Today I’ve been listening to podcasts over at Knitcast. My excuse is that I’m researching podcasts for work, getting a feel (or is that an ‘ear’?) for them and considering whether I’ll have a go at making some myself. So far it’s been very enjoyable research. Hehe.

Most of the knitcasts have been interviews, and nearly all begin with the question “when and how did you learn to knit?”. The answers are all similiar. Like most of the interviewees, I learned to knit as a child. I don’t remember what age I was, however. I learned to knit and crochet at about the same time. I know I was taught one of the two at school, because I can remember my nana being disappointed that she didn’t teach me first!

All the women in my family, on both sides and in all generations, were enthusiastic crafters. I’ve often said that between my mother, myself and my aunt we’ve got just about every craft covered.

At secondary school, I used to knit fingerless gloves and sell them to my fellow students. I took months to slowly knit myself a ribbed piano keys scarf – which I still have. Then I took even longer to knit a pastel aqua bat-winged fuzzy fake mohair jumper with buttons down the shoulders and arms – which I eventually gave to an op shop in utter embarrassment at my terrible 80s taste.

I wasn’t a particularly fast knitter, and that jumper seemed to dry up the last of my enthusiasm for knitting. Then three to four years back I noticed that beanies were back in. I bought a tan coloured cabled one from a market stall run by little old ladies. It matched my fake sheepskin coat. I loved that beanie, and was devastated when realised I’d I left it behind in a local cinema and it was never found by the staff (or so they claimed).

So I decided I’d knit one myself and dug up my old books and needles. In the search for similar yarn, I went to Spotlight. I noticed that all the staff were wearing fluffy, feathery knitted scarves in lovely colours. Then I noticed the customers were all wearing fluffy, feathery knitted scarves. Then I noticed the scary crowd of panting women elbowing each other around shelf of the fluffy, feathery yarn. And I decided right then that this had obviously gone beyond fashion into fad, and I wouldn’t be seen dead in one of these fluffy, feathery scarves. I headed straight for the ‘normal’ yarn.

After knitting my replacement beanie, well, I needed a scarf to wear with it. And then a black beanie and matching scarf to wear on more formal occasions. Then a friend loaned me a Kaffe Fasset book and I raided every op shop in a 10 km radius so I could afford to make one of his triangular shawl patterns. Then came the fateful day when I typed “knitting” into google and discovered blogs. And E-bay. And s’n’b.

At that point there was no looking back.