Looky What I Made!

I've been dabbling in knitting for a couple of years now. I had a friend who knitted in high school, and she taught me a little - I made a washcloth or two. And I'd made a few small projects, with more and less success, including a scarf that took FOREVER, even with a bulky yarn and fat needles.

But I'd never done anything beyond garter stitch or stockinette stitch (the most basic of basics, for non-knitters out there). So I found this pattern in a beginning knitting book that included twisted ribbing, but it was just a hat, so well, that's manageable, right?

This completely would not have happened without the kind guidance of Barb at http://sothethingisblog.blogspot.com/. She blogs about kids and knitting, and is really funny. And she's practically a neighbor, living in Long Island. She pointed me a couple of knitting links with videos (yay videos!).

So I started this at soccer practice Monday night. Knitted for an hour and finished the ribbing - but it didn't look right. Tuesday I ripped it out and started over, after watching the videos again - like three times each - and realizing I was purling backwards (don't ask). I finished this THE SAME DAY. It got addictive as I realized how close to done I was. I think it was about 3 hours start to finish. AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE PICTURE IN THE BOOK!!!!!!

I am SO liking this yarn. Of course, now I have to make at least one more for William (in dark grey), and I'm still debating the pom pom on top. Yes? No? What do you think?