Scarf

Carrie couldn't make it to knitting last night, so I was left to fend for myself against the Level II knitters who are far more intense than the Level I kids.
I was knitting along in Level I...I even practiced by making an extra hat at home, but Level II knocked me out of the running for star knitter.

I was, by far, the worst in my class of three. The instructor kept having to slow down to focus on my needs and help me with mistakes. Part of the problem--I was casting on wrong!

This is an egregious error. Casting ON is the process by which you initially secure the yarn to the needle forming the very base of your project. It is critical to get this foundation correct as it affects the quality of your end product.

The Level II instructor was friendly and chatty, while I was quiet and focused--trying my hardest to get it right. She called me a "perfectionist" at one point and "incredibly patient" at another--giving credence to the fact that you can meet someone and get the EXACT opposite read from their visage as it related to the core of who they actually are.

Suffice to say, my Level I instructor for all her prowess as a knitter was not a great teacher. While I didn't enjoy the good-natured ribbing my Level II instructor doled generously to me, I learned how to knit--and do it RIGHT! Thanks, Sarah.

Now that I can knit and purl (described as "the opposite of knitting")--the world of yarn is my paint. I can create, create, create. The needle's the limit.

Knitting is quickly becoming an all-consuming habit. I never thought at 25--I would be the girl who raced home to knit and play with her puppy. Then again, I never thought I'd be patient enough to knit or caring enough have a dog. The benefit of setting low expectations is that you're always pleasantly surprised when you exceed them.