I have been thinking about Julie's question on her blog: When did you learn to knit?

I learned to knit when I was in grade 3. My mother set me up with some red acrylic yarn and some plastic needles and cast on for a garter stitch scarf. I loved it right away, I couldn't wait to get home from school everyday so that I could work on my scarf. I would frequently make mistakes and then have to wait in agonizing anticipation until my mom got home from work so that she could fix it for me. My finished scarf was about 12 inches long and had about a 4 inch hole in it. I gave it to my step sister Lisa for christmas that year.

Funny, my mom taught me to knit, but my knitting skills now far exceed hers, and she often gets me to help her out when she wants to knit something (which is not very often).

After that I didn't knit very much until about junior high when my Nanny showed me how to make a hat and mittens, and how to do two color knitting. After that I took off, almost always having a project on the go, usually hats or mittens. Other than being taught how to knit and how to purl from my mother, and learning a few things from my nanny I am self taught. Most of what I learned I have picked up from books, and occasionally asking other knitters for advice.

Almost all of knitting is cabled patterns or textured stitch patterns in one color. The sad reason for this is that I am a little afraid of mixing colors. I really should pick up a color theory book and figure this whole thing out!

I am totally comfortable making up a hat or mitten pattern on my own, but I knit dozens from patterns before I was able to do this. I hope that before 2007 is out I will knit and design a sweater.