Bring on the socks!

So, I just joined Ravelry, and everyone else seemed to have a blog. If all the cool kids are doing it...



I like to knit. It's not my defining characteristic by any means, but it's something I like to talk about and without many people to talk to about it, I might as well tell the computer. I also like to take an occasional look back at all I've made and learned, and this seems a good way to go about it.



I learned to knit last Christmas. My sister-in-law inspired me to do so. She'd learned the Christmas before, and I clearly remember her with her fresh copy of Stitch n' Bitch and some yarn she'd bought at Walmart trying her darndest to get the hang of holding her yarn with decent tension. I don't know if she ever finished that scarf, but I do know she bought new yarn and started a new scarf after getting just a few inches done on her first. That's how she rolls, 10 projects going on at a time, and sometimes actually finishing one. This means that after a year, she'd gotten really, really good and had mastered all sorts of things like cables and fair isle. I was fascinated and just watched, wondering how a couple sticks and a ball of yarn could be manipulated into making such complex things, while all the while she kept telling me "it's so easy!" I decided the best way to satisfy my curiosity was to just learn for myself, so I asked her to show me and she was a wonderful teacher.



I started making a small garter stitch blanket for my cat out of lime green and turquoise acrylic, and bless my little furball, he loves it despite how horrid it looks.

I loved making it, though, especially as it grew and I could really feel it under my fingers. (I suppose any knitter would know what I mean by that.) I wish I could say that I've progressed like my SIL, but I don't have that kind of time on my hands as a SAHM to a toddler. But I do like trying new things and perfecting my techniques. (I really should work on how I hold my yarn, too, but I'm afraid I'll mess up whatever thing I'm working on if I do. I hold it really funny.)



As of now, it seems all I've been knitting lately are socks--hence the name (that and I'm a big Harry Potter dork fan.) I took a sock knitting class a few months ago because I wanted to learn how to make Christmas stockings. I'm almost done with my third stocking now! (All the pictures are on my ravelry account, so I don't feel like posting them all here.)