New 2 blogging and knitting...

I'm new to blogging, so you might need to bear with for the moment. My inspiration to start...well...other peoples blogs of course and the need to share the highs and lows of my new hobby - knitting! Before you all jump to certain conclusions about who and what I am based on that statement, let me tell you I'm less than 30, I'm a professional and I'm told knitting today is exceedingly fashionable and sexy ;o)

I'm sure all knitters can claim to have been taught the basics by their mum or grandmother or aunt...well the same is true for me. My mum taught me to cast on, knit and purl as a wee child and its kinda stuck with me (albeit very on and off) ever since. I was the kid who took out those tucked away needles during the summer hols when I had nothing else to do and attempted to knit 'that scarf', with some cheap acrylic wool and having cast on just 10 stitches. Of course the scarf never got further than 10 rows, with several dropped stitches or sudden miraculous increases along the way. With my attention span waning and with some frustration the needles were tucked away once again, to be taken out on another moment of boredom. Several years passed...

My rediscovery began a few months ago, believe it or not at a wedding. A distant relative gave me a blow by blow account of the benefits of knitting. Her passion got me thinking of those old needles tucked away somewhere...but where?? That week back whilst taking a break from work I ventured into town. Browsing through my local "works" store I came across a reduced "learn to knit" book. Was this an omen? I thought so. Having bought the book I needed supplies (my ol' needles were somewhere at my parents place, down south) so I wandered around town until I found a haberdashery store. I perused the smallish section of yarn, confused as to where to start. Help was at hand in the shape of one of the store owners. She suggested starting with a cheap acrylic ball and some 4mm needles just to practice my stitches and get back into the swing of things. I couldn't resist and bought some chunky wool too for one of the quick knits I found in my newly purchased book. Here began my (slight) obsession.

My journey started here and with the help of the Internet I discovered a world of knitters, coveted yarns, online stores, bamboo needles, knit-a-longs (KAL) and free patterns - basically a knitters paradise.