Knitting and crocheting....

I haven't given up on knitting... I just wasn't doing much of it in Angola because I think when it comes down to it, when you're in a place that hot, you just don't want wool on your lap all the time. At least that is my excuse.

In any case my sister in law, also an avid knitter, rocked my Christmas present this year... a home-sewn knitting needle case with a pair of giant needles inside, a book called something along the lines of "easy knitting for babies" and a skein a beautiful blue merino wool. Of course, not knowing our baby's sex, she opted for blue because it's my favorite color... but, the wool was SO my favorite color that I was all, "I'm making myself a scarf! Baby can wait!" :) So I finished my scarf yesterday. I wore it today, and it was lovely, perfect. I'll have to take a picture- I keep forgetting to do it while I have good light. In fact I'll have to take a picture of the needle case my SIL made too, because it's just awesome.

So, once I made my scarf though, I knew I needed to make a hat too. Unfortunately, I don't have the pattern with which I once successfully made a few hats. So I was looking for an easy pattern that didn't require knitting in the round, which I just haven't gotten that good at yet. I found something that looked like it would work... so tonight, I made a whole hat, finished it and everything (that is, sewed up the seam along the side, since I didn't knit it in the round) and then put it on my head to find that it was, as I had guessed all along it would be, too big. I mean, way too big. Like, kind of silly. So, the hat that it took me a couple hours to knit got unraveled in a matter of minutes. Ah, such is life. The pattern for the hat wasn't bad, so I might have to make it again, just smaller. Hopefully I can actually figure out the right size.

And so for the crocheting... I picked up a "I taught myself Crochet" book during Christmas. I got it out today, and I got the chain stitch down, and then the slip stitch as well. Not very neat/even, but, passable for a first timer. I'm kind of excited because I really want to crochet a baby blanket. Also, a friend on facebook saw that I had written about learning to crochet but not being sure I was doing it right and offered to help me. So that is cool. Hopefully we'll get together next week, and I'll be a crocheting fool in no time. :)

There you go... basically... I'm just trying to pass the time here in Michigan. The weather makes me want to hibernate- but even I can only spend so many hours on the internet, and I need other things to do... so, knitting and crocheting it is!