is so much they don't mention in Uncle School...
ReplyDeleteMMario
At least she didn't ask for anything in "fun fur"! You are an incredible Uncle!
ReplyDeleteWell, she's still small, right? So hopefully it'll be over quickly?
ReplyDeleteI have no nieces or nephews so please excuse my envy over the request.
ReplyDeletesparkles. glitter. jewels (I wish I could begin to spell the reverent intonation with which my 5 yr old breathes that word). Throw in a row of metallic yarn...maybe a leetle eyelash. she'll be the envy of the PreK crowd.
ReplyDeleteDude. It gets worse. Wait until she is 16 and starts talking about her boyfriend (and I mean talking, ahem).
ReplyDeleteP.S. I knit a cape in 3 days for a niece that wanted to be Christine from Phantom of the Opera of Halloween. It was epic.
The poncho I recently finished is red, orange, pink and purple .... plus some black and white thrown in.
ReplyDeleteI hope my niece doesn't hear about the flower option.
Lisa in Toronto
You are being a good uncle in the face of extreme provocation not to be.
ReplyDeleteyou mean she didn't specify a Latin text to be knitted in around the edges? :-o
ReplyDeleteWhen she's seven, she'll want a pink tutu. We all did. I think it was required by law.
ReplyDeleteStart drawing cartoons now explaining how knitted tutus defy laws of physics---at 7, she won't be able to grasp the laws of taste. Or start explaining the color wheel, and make a tutu in colors that coordinate with pink and purple but do NOT make you want to gouge your eyes out.
The pink stage will most likely pass all too soon. My niece, now all grown up at 11 recently declared she no longer wants pink. blue and green are the thing! BTW, they don't teach you much in the Old Maid's guide to being and Aunt either... like what in the heck do you get nephews for birthdays, holidays, etc.??? By the 4th one I started to figure it out :-J
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the club; the Club of Softies Who Will Knit Damn Near Anything For a Neice Club, that is. My neice loved the fraternal frankenknit socks I used to make for her from leftovers. She lives in Tucson and wore them with her sandals. When she started school, I was told she hated having to wear closed-toe shoes (school rules) because "they really cramp my style". Yes, even at age 5, she had a "style".
ReplyDeleteYou are a beautiful uncle!
ReplyDeleteI'm a little further along into Aunthood than you are into Unclehood, but let me tell you, all the pink ponchos are worth it when you discover that your sweet niece has a dark side.
ReplyDeleteMine, who is 4, loves to discuss what would happen to one's person were it to fall out of, say, your window on the third floor.
I've made her a number of cutesy-pie things, but no amount of pink will mask a true goth-girl.
I wanna see a picture!
ReplyDeletemargieinmaryland
At the age of 50, my sister, who totally terroized me into believe I would be a little ninny all my days if I ever had anything to do with that color, recently told me that she had "come to terms with the color pink". What is it about pink that makes everyone so crazy?
ReplyDeleteIt happens to aunties, too! Ask me how I know.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Beth
IDontKnit-TilNow
LOL! Wonderful post. I am about to have a niece soon (or a nephew, we have not found out yet). I cannot wait for human nature to catch up!
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