Hey Ma! Look What I can do...

So it only took me 5 months to realize I'm way too bored in the evenings after the kids go to bed while Chris is gone. I've exhausted messing around on the computer, convincing myself that 9pm is a great time to exercise and eating all the wrong things at 10pm. So I started in search of a hobby. Saturday I went to Joann's Fabrics and got a starter set for crochet. I took a beginners class many years ago and picked it up fairly well, but never had the patience to work up any speed or real skill. After trying it again Saturday night, I discovered I don't think I have the patience to learn to crochet. Then, I remembered once when I was in middle school my Great Aunt Irene came to visit and she knitted. In fact, she knitted a sweater for me during that visit. I remember her telling me that it was much easier to knit, so Sunday we headed to Walmart to see what they had for learning to knit...Look what I can do!!!!

Admittedly, this took a lot of work for me to get this far. I took apart or threw out a few other trials, but this is the first bit that I have put together without mistakes. While I'm sure many women could knit this in just a few minutes, it took me about an hour. So far I've only taught myself to 'cast on' and this simple 'knit stitch'. I've also figured out a couple other things...I need to invest in a thimble, and when just learning to knit -- choose a lighter colored yarn so you can actually see what you're doing a little better. (I thought this yarn would make a pretty scarf for my first project!)

I have a pattern for a gorgeous cable knit afghan I hope to work up to eventually, but for now...does anyone need a coaster?...potholder, anyone?