Hi All,
I bought the videos by Bev Dillon on knitting and crochet in 2005 (along with the "Idiot's Guide" book) and crocheted a scarf. It took me a third of the way through to realize I needed to count the stitches in each row- but my Dad loved his "curvy-ended" scarf anyway! I crocheted another scarf for myself, then a hat. Well, the hat didn't come out to pattern at all, but since it looks good no one knows but me! After attempting to make a baby afghan that looked like a spider on LSD was weaving it I ripped it out and went on to what I really wanted to do- learn to knit.
I knitted a dishrag, and then made the mistake of taking an expensive lesson with a bunch of others and got into a two circular needle in-the-round hat that totally got me lost when it came to the shaping part. I didn't have the money the expert said she'd need to teach me how to finish it, so I started on a garter stitch scarf, which I didn't like. I like Stockinet stich.
Then my father was ill in 2006 and I spent every day at the hospital. I had to use a wheelchair, and I noticed my hands getting stiffer each day. By the time he died in October of that year my hands hurt all day. In the next few months my wrists and shoulders got so bad I could barely use them, and was diagnosed with Inflamatory Arthritis (Like Rheumatoid, for those of you that know about such things). It's been a long road.
Recently, new medicines have given me most of the use of my hands back, so I bought the Nici McNally DVD and the "Answer to Every Question You'll Ever Have" or whatever crochet and knitting books and got all my stuff back out. I've finished the second dishrag I started in 2006, and am ready to start new projects. I have questions, and will post them starting today. I am so happy to be back doing this again!
Cheri