A knitting journey

 I've got quite a few finished projects laying around my house, patiently waiting to be shipped to their forever home.

I've got a few more projects in process, patiently waiting to be finished, washed, dried, and sent to their forever home.

This probably isn't a surprise to anyone reading these words.

I love to knit. I've loved to knit for a while.

I talk about yarn and needles and patterns more often than the people around me probably want to hear about those things.

There is yarn all over my house. I try to keep it limited to a few specific places, but sometimes, projects require me to spread things out.

I have bins of yarn waiting to be knit. A box of needles. Some of it I bought. Some of it was given to me. Some of it was handed down to me.

I love knitting.

I love all things to do with knitting.

The other day, someone asked me how my passion for knitting started. Okay, she really asked me how my obsession with knitting started, but passion sounds so much nicer to me!

I started knitting in 2003. Just over ten years ago.

Our friends had just announced they were newly pregnant and for whatever reason, I had it stuck in my head that I NEEDED to knit them booties for their baby. That was it though. I set out to knit some booties and then move on to the next thing in my life.

So I went on-line and looked for a pattern.

Yes, you could search the internet for patterns back then, but there weren't as many as there are today. I wasn't really sure, but a friend, sent me a link to a pattern she had used and loved. The pictures looked cute. So I decided that's what I would make.

Then I searched for how to knit. Again, there were some sites. Many were just written directions - no pictures, no videos.

I went to the library and checked out some books.

I went to the local craft store and bought yarn and needles.

With lots of enthusiasm, I sat down and knit one day.

It looked like crap.
No, really it did.

My oldest daughter was 3 at the time. I got so frustrated with the knitting, that I put it down and walked away. When my husband came home he picked it up and asked me what our 3 year had tried to make.


Yep. He thought the 3 year old made it.

But I tried again.

And I tried again.

And I tried again.

And one of those times, plus a bit of help from an aunt (who was able to show me in person how to knit) it did finally click.

I made the booties - three pairs. I made a nice-sized baby blanket.

I was smitten with knitting. And wanted to keep going.

To learn new stitches and to play around with things, I knit a lot of blankets for my three-year-old's dolls. They were quick, easy, and she loved having them all!

I also knit a lot of scarves. Again, quick, easy, and a good way to test patterns out and stitches out.

And somehow it all just kept clicking. And clicking. I branched out and tried out a variety of patterns - hats, socks, blankets, etc.

After the frustration of just starting passed, I was in love with knitting. Pretty early on it felt like something that was made for me to do!

I even briefly taught knitting classes at the local craft store! I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I could make it work with our schedule.

Which leads to where we are today.

I still love knitting.

I would still happily spend all my time knitting if I could.

My husband knows I'm feeling really bad when we hit a point where I don't even want to knit.

I've mentioned before how knitting got me through some pretty tough days as well. Days during chemo when I could barely move, but somehow was able to pick up needles and knit. Knitting came to chemo with me, even on the days when I was too tired and sore to actually knit.

My doctors know I love knitting. One doctor (who is a knitter herself) will occasionally "prescribe" knitting time to me!

When I started knitting 12 years ago, I never pictured how important knitting would be in my life. I never imagined that knitting would become a part of me. I probably would have laughed if you told me then that I'd be the knitting lady to so many people.

But honestly? I love it.

I love it when people send me knitting memes on-line. I love it when people share news stories about knitting or knit things. I love it when people tag me in photos with lots of yarn.

Who knew back then? I didn't know.

But maybe the universe did. Maybe the universe planted the seed in my head. And somehow I was smart enough to run with it and go.

Whatever happened, I'm glad I found knitting. I'm glad I didn't think I was too young to do it. Or that I didn't think it was a hobby from a bygone era.

I love knitting!