It started with.....

My knitting-adventure started years ago in the late 70's when I was studying Social Studies.I was 19 at that time, living on my own in a very small room and very alternative in a way. It seems to me that almost everyone was knitting at that time and we even knitted during our lessons sociology and patterns were shared with everyone. I was a very crafty boy when I was young. No matter as it was drawing, painting, handicrafts with old boxes, ceramics,macrame (O, those plant hangers were everywhere and I was very into big walldecorations knotted with thick hemp yarn and handmade big beads from raw clay) I loved everything. So one day I asked my mum to teach me how to knit after I had learned to crochet from an aunt of me. She was a very good knitter; not really difficult items but she was very precise. We went to the departmentstore called HEMA and there we bought needles and dark brown 100 wool yarn. I still have those needles. They are made from yellow plastic, size 5. We also bought a patternbook and I chose a simple V-neck sweater in stockinette stich combined with knit stitches. It came out beautiful and my mother sewed everything beautiful together (as she usually did with all my knitted items) Later I embroided a big bird on it and gave it to a friend of that time and she really loved to wear it. After my first attempt nothing ever could stop me from knitting almost every spare moment. It was scarves, hats, cardigans, a sweater for my first boyfriend (plain natural with several structure stitches in it) and much, much more. I love, loved, loved it... And than.. it sort of stopped for many years. But I always kept my needles, some yarn and some patterns in the drawers from my workdesk for..... In 2001 we were on holiday on the Shetland Islands (long story why we went there, will be written another time) and we made friends over there. Pennie knew a lot about yarn and I even visited Jamieson and Smith and bought some yarn. But the knitting virus didn't hit me at that time but came back about 4 years ago and since than almost not a single day goes by without knitting. I know exact the moment when I picked up the needles for the first time and found out that how to knit was still at my hard disk and that the connection was there with my mum who taught me to knit so long ago (she passed away in 2001). And there was the Internet and the combination with knitting was so incredible. We did start our knitted landscape project which was so exiting.Evelien and I visited the first SnB show in Rotterdam and we were hooked by everything. All those handdyed yarns, bamboo needles, sockpatterns and all those people knitting beautiful items. So.. I started buying yarns again and.. more. more... more.. and it is almost everywhere. It sort of takes over the house.... Herunder a picture from a very little part of my stash and there is even more upstairs and downstairs in big boxes..... I have......... Rauma yarns, handyded sock yarns, merino yarns, 100 % bamboo, silk yarn, metal yarn, reflecting yarn, silk ribbon yarn, Noro Kureyon, Finnish natural wool, cotton in various colours,Wollmeise yarn and.... and............ And than there is the worldwide knitting community which also needs to be contacted every now and than and blogs to be read. One of my long time favourites is: The Panopticum and o boy.., this man can knit extremely well, write extremely good and draw the most amazing funny catoons, photographs 1000 knitters and (almost) naked menwho knit....and he lives together with a darling sheep called Dolores........ Last week I got a very special signature from Franklin to stick in his cartoonbook It itches so I guess I am the only one in Holand with a signed copy :-) (tried to get the photo right but... nope) But there was more post from the Men knitting Front as this button and photo from Kyle (thnks Kyle) I would love to attend such a meeting as the Men's Knitting Retreat but I think I have to wait till I get my pension. Having this button is also a sort of feeling being in the group. I am now off to do some knitting at my Daniel.....