Last 3 days of the 30 Days of Knitting Meme

It's about time I finished this! I started this in what...February? And since I only have three days left and I'm wide awake I figure I'll finish them now.

Day 28: Do you do any other crafts besides knitting? What are they, and did learning to knit come before or after learning these other crafts?

(This question should be what crafts don't I do.)

I learned how to crochet a month before I learned how to knit. I was visiting my grandma, and asked about what she was doing and she taught me. I came home with an I hook and fugly acrylic yarn and crocheted funny little gauge swatches. I decided to visit her a month later and she said she would teach me how to knit! It took me a lot longer to learn how to knit, and for designing purposes I understand crochet better. Maybe because the stitches are like Lego blocks and are just stacked right on top of each other, but I just understand it better and the composition. Even though I can understand it, I wouldn't describe myself as being solely a knitter or solely a crocheter. I love both crafts and am grateful I know how to do both. (I know way too many people who can do one and not the other.) Sometimes I will crochet for a few months straight and then come back to knitting, and sometimes I can knit and crochet in the same night. It just depends. 

I also know how to sew. I learned how to sew from my mom when I was little, but I only stitched by hand. I wanted a sewing machine, but with elementary and high school, along with extra-curricular activities (and all my other hobbies) it wasn't feasible. After I hopped on the knitting and crocheting train, and found crazy mom quilts amazing designs I realized that I did want a sewing machine. I really enjoy sewing, though not as much as knit/crochet. I have a serger as well and just found the instruction manual so I will be serging soon. (I also found a pattern to make a little monster online that requires a serger. Perfect!)

My mom also taught me how to cross stitch when I was little. I like it, but it takes a long time. Since then I've branched out into embroidery, but neither are as serious as knitting or crocheting. 

As for new crafts I'd like to learn? I have a yarn dyeing kit, a drop spindle with roving, and a "learn to needle felt kit." I just can't get enough!

Day 29: Do you have any tips, or things that you’ve learned from knitting?

 Off the top of my head the only one I can think of is doing the cable cast on with a crochet hook. I used to do the "knit on" cast on technique, but when I was knitting a Blythe sweater the cast on row looked really bad. I never liked doing the cable cast on because I could never finagle it properly and the yarn would always split. The other day it dawned on me to use a crochet hook, and it works perfectly! So just instead of using the second needle, using a hook!
*KnittingHelp.com's webpage on Casting On*

Day 30: What’s your name on Ravelry? If you don’t have a Ravelry account, why?

My account on Ravelry is OnePinkHippo. I also have progress bars for my WIPs on the right sidebar. If you don't have Ravelry, I seriously suggest you sign up. It's not in the beta stage anymore and you can get an account ASAP. It's the best way to keep track of my stash and projects. My mom isn't too technically advanced (Baby Boomer!) and keeps track of her project details in a little notebook, but I love using Ravelry. I can easily access (as long as the Internet works...) a project and see what size needle/hook I used and what yarn. Since I love photography, it's also convenient to keep pictures on there along with all the details. One of the best things is that you can see what other people's FOs look like; hear their complaints or praises for a design, yarn, project; see different yarn; and talk to other Ravelers on their message boards. It's the best website I've found for people that share my love of knitting and crocheting. They recently expanded it to include a hand-spun yarn category as well as a weaving category.

Well that wasn't too hard, was it?!