It's not all about knitting.

It all started with... OBSESSION. Actually, it probably started with boredom, a kid in a remote area and clever enough to know that boredom was not acceptable. My favorite toy was an old washing machine motor and screwdriver and wrench to take it apart. There were dolls but you can't do much with dolls. 

Not only was my hair uncombed, my cousin had taken my toy.

Then I learned to read. BOOKS. A new world. That sufficed for a few years, but then I wanted to do as well as read. I pestered my mother until she taught me to crochet. I pestered my dad until he made me a knitting spool. The other kids at school showed me how to use it. My mom taught me how to tat and embroider. Both high school and my mom tried to teach me to sew. Both were too picky for me to enjoy the experience. I wanted RESULTS not precision. (Later, I taught myself to sew and realized a great truth. Your first learning of anything needs to be big picture, not focussing on the details. When you want the big picture to be better, then you will be ready to work on getting the details.) However, through all of the crafting, real knitting, with needles and yarn, remained out of reach. Our family weren't knitters. There was no traditional knitting expertise in our heritage. I bought myself a Learn to knit book (which I still have) but could not actually dredge up any enthusiasm for knitting a scarf. Scarves, hats, mufflers, even sweaters, are not needed or wanted in the southern Arizona desert. So I read, crocheted, tatted, did crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, learned computer programming, became a programmer/analyst - troubleshooter - oh joy! ... a professional problem solver, taught myself to sew again and then I discovered Barbara Walker's "A treasury of knitting patterns", "A second treasury of knitting patterns", "Charted knitting designs", "Mosaic knitting". Here finally was a big picture worth working on. For my first project, I designed a black lace sweater, using lace patterns from the books. Bought yarn and needles, figured out the gauge and caston, copied the various pattern instructions to index cards and I was off. It worked. I learned to knit and ended up with a wearable sweater and became a knitter. The big advantage of knitting over crochet is that it uses less fiber and is therefore cheaper to do and lighter weight, both big advantages in a hot climate. However, without any need for knitted items, it didn't really become a fiber addiction until I was making enough money and traveling enough to see all the wonderful yarn out there that I could afford, linen!, silk!, the colors!, the feel! Of course, I didn't give up my interest in woven fiber either. So I have a yarn stash and a fabric stash, oh, and a bead stash. I own a sewing machine, a serger, a quilting hoop, a needlepoint frame, knitting needles, crochet hooks, tatting shuttles, embroidery hoops. I appear to suffer from a fear that Hobby Lobby and Michaels will go out of business overnight and I will be BORED.