Growing up, my parents worked hard to provide for us kids. As a result, we saved money where ever we could. One way they saved money was on our yearly vacation. Instead of flying to places like Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee, we drove. My parents would pack up our camper with everything we would need and then they would pack the car with myself, my brother, my sister and our dog. We would each bring a backpack filled with car-approved activities: books, coloring books, crayons, our "Speak and Spell" (the world's first "video game":), Barbies, cards, and yarn. I learned how to knit and crochet while on these car trips. I would have my mom start the project up in the front seat, and she would pass it back to me and I would work until I got it tangled or lost some stitches. Then she would take it back, fix it, and tell me how to proceed. I had no distractions and all the time in the world to work on it. At that point in my life I mainly crocheted and knitted straight lines, so I created scarves, potholders, and an occasional blanket for my dolls. 
As an Adult
As I grew older, knitting/crocheting was not considered "cool" so I would often work on things at home and not mention it at school. It is funny how things turn full circle. Now that I am an adult and on sites like http://www.pinterest.com/ I see some of those people that thought kitting/crocheting was uncool pinning things with the caption, "I wish I could crochet so that I could make this!"
Premie Hats
As an adult I have made some blankets for our home, as well as some blankets for baby shower gifts. My grandma started to make hats for premie babies in the hospitals (because they are cute and quick to make). I made a few and found that they were fun and very versitle. I could make a hat in under 30 minutes (once I had made a few) and I could make a variety of color combinations. I have since donated many hats to one of the hospitals in Connecticut. I have made hats for my friends' babies, including one who was born premature.
Selling Hats Too
I still make hats for premies and send them to the hospital, but many people started to ask me if I could make hats for them. They wanted dogs, dinosaurs, lions, etc. In addition to making the premie hats to donate, I have also started to make more specialized hats and have started to sell them. The money from these hats help me to pay for the premie hats as well as other projects I have been working on.
I am selling some hats on http://www.etsy.com/ for the first time. Please be sure to check out my etsy store if you are interested in making a purchase!
Beginner Premie Hat Pattern
If you are looking for an easy premie hat pattern to start with, this one is the very best! http://www.crochetspot.com/free-crochet-pattern-basic-preemie-hat/ http://www.crochetspot.com/ This is the pattern I use for my premie hat donations.
* You can change colors to make stripes, add flowers, pompoms, and other embelishments! This site explains the stitches and how to do each stitch!
