Oh, you're funny, Lynn. My Swedish grandmother taught me to knit and I finally attempted my own sweater at about age 12; it actually fit!! Sewing machines and I do not get along, so in 8th grade Home Ec I talked my teacher into allowing me to knit a sweater. Reluctantly, she agreed but told me she couldn't help me if I needed to ask her anything. Mom couldn't help, either and Grammy was a few hundred miles away. I forget how any times I ripped rows out when I saw a mistake. It was a three-color horizontal striped cardigan - green, blue and small white stripe with a purl row in the middle for "style". I wore it for years! All the other needle arts I learned by following the directions. You do need a lot of patience, though!! -Linnea On Jan 26, 2009, at 1:59 PM, Lynn Vondran wrote: > God bless you all for being able to knit, and crochet these kinds > of things. > Remember, I admire anyone who can do this. I tried ONE time to > make a pair > of booties, and they could have fit an adult, by the time I was > finished, > and I'm the one who tried braiding a rug, and wound up with a > buckeet hat > :o) LOL! > :o) > Lynn > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to PADUTCH-LIFE- > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message

Yes, Linnea and Pat, I did knit a little after that. In fact a whole lot. I made one of those 60s vests_some of you might know what I'm talking about. You drop stitches to make big holes in it all the way through? They were really popular back then. I might even still have it in the attic somewhere. Lindsey even wore it for a while, about 20 years after I did. I crocheted Lindsey's baby blanket and still have it up in the attic. I actually crocheted two afghans, the two days I was in the hospital when I had Lindsey. About 18 years ago, I almost knitted a whole sweater. It was really pretty, with a twisted-cable knit center, and v-neck, but had to stop because of my pinched nerves in my back. My arms fall asleep at night, every night, and I have to turn constantly to keep them awake. It's not carpal tunnel, it's pinched nerves behind my wings, and messed up shoulders and knees, from stopping sports too quickly, and all at one time, when I was in my early 20s. Had to go to sports therapy, in my early 30s, for it, to learn some exercises to strengthen what I messed up by suddenly stopping everything so suddenly. That's what they told me in therapy, anyway. Got it all back into shape again, by lifting weights, to strengthen both knees and shoulders, too. Then, when we moved in here, 19 years ago, and I tried to get the attic floor spotless, I did it in again. When I look at that 5 foot by 5 foot section that pinched that nerve for good, I think to myself, "Why dya do it, dummy!" Mike said I attack my work. Guess I always did. I could still crochet, and I made Lindsey a really pretty bed spread, which she still has. I made that in the early 90s, when my foot came off the bottom of my leg, and I had to stay on the couch for 2 full weeks. That was the longest I ever sat still_but don't tell Mike that I went out and shoveled snow, while he was at work, so that I could feed my squirrels and birds. It was covered back up by the time he got home. WE had a lot of snow that year. Anyway, I have all those crazy, funny stories from then. Mike is right, I don't sit still, and then pay for it with all the pain I inflict on myself, from my LUCY moments. That's why I told Becky to be CAREful :o) Back to the knitting and crocheting. I recently gave most all my yarn to my father-in-law, and he crocheted me a beautiful afghan with much of what was left, but I have a few boxes of yarn in the middle room upstairs, for when I have time to use my knitting thingy_can't remember what they were called. It was back in the late 70s, early 80s that I bought this thing, where you put the yarn around these little pegs, and turn the crank to make small pillow button type things. You sew them together to make different things like bed spreads, scarves, etc. Rats, anyone remember what they were called. Then there are those things you wind the yarn around to make many little flowers to sew together_and Lindsey's Grandpa Hudock gave me his round loom to make hats and scarves. It's just finding time to do all this. Yes, that takes patience for me, with the crocheting or knitting_still can't knit a bootie. I really just admire you ladies who can do the beautiful little things with the yarn. I just got laughing butterflies when I think of cleaning the attic, and I am sitting here laughing to myself of that day. I stopped cleaning the floor, and decided to do the window frames. Well, my fear of heights, and being up on the ladder when Bach's famous da, da, da, daaaaaaaa...da, da, da, daaaaaaaa came out of my boom box loud and clear, and a storm rolled in like you wouldn't believe, cracking a huge sound of thunder, all at the same time, with me in this big old empty house alone_and with the doors unlocked downstairs_I grabbed the window frames, and froze on the top of the ladder. Guess what! Those hand marks are still up there_never did get to finish cleaning that frame :o) Just had to laugh at that. Wonder if I will ever get through all the junk in this house, before I'm too old to do it? Better keep moving on my photo project. Just needed a break. Need lots of breaks or I go cross-eyed! Gotta get moving again. Hugs! Lynn Linnea wrote: > Oh, you're funny, Lynn. My Swedish grandmother taught me to knit and > I finally attempted my own sweater at about age 12; it actually fit!! > Sewing machines and I do not get along, so in 8th grade Home Ec I > talked my teacher into allowing me to knit a sweater. Reluctantly, > she agreed but told me she couldn't help me if I needed to ask her > anything. Mom couldn't help, either and Grammy was a few hundred > miles away. I forget how any times I ripped rows out when I saw a > mistake. It was a three-color horizontal striped cardigan - green, > blue and small white stripe with a purl row in the middle for > "style". I wore it for years! All the other needle arts I learned by > following the directions. You do need a lot of patience, though!!