As Poe once wrote, "The deed is done..." I finished the blue blanket. It's a big accomplishment and it only took me two weeks. Gosh, I thought it'd take about a month. Oh yeah, I also finished reading "Angels & Deamons," which is coming out in theaters May 15th, and I finish knitting the last of the cone onto "Gigantor." That's the next big project to be finished. It's about 75% done, the big monster. Yes, I came to gloat:

My first Blanket - inspired by palcemats(pattern)

Set of 4 placemats -from scratch

On straight US 8 needles, CO 48
>knit 1” in garter
> K4 P40 K4 > K across Repeat last 2 rows to desired length. Then knit 1” in garter. CO with right side facing

I made those in the first week of March and wanted to knit a nice big pooled blanket to go with my placemats. I dont know why I thought I should use P&C Daisy color yarn to match. I guess I just thought it was pretty. Well, by the end of march, I started on this picnic blanket:

I CO 300 stitches on a size 9 circular needle and decided to do the whole thing in st-st. I also decided that I'd do one cone a week, which I've been pretty good about, but my god I'm getting bored with this thing. Who knew that 4.ply cotton could produce so much fuzz...and heat. The thing is getting huge! I've always considered myself to be Obsessive Compulsive, but now I know I'm not. Im on my third cone now and it's about 3 foot long. The pic was taken during the 1st week on my 1st cone.

Meanwhile, I've knit 4 bookmarks and Mandy's Candy Bag (super cute purse pattern by NH Knitting Mama) for some instant gratification. I also splurged on $1 skein yarns at Marden's. Im not sure what I'm going to make with them, but LB Landscapes, moonlight mohair, and Watercolors are good to have. I just keep knitting and thinking about what I will make next to match my blanket...which I've decided is too nice for the grass and better suited for my bed. I'm thinking about a curtain valance to go across the top only and some tie backs. I want acrylic red heart sunflower throw pillows. Maybe I'll add a fringe on the edges to help it from curling? I'd also like a nice little floor rug...all in good time. Thinking about those help me knit faster, so it's all good.

I've been getting support with my blanket production too. My knitting group members ask me to show them how far I've gotten and they compliment the pooling, which makes me feel better. Who doesn't like gloating? lol Finishing a whole blanket with such a simple stitch is harder than I thought. I'm hanging in there though. I wont give up, promise. It's going to look so good!

My First Entry

For my first post, I want to tell you how I got into knitting and where it's taking me in my life. I moved from the Eastern shore (OC area) to Maine in April of 2008. By November, I took up knitting. It's bitter cold up here and very boring. Really, it takes an hour to get to the closest Walmart, which is hell for a shopaholic! Anyway, there was a video on youtube by the ThreadHeads that showed how to knit a scarf in garter stitch:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKHLEquvqoU

And that's how I started picking it up. I continued to teach myself different stitches, thanks to a friendly little site called Knitting Pattern Central. That site is the greatest! It's a gateway to infinate pattern designers. I found my help on the Craft Yarn Council of America's bulletin board http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/cyca-forum/list.php?1 , which I still check from time to time.

I bumped into Ravelry one day, while looking for free knitting patterns. Now I'm not sure if I spend more time knitting or looking for knitting patterns. All of my yarns are photographed and posted in my "stash" and I have 20 completed projects. I'm very proud.

This summer, I would like to learn how to knit a pair of socks. Everyone says they're so easy to make and "you'll never wear store bought again," but I have yet to grasp the concept. That's my summer goal. I'd also like to pick up tatting and jewelry making. My friend introduced me to an old coworker that did tatting before she got into woodwork (how cool is woodwork!) and she told me she'd lend me some books and tips. He had no idea that she did tatting until we asked her where to find the shuttles. I got Lucky! As far as doing beading goes, there's a new bead shop opening a few doors down from my favorite yarn shop <3 Well, beads and scrapbooking supplies. Those are my other favorite hobbies.

Knitting makes me feel talented, productive, and accomplished. It's brought me a happier social life and has given me a constructive hobby that I can be proud of. The whole teeny boppin 420 and club hopping was getting old...or I was getting to old to be doing it...either way, I wanted to find something that I could take pride in discussing, so here I am, a knitter.