Why Am I Here?

No, this isn't a theological question. I started this blog as sort of a journal of my progress (and lulls), on my quest to become a knitter. Yes, as I write this entry I can technically knit. I can cast-on a few different ways, knit, purl, yarn over, PSSO, sk2tog etc. with the best of them. I can determine gauge and even follow a pattern, but it's all completely new to me. I still consider myself a beginner.
I have done several types of needle arts through the years and some time ago, I decided that I should learn to knit. I didn't know anyone who actually knitted so I made a poor attempt at it myself and soon tired of trying to figure it out.
In 2007, I made a connection that I never made before, knitting + Internet = virtually unlimited information. I spend at least an hour a day on the Internet looking up one thing or another and it never occurred to me to look up knitting. I soon discovered a handful of websites that make up my knitting arsenal. If someone were to ask me how to knit, I would tell them to buy a skein of yarn, a pair (or two or three), of needles and to log onto Knitting Help. Honestly, with the exception of a little book of various stitches I bought in the craft section of a local department store, I have yet to buy a knitting book because of Knitting Help.
I also found Men Who Knit, an online community for... you guessed it, Men who knit! This is a fantastic community with lots of friendly, helpful fellow knitters. It was some of the guys on Men Who Knit who inspired me to knit something other than garter or stockinette stitches. They are bold and creative and unafraid to try new projects, even if they have to frog the thing and start all over they are cool headed and determined. I think if I hadn't found this site I would be knitting garter stitch scarves for the rest of my knitting life.
So after all of this searching and learning, I started by making swatches (with the occasional garter stitch scarf for good measure). My swatches were for practicing new stitches and techniques, the scarves also had their merits. Some people frown upon a garter stitch scarf as a "waste project" but honestly I learned from them, I learned how to cast on, how to cast on neatly, how to knit, how to keep a good tension, and how to cast off. Because I used nice yarn for the scarves (I use cheap crap for the swatches), I also had some nice scarves to keep (just one), and give away as much appreciated gifts (the gushing over them made me blush because it was such a simple process to make them).
To get you up to date with me, I am currently working on Mary Joy Gumayagay's Liesel scarf pattern, and naturally learning quite a bit from it. I am frogging the thing for the last time (I swear), and starting over. Here's one of my lessons, I "discovered" the life line, the strand of contrasting thread you weave through the last row of work in a repeat so if and when you screw up the next time you don't have to frog the whole blessed thing. I felt like man discovering fire when I came across that one. I was beginning to have nightmares involving the Liesel scarf.
Well, that's pretty much my story thus far. Also, if anybody actually reads this, look me up on Ravelry as well, I'm on there as Asbjorn (sans umlaut).