On 1/22/2015 straitgirl said: On 1/22/2015 sfnative said: On 1/21/2015 kathoderay said: On 1/21/2015 straitgirl said: I can't knit, but I have crocheted for over 40 years, does that count. I've made 20 slouch hats I sold for Christmas, 40 beanies for the Phoenix Children's Hospital, 8 double potholders, and now I am working on a layette for my niece's baby due in spring. I always have 2 or 3 projects going at the same time so I don't get bored with one item.
Yes, crochet counts! 
When I started to knit, I had already been crocheting for years. Boy, did I have a problem knitting!!! I started and stopped so many times until I was watching a knitting show on TV and the MC introduced the guest knit designer who began to knit on camera. At this point, the MC said, "Oh, I see you're knitting Continental." Well, I had already noticed the difference and the second I saw it knew that that was the way I needed to knit and was the reason I wasn't successful to date: I had been knitting the American way versus the European way (Continental) - simply put. And this was owed to the fact that basically I was a crocheter, so was used to holding the yarn in my left hand and making my right hand with hook or needle do most of the work. Yay Continental!
I tried to knit before even crochet. I didn't enjoy it at all & found my needles were either a foot apart or the work was so tight I could get the hook under the yarn. So much for knitting. I found a friend who crocheted a little & taught me to single & double crochet. From then on I am self-taught & that was over 40 years ago. Haven't found a pattern I haven't conquered yet, and have even taught classes.
Oh, my, a master crocheter for sure! That's fabulous! I learned the same as you from my first downstairs neighbor as a newlywed. We had such fun times sitting her her kitchen table, with her teaching me how to crochet.
Two months ago, I ordered a kit from Interweave Crochet that included four different small skeins of yard, two of which would be used for each snow hat: one for DD and one for my SIL. The crochet pattern was interesting, which is why I purchased it: the top of each snow hat was flat and the sides stepped down. Like nothing I had ever seen. Problem was Round 1. The instructions have you completing Round 1, then adding 17 HDCs to a closed round. I was like "Huh?" Received no answer from Interweave nor the designer. However, today I received a communication from Interweave regarding a discontinued yarn and was told to please submit my query to that person. Hooray! There are some great CS people out there.