One of the main lessons I absorbed from knitting my first baby sweater (for a friend) is that mistakes are part of the process. Apparently, (grin) there are no perfect knitters out there. We all make mistakes, especially when we try something new. We can’t let the mistakes stop us in our tracks or take away from our enjoyment of the process. Okay, if I was a brain surgeon maybe I’d be more freaked out about making a mistake. Still, I’m one of those people who want my completed projects to be as perfect as possible so I can definitely get tense when mistakes occur. That’s when I remind myself that it’s just knitting. World peace is not at stake. I’m working to let that attitude spill over into other parts of my life as well. The photo above is the almost finished sweater. I need to buy a couple of buttons to sew on and weave in all the yarn ends but I’m almost there.
I’ve also been having fun making more fingerless gloves for friends and family. Love the colors in these gloves that I sent off to North Carolina.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Ooo – love that baby sweater, and adore those fingerless gloves! I’m such a sucky knitter – I crochet, and only blankies.
Elle, thanks for your kind words. Quite frankly I didn’t think I’d be able to knit at all when I started classes in October. I credit a great group of woman at my local yarn store for teaching me to knit. They are very patient and supportive: http://www.appleyarns.com .
Such a cute sweater. As for mistakes, lots of cultures have a thing about perfection. As mere humans, we’re not going to achieve it. And to try is not cool. Some quilters used to include a humility block in their quilts – one put together wrong on purpose so as not to anger the gods. I’ve heard the same about Navajos, and others.
We like to say mistakes add character. Too bad the knitting mystery thing has already been done, because you could be writing a good one.
Terri,
Good to hear from you!! I love the idea of a humility block. Now, not only will I think of mistakes as adding character but I’ll see it as a way to not anger the gods. I love that.
As for the mystery/knitting thing, oh well it just wasn’t meant to be. That’s all right I think you’ll find many of my future characters will happen to be knitters. I’ll just find many sly ways of slipping it in unobtrusively.