Knitting with a little k

I knit this blankie for PBJ and she loved it. It is soooo soft and snuggly.

Last night I went to a book signing by none other than Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka The Yarn Harlot. (Starfish, you may be the only one out there who knows who this woman is) This lady has written 4 best seller books about knitting. Yep, you read right, knitting. And not just knitting, knitting humor. She spoke for 90 minutes prior to the signing and I am telling you my sides hurt from laughing so much. She has got to be one of the funniest people I have ever heard. Her books are laugh-out-loud funny. The kind of books you shouldn't read in public because the noises you will make will get you lots of funny looks. She is a serious, serious knitter. She knits things that I cannot even pronounce. She is a Knitter with a capital K.

I knit one project 16 years ago. I can tell you exactly when it was because I was pregnant with my first child and I had the overwhelming desire to hand-make something for this precious child. A friend took me to the store and I bought horribly cheap yarn and a pair of stainless steel needles. She helped me cast on, showed me how to stitch and away I went. Apparently I am an anal retentive Type A personality, because I knit that sucker with such high tension that my baby blanket turned out the size of a placemat and was almost un-bendable. Although I enjoyed the process of knitting, my failure in creating the loving gift for my child traumatized me to no end. I pitched the placemat blankie, the needles and all hope of being a knitter. I just wasn't talented enough to knit.

Then last year, my friend Connie began bringing her knitting to work on during our lunch hour. She was making hats for chemo patients. Each day as I watched her clicking away, creating beautiful little hats out of the softest yarn, I became more and more intrigued. I began to ask questions. Why do you have so many needles? How do you shape it? How do you know what to do? She patiently answered all my questions and the tiny flame of knitting desire was lit.

I bought yarn that was fat and soft and would knit up fast. I bought smooth plastic needles that felt cool in my hands and I once again started on a baby blanket (this time for baby #3 who was more of a little boy by that point) I made a conscious effort not to pull the yarn horrifically tight, and off I went. It knit up really fast and the instant gratification hooked me. My son loved it and wanted more. Make me a greeen one, make me a yellow one, pweese Mommy?

I bought more needles, different yarns, learned to knit on circular needles, made countless scarves, hats, blankets, etc. Nothing too hard, just mindless relaxing knitting. I found a charity called Warm Woolies that provides wool clothing to children in impoverished cold climates and I am working on making a box full of donations to send to them. I can knit, I can purl, I can increase and decrease, I can pick up a dropped stitch. I am a knitter with a small k. I am ready to try something new now. Maybe a sweater for one of my little ones, or maybe some socks. I haven't decided yet. I can't start something new until I finish my box of charity work. Then I can embark on a true project. Something challenging, with a pattern, something that will make me a better knitter. Something I might actually be able to wear in public........