Knitting Paradise

Okay I am so excited right now. When I was surfing the net today, I discovered that there is a Stitch n Bitch group right here in Rochester. Apparently they meet almost every week at various locations in the city: coffee shops, bars, wherever they have enough space. I really want to get out there and meet some new people that are interested in the same things I am, and it sounds like a lot of the members are about my age and pretty hip. Unfortunately, they had a meeting tonight but I found out about it too late. Maybe next week I can check it out. I'm kind of nervous about meeting new people on my own, but I know once I get there I'll have a lot of fun!I also came across this really great blog that picks apart knitted projects - it is freaking hilarious. I was sitting here busting a gut and the cat Marmelade was looking at me like I was from the loony bin.Oh, and I was also checking out all sorts of yarn shops in Rochester. There is one that has knitting classes to teach you the basics. I know how to slip knot, cast on, knit, purl, and bind off (I think, not sure if I do it the right way but it looks good enough I guess) but I have no idea how to increase and decrease and there is a class at a store on the 16th that shows you how to purl, increase, and decrease...it's only like $30 for 2 hours so I think I might check it out. I'm just not quite confident that I'm doing it right on my own.I wish I had a job so that I knew which store would be closest to me. I am dying to buy some new yarn and start a new project, and usually the store you buy the yarn from will help you through your project. So I don't want to buy wool in Rochester and then end up working in Buffalo. God, I worry about the stupidest stuff, eh? Let's all sigh together now and say "Oh Krista". Anywho, I think I might call tomorrow to register for that class. And maybe for the beginner one too, it wouldn't hurt to make sure that I am actually doing the slip knot and casting on properly.I borrowed the first Stitch n Bitch from the local library and it has finally helped something click for me in my knitting. My mom told me that I should be winding the yarn in my hand to help me handle it better so that I'm not constantly dropping it and picking it up again. Of course, I can never listen to what she says. Then in the book, it was talking about it and I tried it and at first it was a little awkward and made my hand ache but then it was like a light turned on and I got it! I really got it! And now I knit a lot faster than I did before. Which is good, because I deseperately want to finish my "summer" poncho...it needs to be done and I just hope to God that it looks okay because after all of this work it had better. I am making myself finish this project before I am allowed to start anything else.I had a couple of cross-stitch projects I had barely started, and I had even picked up my scrapbooking again (the honeymoon album is still not finished...I know, it's bad...I haven't even started our wedding album yet) but those have kind of fallen to the wayside. There is this great TV channel called DIY (Do It Yourself) and they have a hip knitting show on every morning...it's really rekindling my interest in knitting and when I see the projects I just want to knit all of them. They are so funky and they do so many cool things. Oh, if only I could just knit and that was all I had to do! Yeah, try talking John into that. :) Well, one can always dream...