Forty Days of Fabulous - I'm a bit of a "knit"-wit

When I was younger,  I really wanted to take Home Economics in high school.  It's not that I needed to learn to cook or tend a house - I just wanted an easy "A".  Unfortunately, my mother saw right through my great master plan and nixed that idea every year, insisting I taking other pesky classes - like typing.  To make up for crushing my dreams of a high GPA, she took the time to teach me how to cook at home - which luckily I took to somewhat well.  She also tried teaching me how to sew.  THAT I did not take to quite as well.  To her credit, she tried everything - she tried teaching me on a sewing machine how to make my own clothes, embroidery, cross stitch, quilting.  Out of everything my mother tried to teach me, the only thing that stuck is how to sew a button on a shirt (and even now I hardly have any button down shirts).

However, I do have to admit that I've always had a fascinating with knitting.  I don't know if it's the way regular yarn can turn into a series of organized knots or just the cool sound the sticks make.  So from the "Things My Grandmother Never Taught Me" file - I decided I wanted to learn how to knit.

As with all projects I decide to take on, the first phrase that goes through my mind is, "how hard can this be?" I'll just go out, buy a do-it-yourself and I'll be off and running.

The side of the box says everything is inside for the beginning knitter.  So I figure - great! - exactly what I need.  I tore into the box with great anticipation and expectation; I could see it vividly - needles clicking, yarn flying, and in the end, a beautiful blanket for warmth.  So I open the instruction manual with high hopes...

WHAAAAAAAT?

"Cast on 57sts"...."K3,P2 rib"..."tack I-cord" in place: what does this all mean?  Where's the "how to put the yarn on the needle" instructions?  How do I make the needles click?  How in the hell do I even get started?  Frantically I flip from one page to the next, thinking I missed something.  But no - each page goes on like this in some strange, foreign yarn-language that makes absolutely no sense to me.  So since I can't read the book, I decided I just have to go to one of the more reliable sources for all thing knitting:  YouTube. 

Turns out "how to put the yarn on the needle" is known as "casting on". 

 This - by the way, took the YouTube lady about 3 minutes to do.  Me?  45 minutes.

After casting on - then I actually got to start knitting.  It took me about 5 views of about 3 different YT videos - but after about another hour or so, I was off and running!

I can't say that the needles were flying through my fingers like the wind - but by the end of the first day I made pretty good progress: 

By the end of day 2: 

 And by today:

TAH DAH!!!

What...it surprises you that I made a wine blankey?  It's winter time - can't have a cold Cabernet, can we?

So yet another off the list - I can knit.  I can't do it well; but at least when I'm sitting in the rocking chair on the patio I'll be able to bust out the needles and yarn and whip up more blankets.

Because let's be honest.  I have a lot more wine.