Knitting Madness

First, some backstory...

I don't remember my mother just sitting very much when I was growing up. Whether we were watching TV or riding in the car, Mom usually had something to occupy her hands. Quite often she would crochet, but she also did other things like embroidery and knitting. She managed to teach me embroidery when I was in middle school and tried to teach me to crochet (I never caught on). I tried again as a newlywed to learn to crochet and again failed. I just don't seem to be able to do it. Luckily, two summers ago I had the opportunity to spend a couple of months living with my parents while Ben was deployed. While there, Mom taught both Lizzy and me to knit. I made a couple hats and started a cowl for myself but I hadn't really fallen in love with knitting yet. It was simply a way to pass the time.

Then, we moved to Turkey and I made a couple of friends who are avid crocheters (is that a word?). They took me to a yarn store in downtown Adana and the obsession began. The yarn here is beautiful and so inexpensive!


The results of my 1st trip to the yarn store. With the exchange rate it all came to less than $40!

 

 
 

 
Ben bought me two plastic storage units and I proceeded to fill them...it would've been rude not to. :)  Now I just need to work through my stash so I can buy more. I'm never without a work-in-progress (or two or three). I also have an ever-growing list of projects I'd like to do.

I spend a good portion of my time, now, with my hands in yarn. I've even taken to listening to audiobooks so that I can satisfy my literary addiction while also satisfying my knitting madness. And, like my mother, I knit while watching TV.  I even took a project along with me on our road trip to Cappadocia (a post or two all of its own). 







I found this great website called Ravelry that has a huge collection of crochet and knit projects, and you can interact with other crafters. It's pretty cool for getting new ideas and keeping track of your work. My username is isommama if anyone is interested.  A picture of one of my projects (a baby blanket) was chosen to be featured on the pattern page. I felt pretty honored, especially since it was my first blanket. Usually I forget to take a picture of the finished project. Here are a couple that I remembered to photograph:

 

 

 For some reason it's not letting me caption them.  The top one is a cowl I knit with a fabulous yarn that my friend's son calls "peacock yarn". The bottom one is the baby blanket I made for a friend's newest addition and is made with a bamboo/nylon blend that is super soft.

So, that is my madness. I'm trying to embrace it and control it at the same time. The control is necessary so that the house and children don't get too out of hand. :)