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Three lousy stitches

Yesterday, I talked about trying to learn how to knit and crochet.  I mentioned that I had bought a couple of books at the bargain bookstore, but had yet to crack them open.

Anyhoo, I was watching that knitting show on CreateTV, the one with Kassie DePaiva, called Knit & Crochet Today.  Today they were making socks, and they made it look so easy.  It made me want to dig out those needles and yarn that I bought a hundred years ago, and attempt knitting yet again.

This time, I consulted Knitting For Dummies…I’m certainly a dummy when it comes to knitting and crocheting, and it does have pictures.  It took me forever just to get the damned slip knot thing down.  After that, I was able to do exactly THREE cast-on stitches.  That’s it…THREE LOUSY STITCHES.  After that, I just couldn’t get it to work.  I haven’t a clue why.

This is very frustrating.  Normally, I don’t have problems teaching myself to do things from books.  Years ago, when I actually used to wear dresses, I sewed many of my own, without a single sewing lesson.  I had just bought a few basic sewing books, started out with some easy store-bought patterns, and I managed to make some pretty nice stuff.  I never got into any really advance sewing, though, because the machine I had at the time was stolen from me by a long-ago boyfriend, may he rot in hell.

I have a new sewing machine now, but I haven’t used it yet.  Maybe I should re-learn sewing, instead of killing myself with this knitting stuff.  It’s certainly easier, at least it was for me back when I was doing it.

Another frustration I had this morning when trying to knit was the cats.  Allegra and junior were nearby, and they kept trying to grab at the yarn.  Well, they ARE cats, and don’t cats like to play with yarn?  Anyhoo, if I do try again, I’ll have to find a cat-free place in which to do so.  That is, if I can FIND any cat-free place around here.

The other day, I almost bought a knitting book that came with an instructional DVD, at Barnes & Noble.  But I was too cheap to spend the $25 on it, I was afraid it would be yet another failure.  But I was just looking on Amazon for instructional knitting DVDs, and I think that this one looks pretty good.  It got lots of great user reviews, it’s only $12, hard to go wrong.  Maybe I need video instruction, it might be easier than trying to use a book.

The only other option might be to find a yarn store that offers classes, but then there’s the issue with transportation, as in, I don’t have any.  I don’t know of any yarn stores on public transit, and I don’t have access to the car during the week.

I think I might be better off with a DVD and privacy.  With my kind of luck, I might get stuck with a knitting teacher who is impatient with beginners, and that would be annoying.

So I guess I will order that DVD, and see how that goes.

Sadness…

I lay on my bed, looking up at the ceiling light. Once upon a time, when I’m laying down, my Mitty the Kitty comes to see me.

But he won’t be coming to see me again. He passed away Saturday morning.

I’m trying to move on, but it won’t be easy.  I can escape for a while, be it to Maine, or Las Vegas, but the fact is, my Mitty is gone and I will never see him again.

How will I live without his big, adoring, green cat eyes, looking at me every day?

Ooops!

It turns out that “Amanda” is a boy! I got a better look down there, no doubt about it.

So Mike and I were thinking of other names. He suggested “Sandy”, which is cute, but then I suggested “Pumpkin”, which is also cute. Mike started calling him “Pumpkin”, so I think that name will stick.

Pumpkin is clearly a kitten, as he is so much more rambunctious than the older cats..he runs around and chases them. Well, Sabby, Junior, and Little Mitty still run around and play what I call “horsecats”. When I’m down in the basement doing laundry, and they are running around, it sounds like we have a stable full of horses up here. Good thing no one lives downstairs, otherwise they’d think we had not only horses, but a whole wardrobe of equestrian riding apparel.

But Pumpkin is definitely much more kitten-like, in that he is so much MORE active. I wonder if he will grow any bigger.

Now I need to get him set up so that he can blog on The Purrfect Website, and also make him a Catster page.