I have been a knitting fool the past two days! It is getting easier and a bit more automatic, and I am thrilled to see progress on my scarf: I have about ten inches knitted so far: 
I am using Caron Simply Soft in the Embroidery Print color, which has turned out to be an excellent color choice - the various colors make it more difficult to see any errors ( and, oh yes, there are errors).
A asks to see my scarf every day when he gets home from school and offers encouragement...except he wonders why it isn't done yet!
There are two downsides to me taking up knitting that I have already identified. First, I am so focused on knitting that I am ignoring another favorite pastime, reading. I usually finish one or two books a week, yet I have barely read thirty pages since I started knitting four days ago. I am absolutely consumed with adding another row to my project and when that one is finished, certainly I can knit another row...and on and on. I am sure that eventually my passion will cool a bit and I will find a way to balance the two.
Second, I am having difficulty restraining myself from acquiring yarn, needles, books, bags, yada yada yada. I keep telling myself that I need to make sure that I like knitting and that I can actually finish this project before I move on to another project and certainly before I start buying more knitting paraphernalia. I am all about accessories (the contents of my jewelry box and my handbag collection confirm that statement), so I am itching to buy a cute little project bag, a Peterboro knitting basket, handcrafted stitch markers (although I have no idea how to use them) and every yarn I see mentioned in a pattern, article or blog.
So while I am having a great time so far, I need to moderate my enthusiasm and the amount of time I devote to this new obsession.
Not an extra room on the house and certainly not a new baby, but a hedgehog! My talented knitting friend, Geri, made me this adorable knitted hedgehog, which arrived via Saturday's post; also in the package with the hedgehog was a pair of nifty socks for A. He immediately put on the socks and took possession of the hedgehog:
I finally convinced A that the hedgehog was made for me, but that the entire family could share it. Then we set about finding a name for our hedgehog. Being unfamiliar with hedgehog anatomy, we did not know whether we had a boy hedgehog or a girl hedgehog. I sent a quick email message to Geri, who stated that the hedgehog did not come with instructions for reproductive organs so we could assume that its gender can be assigned by the owners. I decided that since I am the lone female in the house, the hedgehog should be a female so I won't be too terribly outnumbered. We chose the not-so-original name of Spike for her.
Geri's enthusiasm and talent for knitting led me to decide that 2008 would be my year to learn to knit. I have looked at instructions online and could make no sense of them, so I knew that I needed hands on instruction. Several other women in the Mommy group also wanted to learn, and one woman has a friend who is a knitter. Her friend agreed to teach us, so on Sunday afternoon I sat down with four other students to learn to knit. I had a great time, although my initial efforts have been shaky at best.
I like the look of a knit 2, purl 2 stitch, so that is what I chose to make. After at least six or seven failed attempts, I finally determined that I was trying to run before learning to walk, and scaled back my goal to just making a simple knitted scarf. If I can manage that basic project, then I slowly attempt more complicated items.
So here is what I have so far. Hooray!
I am using Caron Simply Soft in the Embroidery Print color, which has turned out to be an excellent color choice - the various colors make it more difficult to see any errors ( and, oh yes, there are errors). 
