The Sweater

I am a knitting and crocheting nut (which sends my geek factor off the charts). I learned to crochet about 10 years ago from a co-worker. I made an afghan and then nothing else (short attention span). I picked it back up about two years ago and learned to knit in the meantime. I've done several scarves and hats for myself, two really nice ponchos, a fancy wrap and now have decided to venture into my first sweater. So far it's going pretty well. I did mess up the directions after about 10 rows and had to undo the whole thing *sob*.....but now it's looking like it's supposed to. I have no idea how long it's going to take me....I'm hoping to have it finished by Christmas (Merry Christmas to me!). What's amazing is that the airlines let you take crochet hooks and knitting needles on the plane. A bottle of shampoo is deadly, but a sharp size 5 crochet hook capable of taking out an eye is perfectly fine. Not that I'm complaining....it's nice to have the option of reading or crafting. So now I can geek out in airports and on planes as well as in my own home.

But I don't keep all these great handmade items for myself (that would really make me the crazy crochet lady). I am part of a group that knits and crochets hats, scarves and blankets for the needy. My expertise is adult hats....I can whip one out in about an hour. I've had tons of fun mixing colors together......Nashville's homeless won't have boring hats! Others in our group do baby hats for the newborns at General Hospital and we're about to start making blankets for any group we can find who needs them (homeless shelters, nursing homes, etc.). What's exciting is all the new knitters that have come to our meetings to learn. I bet we've taught close to 10 people how to knit. The more geeks we can create, the better we feel!

Anyway, back to the sweater.......here is what it looks like today.



I will post updates as needed.....and then the whole wonderful thing when it's finished!