Knitting

I first learned how to knit when I was 9... or 10... maybe 12.  I'm sure my mom would be able to tell me.  Is anyone else's mom their forever reference for childhood facts?  My mom has kept a daily diary since she was a child, so she has documented so many dates and memories none of us would ever be able to recall.  Whenever we have a debate within the family on how an event when down, or when we did what, the family joke is always to "consult the diaries!"

Moving on.  I learned to knit when I was younger, and my mom taught me.  I remember her patiently showing me how to do a long tail cast on.  I cast on probably hundreds of stitches until we were satisfied I had the hang of it.  Then she taught me how to knit, turn and knit back in garter stitch.  I think we got as far as stockinette stitch, increasing, and decreasing before I declared that I was going to make myself a blanket!

I cast on as many stitches as I could fit onto size 16 needles and kept going through almost all of the balls my mom had stashed over the years.  It ended up being a strange rainbow of reds, whites, off-whites, and browns.  It was only about 2 feet long when I thought it was plenty wide enough to be a blanket.  My mom showed me how to bind off the first few dozen stitches, and off I went to finish my blanket.  Binding off took forever.  I had cast on more stitches than I thought.  In the end, my FO was two feet wide and over twelve feet long!  It would probably qualify more as a wrap than a blanket, but whatever you call it, it was useless and ugly!

I lost interest after that awful blanket, dabbled in learning a bit of crochet, and then didn't craft much after that for a long time.  Around that same time, my mom who has always been a sewer learned how to quilt, and that became her favorite crafting hobby of choice.  For years her knitting needles and stashed yarn stayed tucked away in the craft room closet.

I grew up and went away to college.  Somewhere in some girly magazine I was reading about fun and random ways to burn more calories.  (One suggestion I will never forget was to squat above the toilet while using the bathroom throughout the day rather than sitting.  I'd rather do squats at a different time thank you very much!)  One activity that surprisingly burns 100 calories per hour was sitting and knitting.

Burning extra calories while sitting on my butt watching a movie AND getting a comfy scarf out of it?  Chya!  I was in!  The next day I went to the craft store of my college town, bought some knitting needles and hot pink yarn, and got to work.  Surprisingly, I remembered how to cast on and to knit in garter stitch.  This time, my scarf was the appropriate dimensions for the object it was meant to be.

After that first scarf, I had the great idea to knit all of my friends and family Christmas presents, because acrylic yarn was cheap and I was a poor college kid, extra calories could be burned, and I realized how much more fun knitting was when your project came out the way it was supposed to.

Over the years, this craft has become less of a hobby and more of who I am.  (I've even named my Fantasy Football team "Football and Knitting Needles" for heaven's sake!)  I've collected needles and yarn... LOTS of yarn, and have enjoyed learning new skills and techniques.  My awesome family has been so patient throughout the years with my gift-giving, and hopefully they can say that I've improved and am making FO's that they enjoy and use.

Find me on Ravelry here.