I think I'm in shock

Yesterday (Thanksgiving evening), my cousin Fred was looking at the poncho I'm knitting. He actually felt the yarn, examined it between his fingers, flattened the fabric with his hands. He took his time and looked at it like it was important. Then he said, "You know, you're a talented girl. This is really good work."

I'm in shock. When I knit my first pair of socks, one of my other cousins looked at me and said point blank, "Why would you knit a sock when you can buy them?" As in, just how crazy are you? I said (defensively, as usual), "Because I can!" Duh. Unfortunately, I always get defensive when people ask me stuff like that. (I'm not even going to talk about the shower curtain ironing incident - stop looking at me like that!)

Anyway, when he responded to my knitting like that, I felt surprised, proud, and like I wasn't knitting alone in the dark anymore. I felt so grateful, I'm going to find some really good yarn and knit him a cap.

I hope like heck I can get it done by Christmas before the really cold weather comes in. Cold weather sucks, even when you know it comes every year, and even when you think you're prepared for it. All it does is make me bitter.

FORGOT TO ADD:Fred's actually the second cousin who appreciates my knitting. My cousin Joseph likes it too. He said if I knit him some socks, he'd pay for it. I think he's trying to get me a knitting business started.

I told him no because if I knit anything else, it's probably going to be for me. But I think he deserves a hat too (I'd say socks, but it's hard to surprise somebody with socks if you want them to fit.) He has dreds though, so it's going to have to be a really big one. He has a lot of hair. I have a lot of cousins, lol.

How strange is it that two guys appreciate it more than the "what would you knit a sock for" girl cousin?