Rainy Labor Day

It is a rainy day here in Southeast Wisconsin. Kind of a harbinger for the Autumn days that will be here soon. It gave me time to finally start on my blog. Now who would have thought that an old broad - by the way I am allowed to say this but no one else can - would ever decide to do a blog, and on knitting no less. I am hoping to find some people out that enjoy the crazy craft lifestyle so we can exchange ideas and share the laughter and tears that come with committing yourself to create. I've been knitting for years along with almost every other craft I can manage to try. Right now knitting seems to be the in thing and so I chose knitting as the primary craft but I can't image not writing about others. I have to say that after years of only knitting once in a while I have been working at it on a regular basis. I think the difference is the yarn that is available. When I was a kid there were some nice places to buy great natural yarn, then it seemed as though almost everything you saw was a man made fiber. Now I have nothing against man made fibers but I cherish the feel of wool sliding across my fingers. Anyway, it's gone full circle and I have found some wonderful new things out there that I just have to try. I just finished one of my grand-daughters a top out of hemp. I can hardly believe how soft it is once it is washed. If I can figure out how to put a picture on this I will add one so you can see for yourself.

I first learned to knit when I was about 8 years old by an "adopted" aunt that knit for a living. There was a large department store in Milwaukee, WI, I think it was named Schusters. You went to the knitting department, picked your pattern with the yarn and the ladies would knit what you chose. Aunt Ella was visiting one weekend when I wanted to learn knit. She gave me some large wooden needles and yellow yarn. For some reason I still remember the bright yellow color. She showed me how to knit and purl. That one hour or so was the only lesson that I have had. Most of what I do I learned by reading the instructions and experimenting. I'm sure some of you with years less of experience will know how to do things much better then I. I hope if you do that you chime in when I am ruinating about how to do something. Meanwhile the good news is that she taught me to throw my yarn with my left hand. For years the few people I knew who did knit thought that was weird. Now people want me to show them how so I no longer feel like the odd man out.

More later but I have to go and work on a sock I am knitting out of my first hand dyed yarn. Another experience but something I will post on later. I will see if I can add the picture and then check to see if I have really created a blog. How exciting! I had to come back and say I think I have the picture thing solved. Yes, she is a teenager and really that slender. Good thing she is my grand-daughter or I might not like her. (kidding of course)