About 7 months ago I decided that my new baby niece needed some hand knitted items. So, I taught myself how to knit and to crochet in about the span of a week. Fairly soon after I started looking for a knitting group - I knew that there had to be some in town. I accidentally walked in on one (I thought I was just walking in to buy yarn) and I told them how long I had been knitting and crocheting, and what kind of projects I had already completed. Most of them were stunned. I wont brag, but once I got the hang of it, it just made sense to me. They were baffled at some of the things I had tried; prior to that no one had told me that they were hard, so I just assumed that I could do them. And then I did. It worked out quite well!
Growing up I thought I would hate something like this - it is so grandmotherly. But I am smitten with knittin'. Ok, that was bad, sorry. But it is true, I absolutely adore making new things. I love the feeling of accomplishment, I love teaching myself new tricks and stitches, I love how while I knit or crochet my mind can relax from the hectic life I live outside of knitting as a graduate student working, until this last weekend, three jobs. It is soul soothing and just a very rewarding hobby for me.
So, I plan to share my completed projects on here, as well as talking about new things I am learning, and large projects I am undertaking. I was down at my family's house this past weekend and it dawned on me that my niece didn't actually need any more hats from me. But they are so simple to make in the round, I can read for school while I work on the hats and it is forcing me to learn to just feel for the stitches. My sisters are both in the medical profession - both work in hospitals. One travels periodically with Doctors Without Borders and the other volunteers with her fiancee and their dog at Children's Hospital. I started looking around for charities that accepted donated hats and other baby items, but I was not horribly impressed with any right in this area. So I asked both sisters if they had any use for them. Both said yes. So I am beginning to make baby, and perhaps toddler, hats for both Children's Hospital in Denver as well as to send with my older sister for when she gives classes to new mothers when she travels with Doctors Without Borders. I am really, really excited about this.
I have begun the first hat for that project. I expect that it will help me get a great deal faster with knitting in general and this way I can personally contribute to larger projects that are close to my heart. I can't travel with DWB - I have no medical training. I have always been interested in helping though. And I think a hand knit or hand crocheted hat given to a new mother both makes me feel happy and hopefully makes that new mother smile. I wont ever get to meet any of those new mothers, or the sick kids at Children's Hospital, but perhaps I can put a smile in their day.
I do plan to continue making other things for my personal use as well as gifts for friends and family. The combination of that, as well as the items I want to donate, should keep me rather busy and quite content. I am looking forward to letting you know about how things progress, as well as posting pictures of some of the things I have made and those things that I will make. Hooray!
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