How does anyone start to knit?

Sometimes you learn at school, sometimes it is from an evening class, but most women will say that their Mother, or Aunt or Grandmother taught them.
 In my case is was my 'Nana' - as I called her - my  paternal Grandmother
 

(My Nana with my brother)

The first thing I remember creating is this horrendous ribbed skirt for my Barbie doll.  It was  red on one side and green on the other, made from odds and ends of yarn left over from some of Nana's far finer creations!  I even learnt how to sew it up and put elastic through the top so that my doll retained her dignity (apart from the indignity of wearing it in the first place of course!)  I think I must have been about 7 at the time.........

Sadly Nana passed away a while ago, but I inherited her needles.  I tried my hand again and created a few early 90's monstrosities of jumpers, but wore them with pride, delighted that I had mastered the complexities of cabling and aran.  After that I sort of lost the knack and desire to create something myself, pereferring to follow fickle fashion trends, and it was not until I had my first little boy in 2003, that I realised that I needed to pick up those needles again.

How hard it is to find different jumpers and jackets for toddlers and small children, that wash well, don't fall apart and are a little bit different, especially for boys?  And how amazing to realise that you can make things yourself.
 I surprised myself by knitting a beautifully cabled, hooded cardigan that my son loved and which my second son has only just grown out of.  

It spurred me on to continue.

I joined a knitting circle and made new friends, who offer advice and swap patterns and yarn experiences.  A friend then commissioned me to knit her a very special poncho, and so, from a childhood nickname and that first commission....

Cazknits was born........