5 Things Knitting Has Taught Me
We love to knit. We knit as often as we can, when we aren’t knitting, we are thinking about knitting. Today I started to think about the
Things Knitting Has Taught Me
1) Making something with your hands is a great feeling
One of my favorite musicals “Sunday in the Park with George” has a line when Seurat is painting “Look I made a hat, where there never was a hat”. I think of that every time I take two sticks and some string and make a sweater, where there never was a sweater. It can make you feel like a super hero, even in the worst of times.
2) Making a mistake doesn’t mean as much as you think
I used to live in fear of making a mistake in my knitting. When I really mastered *fixing mistakes it showed me that a mistake was not the end of the world. In fact sometimes I’d look at a “mistake”, and like it (not always, after all that’s how I got good at fixing them.) When I did turn tragedy into triumph it helped me have just a little more confidence that life mistakes were not the end of the world.
3) Not knowing what you are supposed to know is good
When I was a new knitter, nobody told me that I shouldn’t jump right into cables, or lace or colorwork or sweaters right after learning to knit. I’m soooo glad I wasn’t told that I didn’t know enough, because I learned as I went! If I followed some knitting “order” (do this, then move onto this . . . ) I never would have made 1/2 the things I made. Just knit and figure it out!
4) A shared love brings people together you would never meet
I have met the most amazing, interesting, funny, wonderful people from all over the country. Our lives never would have intersected if it weren’t for knitting. I’m so grateful that this love of craft has brought so many diverse and fascinating people into my life
5) Perseverance pays off
In the Tortola sweater class, there are some brand new knitter tackling some tricky new skills. There has been some ripping, and there have been a few sweaters that got put in time out. But in the past couple of days I’ve seen knitter after knitter post amazing pictures of their sweaters. None of them every gave up. It might seem like a simple thing, but when we try something outside our comfort zone, stick to it and succeed, it’s a powerful feeling.
What has your knitting taught you? Leave me a comment and let me know.
When I learned to knit (friend showed me), there was not a You Tube, 5 zillion expert teachers with CD’s or local classes. So if your friend told you something that was wrong, or didn’t work out, you were told to practice, practice, practice and it would work itself out.. That’s good advice except for the fact that practicing doing something wrong won’t help you. I know people who don’t won’t to spend the money on a class so they struggle on and on. I have learned that it is quicker, easier, and more satisfying to go to an expert and learn it right to start with. I would rather spend my time doing something I enjoy rather than struggling on my own, so I try to take advantage of the help that is available. This works for knitting, cooking, painting, etc.
Sometimes I need to follow the instructions even when I don’t fully understand why.