My Knitting History

It all started in college. I was sitting in my room, and a friend told me to come to the common room where she was going to help the RA teach people to knit. Being 18 it seemed like a reasonable use of an evening, so I went with her.

We got down there and she handed me a pair of size 8 needles and some amazing luxury yarn purchased at Walmart or a similar place. She showed be a very provisional cast on (which I have used on everything I have ever made until about two weeks ago) and told me to just cast on until I thought I had enought stitches. I ended with the rather awkward number of 48, too think for a scarf and too think for just about anything else. Then she showed me an English knit stitch and I worked in garter for about two inches. Next came the purl and I completed about six inches of stockinette stitch before she explained how to rib. Now this took several days to complete between class, two part-time jobs (one at a nursing home and one as a dance teacher), and a serious-but long distance- boyfriend.

I knit my firt scarf a few weeks later at a dance competiton. After that my friend bought me "The Knitter's Bible" for my birthday, and I proceded to learn from books and try things I shouldn't, like a loop patterened sheep, which my friend who taught me and purchased the book for me received as a bridesmaid gift when I got married.

Here is as complete a list as I can remember of all the actual things I have knit, not including practice swatches in something that resembles chronological order.
A red 2x2 rib scarf
A pink fuzzy garter stitch scarf
A two strand ribbed scarf
A drop stitch scarf
Two lace scarves
A garter stitch scarf
A hat
A blanket
Two shawls
A tumbling blocks scarf
A 3 foot long stuffed alligator toy
A skinny looong garter stitch scarf
A bobble yarn scarf (pictured below)
Another tumbling block scarf
Two pairs of fingerless gloves
Several garter stitch scarves for charity
A hooded cardigan for my 3 year old, we shall call her "Tiny"
A pair of gloves
A hooded vest for Tiny
Slippers for Tiny
A long twisted cowl
A long sleeved shrug
A kid's hat

I am currently working on a basket weave scarf, a modern log cabin garter stitch blanket, my first pair of adult socks (though since I only wear a size 6, I'm not altogether sure it counts), and my first real sweater.

So there is the not-so-brief story of my knitting to date. It's clearly more than 30 hours, but I am not going to bother quantifying it. Also I only started wokring with real fiber, as opposed to acrylic about a year or so ago, so I figure those projects don't need to be included in my pursuit to become a fiber artist.

How about you? How did you get started knitting, sewing, spinning, rebuilding small block engines, or whatever activity you choose to fill your "me time"-we'll call it that since I never seem to have any extra and it certainly isn't free-?