Day One- Why knitting?

My Grandmother taught me to knit when I was 14 years old while recovering from having my wisdom teeth removed. She gave me my first set of size 8 Boye metal knitting needles and an old learn how to knit book and beginner pattern booklet. My first project was a hat for my Spanish teacher's baby.  It was a purple bonnet made from yarn left over from a sweater my mother was making.  I don't even want to think about how many mistakes there were or even consider gauge. 

After that, I tried a sweater.  It took size 3 and 4 needles, and I wasn't that good of a knitter, nor did I have the speed or patience for small needles and big projects.  It was my first project to leave behind.  I was frustrated and gave up the needles for a couple of years. Then one day, I dug out the old pattern book, needles and learn to knit book and taught myself all over again.  I believe I knit a pair of mittens... But I don't remember.  It wasn't long after that that I started my next big project- a Lopi sweater, knit in the round with three colors.  I almost finished that one. =) I still have it, and it actually looks pretty good, though the stitches around the color changes are a little tight.  All that is needed to complete it is the button band, which is half done, and underarm kitchener stitches.  The one problem now is that it won't fit me any more: I was sixteen or seventeen when I began it and I have grown, nay, "developed" since then.

Then I went to college. In college, at the time, it was "not cool" to knit, so I didn't knit much. I only remember knitting a few items: a very long scarf in blue and white (University of Maine's school colors) for my then boyfriend, a stocking cap in blue and white, and a pair of blue mittens for him as well (I never actually saw him use or wear them.) Again I gave up knitting.

 I picked it up briefly in grad school, all the women seemed to be knitting something during class, and our professors didn't seem to mind. I tried to make some extra money by making and selling mittens without any luck.  It is also in grad school where I knit my first sock- I still have it; for some reason I never made its twin. *sigh* I still have the yarn and pattern, maybe I should work on that some time.

It wasn't until after grad school that I took up knitting again in earnest. My mother started a knitting group- Knit & Bitch- with friends from town and we all came together, helped each other, shared patterns and bitched about life.  I made myself a pair of felted slippers, and a pair of socks out of the KnitPicks self striping yarn- I made both this time. I also designed and made a pair of wrist warmers, and a few other things as well, including a baby hat and sweater set.

Now, things in my life have changed. I knit all the time, always small, quick, and easy projects. Friends buy the yarn and ask me to knit them stuff from it, and I do, and it is fun. And I love making hats, in the round, with my crazy eight pattern that I learned God knows where, God knows when.