I'm easily influenced by things other people do. If I see someone doing something that is fascinating to me, I want to know how to do it. I'm drawn like a moth to a porch light. If I see it's something I know I can do, I'll start doing it.

It was that way with knitting. Mom needed something that was creative while she sat in front of the TV with Dad. He wanted her company, but didn't like her reading though she could keep track of what was on. Her primary hobby, rosemaling and tole painting, was done in the basement. So she took up knitting, cranking out scarves for grandkids and cabled afghans for us kids. The plain knitting didn't attract me, but the cables that she created fascinated me. I wanted to learn how to do that. I had done macrame, so a handcraft like knitting didn't seem hard. Mom tried to teach me how to knit Continental, but I couldn't get the hang of it. I still wanted to learn, so we went to Super Yarn Mart and I got my first knitting book, a Leisure Arts pamphlet called "Learn To Knit". I picked up throwing the yarn more readily and soon I was cranking out scarves. A friend in college knitted so I did some knitting then, but once out of college, I lost interest and turned to quilting when I joined my friend in her quilting group.

In 2002, I was feeling lost. Friends who crafted with me had parted ways and I didn't know what to do with my free time. Then one day at lunch a lunch buddy brought in her crochet and was working on a hat. The hat pattern looked really easy to do, so I got a copy and tried it out in kitchen cotton. I struggled with the crochet (I'd done straight rows but not regular increases), so I switched to knitting, digging out my knitting needles I had put away years ago. I found patterns on the Internet and joined an email list. Their knitting inspired me to try different things: hats, socks, mittens, a sweater. I discovered the joy of working with wool instead of acrylic.

Next month it will be six years since I've picked up the needles again. When I think that I have reached saturation point, I run across someone who simply amazes me with what they've done. Today it was Jared of BrooklynTweed. I clocked in late today because I was sucked into his blog this morning. I was thinking of doing the Adult Surprise sweater with the FFMR, but now I'm thinking of the Adult Tomten jacket. Or a mitered square jacket. I even considered the Einstein coat men's style. So many options, so much inspiration.

So keep showing the pretty things. They feed my creative soul.

Kauni Sweater progress

I bound off the first sleeve yesterday, hurray! I thought I would do the second sleeve, but then I thought, "If I do the second sleeve, then I have all that body to do and that will be daunting." So I picked up the stitches for the body and have started knitting on that. Doing that then the second sleeve will make the sleeve knitting a piece of cake. I figure it will take me at the least all of the rest of September to do the body, considering that this coming weekend I'll be knitting on other things at TKGA and the next weekend is chorus. I'll get in some knitting time at OFFF if nothing else to keep me from trying to spend the money I don't have.