feeling crafty

I've always wanted to learn how to knit. As a child, my mother taught me how to crochet -- I think that the most complicated item I made was an off-kilter doily and maybe a scarf or two. I was 6. Over a quarter century later, I have finally moved on from one needle to two and am working on a *real* project -- a slightly irregular scarf for BF. What spurred this foray into the world of crafts? Maybe it's the colder weather. Maybe it's my desire to cocoon myself in something soft and warm. Or maybe it's because I was looking for an excuse to buy more crap.

Yesterday, I went to "Smiley's Yarn Riot" for my first yarn purchase. As a side note, I have never seen so many crazy cat ladies in one place. They sure are chatty. Ever the cheapskate, I couldn't resist the bargain basement prices they had on their yarn. The free pattern that I downloaded only required 2 skeins of yarn. I walked out with 18 skeins and am going back for more. I wasn't sure if the prices were really that great since I am a knitting novice, but when I went to Knitting Club last night (my first meeting), the other members confirmed that I did indeed get some bargains. The club's founder, a friend of a friend of BF, only started knitting last year and is now working on a beautiful wrap sweater for a baby -- it looks super professional. She reassured me by telling me that her first project (also a scarf for her bf) was less than perfect. I can only hope that one day I will be as precise as she is in her knitting. A girl can dream, right?

I am not quite sure if this knitting thing will be good for me -- I think I might be too anal to reap all of the stress-relieving qualities that knitting has been touted to have. Last night, I ended up unraveling several rows after I realized that I was off by one stitch. The yarn that I am using is not smooth and is very forgiving. You really can't tell if I add or drop a stitch. But, because I have this insatiable need to make sure that the scarf will be symmetrical, there I was counting stitches and trying to make sure that they were evenly spaced. I have a feeling that BF will be the recipient of many slightly irregular woolen items over the coming months.