Scout's Meme

1. How and when did you learn how to knit/crochet? Who taught you?

Well, I tried to teach myself but got this bad, wavy thing - that I must confess kind of liked because I made it. Who knew that I didn't need to cast on 50 stitches for a wool scarf, it turned out more like a place mat actually. Then I decided to hook up with a class. A woman named Emily at 2 Busy Kids in Madison, WI. I was the geeky overachiever knitter who finished the scarf before the second class and knew I was hooked. This was in 2002 I think, that's funny since I feel like I have always been knitting?!

2. How has this craft impacted your life? (besides financially!)

It has really brought something to my life to get excited about. I used to quilt but then I had babies...I can work on socks in the car or at the lunch table - my sewing machine can't do that. It's been so fun to pour over pattern books and magazines, and the yarn, yarn, yarn! What a wonderful thing to pet, so much fabulous yarn. It has also expanded my horizons greatly since I have been online more "meeting" some incredible cool knitters. It's been wonderful to meet people as excited about yarn as me - not like those weird non-crafter's who give me "the look", like they are almost sorry for me that I have no life when I tell them about my knitting...and blogging. As if! Who is sorry for who here?

3. Pick at least one person to talk about who you have met through the knit-world and why you are thankful to have met them. Feel free to get all mushy.

Well, I probably have a couple answers for this one. I have met Sandra from Croatia through the International Scarf Exchange - and we weren't even swap partners. I have found her to be funny, amazing, entertaining and cool. We have had a little swap of our own, and are currently waiting anxiously on our opposite shores for the boat to deliver the goodies... and have been in touch regularly by e-mail - it's pretty amazing to know that even oceans away life is pretty much the same, the same family trials, project ideas, etc. She has a lot of great advice :) and knits faster than lightning!

I also have enjoyed getting to know my co-worker, Dianne from Gramknits much better. I have enjoyed a couple of yarn adventures with her including trips to Illinois in search of "that yarn" and we did some yarn dying this summer. She is an adventurer and life long crafter - she has so much to teach anyone she meets and I have enjoyed trading ideas with her. And if she wants me to pretend to be her daughter-in-law - well, ya gotta do what you gotta do.:) But then as the old saying goes "you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family..."

I have also enjoyed Yarntini - Jessie's yarn is the best and she is such a darned nice person. I mean when do you get anything in the mail with a little handmade lip balm or handmade soaps? Well, you do with her most fabulous yarn. She has also been most delightful to converse with via e-mail. And she likes Lost and Project Runway - if she only lived in my neighborhood, we could be like desparate housewives or something:)

Hands down, yarn lover's are good people. Now of course ou run into that occasional snooty salesclerk but really, I think knitters are some passionate people. Thank you for accepting me into the fold.

Thanks Scout for this little meme - it was a nice little "something to think about". And while I am at it let me add her to my list of people I'm lucky to know through cyberspace. She has damn great swag over at Scout's Swag!

As an aside...I think I have been battling the flu today - you know the classic symptoms - mother achy muscles, headache, chills - thank you to my husband for coming home from work on my day off to man the little one, I am not sure how I could have dealt with our 18-month-old from the couch. And thank you to my dear sister for picking up my 6-year old from school and taking her to dinner and shopping so she wouldn't have to be home looking at death warmed over in the dark. I would pick MY family! and know I am blessed...