I think it's time that I mentioned

I've got myself an obsession...

for yarn.

My latest passion has been inspired by my friend Maren, who loves to make scarves for people in her spare time.  While watching her knit up a storm on vacation, I decided that I'd like to try my hands at this craft.  I thought about taking classes but I found myself too busy/lazy to try to schedule anything.

Christmas rolled around, and my husband, Brendan, suggested that I knit a scarf for my mom.  She'd be stunned that I *made* something, and it would make the perfect gift for her as she is always cold. During my lunch break, I ran over to Michael's and picked up a a beginner's kit for knitting, along with some Caron Simply Soft Heather Grey yarn.

First of all, I highly recommend this kit.  The included book is a wonderful guide for both right and left handed knitters.  It doesn't teach you the Continental knitting -- but I'm personally not a fan of it. 

I stared at the pages trying to learn how to cast on, and then an hour later I was attempting to make the scarf from the pattern book included -- that didn't work out so well. I kept starting, and restarting... I was getting frustrated.  Brendan told me I should put it down and try again later. I only had 2 weeks until Christmas, I had to figure out how to knit a scarf REALLY fast in order to make my deadline.  So first thing the next morning, I picked it up and tried again, this time nixing the pattern and just going for a simple garter stitch.  I made some real progress, though my fingertips were sore, my wrists hurt.  I fell asleep with a corn bag on my wrists to try to bring some life back into them. 

After a week of working at it, I finally finished the scarf.  I was rather proud of myself for actually making something useful, but that pride vanished when I noticed all the mistakes I had made!  There were dropped stitches, added stitches (I started by casting on 39 sts, somewhere in the middle I counted 60+... oops).  I thought I'd try to hide the fact that it was so terrible by sewing the ends together to make it a tube scarf. 

I promised my mom a new project for her birthday, as my knitting has been improving since.  But for a first try, It's not half bad!