i love yarn

 My love of yarn was inherited from my late grandmother. I remember taking the bus to Woolworth's in Downtown LA...getting a snack at the counter and shopping for yarn and embroidery hoops. Her hands were lightening fast and her special brand of Spanglish made perfect sense to me. I remember shortly before she passed she was reminding me to crochet a cap for my delightfully bald husband.


I learned to knit years later from a co-worker. I consider myself a far better crochet-er than knitter. I find the former easier to manage. This said. I find the knitted stitch to be so lovely. Thus far I can only knit and purl. Cables and all the other fancy things elude me. Thankfully, there is much that can be done with the knit/garter stitch.

My first completed work of the new year was a beanie I made for Keith using this simple pattern. I only needed one skein and it worked up rather quickly, save for the bit that comes at the end when you transfer to 5 needles. EEK...despite that,  I so love that I am making functional things with my own two hands that my guy will actually wear.  

Prior to the beanie, I started working on the never ending cowl. Scarves and cowls are simply fabulous and a must have here in Seattle, so it was another piece I knew I would get some mileage out of-especially if I liked it. I was originally inspired by this beautiful fluted cowl pattern on the Purl Bee, but it's really long and the yarn was a pretty big investment.

When I saw Elise's cowl, I knew that would be just my speed.  The simplicity won me over and she finished it in a snap.  Such was not the case for me...this baby took FORever. Admittedly, I knit at a snails pace, but I loved Elise's cowl so much, and I knew if I followed her pattern and stuck with it...I'd make it to the end.

First let me say...I so appreciate Elise and her "get it done" attitude. I approached the project her way and didn't allow myself to get distracted by tiny mistakes and imperfections.  And what do you know...I FINISHED. YAY!!!! It seems like something small, but actually completing two projects makes me feel like I can complete so much more. This desire to finish what I start is habit forming and I'm feeling a bit addicted to it!

I am now attempting to crochet a blanket...this is gonna take a while, I know. I love having a combination of long, ongoing projects as well as those I can complete in an evening. I hop back and forth and rarely ever get too bored.

I now have my eye on making a cowl inspired by #5 on SayYesToHoboken, and this one on DesignSponge.

Interested in some fancier knits, check out my friend Adelle's website...she a bonafide knitwear designer. I credit her for getting me back into crochet after a long absence. Want to get started knitting? I swear by You Tube videos, but this tutorial on Design Sponge is pretty neat. Prefer crochet? Pick up one of these super cute kits from Assemble, or head on over to Annemarie's blog. She is definitely a favorite when it comes to crochet inspiration. I've made her Happy Coasters many many times.