Arts and crafts

This morning, I was drying off in the infamous gym locker room when I saw a woman wearing the most awesome gloves I've ever seen. They were red and fingerless with a cable-knit pattern and black fuzzy trim. Not the most practical gloves for a Michigan winter, but who needs practical when you look hot? I asked her where she'd gotten them, expecting her to say she'd spent $150 at some funky designer boutique in downtown Ann Arbor.

"I made them," she said.

Well, I, for one, thought that was pretty damn amazing. She told me that less than a year ago, she decided to take knitting lessons at a local yarn store. Soon enough she was completely obsessed and began dragging knitting projects with her everywhere she went. She started by making scarves, and before long, she was making blankets, hats, socks, sweaters, and, apparently, awesome fingerless gloves.

As I was driving home, my little brain began to think very hard. "Gosh," I thought, "I wish I could knit. And on another note, I have no idea how to keep myself occupied next month when I'm recovering from knee surgery. Wow, those gloves were cool. I really wish I knew how to knit. Wow, I'm going to be bored after my surgery. Knitting = cool. Surgery = boredom."

Well, it didn't take me too long to figure out that knitting would be a great thing to learn NOW, before the surgery. Assuming I don't die under the knife, I'll have lots of free time on my hands in March.

After a shower and some clothes, I was on my way to a local yarn store. They charge $25 an hour for private lessons, and the owner assured me it would be the best $25 I'd ever spent. So next Saturday morning, I'm going to my first knitting lesson! I'm a quick learner, so I think an hour should be all it takes for me to pick up a basic stitch. And from there, it's just a matter of time before I start making fingerless gloves for all of my friends. Right?