Sometimes Everyone is Dutch

I have been "away" for a while. ...just trying to spend less time indoors at the computer (since the sun finally made an appearance here in the Seattle area). I did not intend to continue my "Everything Dutch" fixation while I was "away". Nevertheless, I picked up Stitch 'N Bitch and The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller (who happens to be Dutch too). These are handbooks for knitting and crocheting. I want to re-learn knitting and also learn crochet. It is such the opposite of what I do most days - and it is a very portable craft. I love it!
In the beginning of each book, Debbie talks about her Dutch family. "My mother met my dad and moved to America when she was twenty-four, but for most of my childhood we spent our summers back in Holland with her relatives. [...] And whenever relatives were gathered together, the women's hands were always working." She says that it didn't matter what they were working on"[...]--as long as their hands remained in motion, for, as my grandmother used to say, 'Idle hands are the devil's workshop.'"
"In my grandmother's time," she says, "knitting was not just a way to keep one's hands busy--it was also a way to save money." This also seems true today. I have seen so many things in stores that I just adore, but I refuse to pay what is on the huge price tag. Plus, I've always liked to do things myself... maybe too much so, sometimes. Even if I have no knowledge of how to do a specific project, I still barrel on - sometimes resulting in utter failure. I figure I will either learn as I go and find someone to help if I get stuck. In other rare events, when my attempts have left me hopeless, I may go to the store and buy the ready-made object. I believe doing things this way is more rewarding and appreciated by myself and everyone else.
I taught myself how to knit a few years ago. I knitted a few scarves and then was engulfed in school work until I got my degree. So far, I have gotten further along in my self-teachings, thanks to Debbie Stoller. Her books are written in a light-hearted, amusing way. They make teaching yourself to do these crafts much easier than you would think it would be otherwise. She makes it fun to learn knit and crochet. I have re-learned the Knit Stitch and now I can also Purl. With those two stitches I can do the Stockinette Stitch, Rib Stitch and the Seed Stitch (Moss Stitch) (my favorite). Next I will try to do a design using the Knit and Purl Stitches. This photo shows a dish cloth I made using the Seed and Stockinette Stitches. It tuned out to be a dish cloth because I was using 100% acrylic yarn (the cheapest) - it makes scrubbing pans easy.

Here's a link to the Stitch 'N Bitch website: Knit Happens