Becoming a Knitter

I've been knitting for about 2½ years. I like it. My kids are in love with their blankets that I made, and my daughter still wears the hideously crooked homespun garter-stitch scarf that was the very first item I ever knitted. (Is it knitted? Or knit? Whatever.)

In 2006, I made a 2x2 ribbed scarf and a basic, fold-up brim hat for my grandma, using yarn that was god-knows-how-old from my mom's stash. My mom is a crocheter, and crocheting uses about 30% more yarn per project than knitting. My mom pretty much only makes afghans and baby blankets, so you can imagine the size of her "leftover" stash. Unfortunately, my mom loves her some bargain acrylic.

But I digress. For the first time in my adult life, my grandma thanked me for a gift, rather than figuring out a way to give it back to me! She has worn that silly little hat and scarf every winter since. Learning from that experience, I gave her knitted cotton dishcloths for Christmas last year.

So, I've been knitting along in spurts for the past 2+ years. I knit more in the winter, less in the summer. Acrylic/wool blended blankets are warm sitting on your lap in the summer while you knit!

Then, something happened.

I don't know exactly when or why, but I started reading blogs. Primarily blogs of people I "knew" from BabyCenter. A few people had more than one blog, even! Who knew?

I found myself at Kelly's blog and kept coming back. I stared at her pictures of socks. I assumed I'd never know how to do that--but how PRETTY!

Then I found myself out of town with a delayed flight and no book to read. Thinking of Kelly's blog, I googled and found a LYS, where I bought the yarn for my first pair of socks.

I've since finished a second pair of socks, and have found a LYS in my area. I've taken classes, and gone nearly broke buying "real" yarn. I realized that "sometimes you get what you pay for" and have been using quality fiber and quality tools.

Somewhere along the way, I became a Knitter. I no longer drive to work, because I can knit on the train. I bring my knitting bag everywhere I go. I knit while getting a pedicure, and skip the mani because I can't knit while my nails are drying.

I like being a Knitter. I'm finding it much more gratifying than being a knitter. I now seek out time to knit every day. It calms me, it centers me. I feel so proud of my ability to follow-through and complete a project--especially socks!