Tuesday, February 7, 2012

All Nattering and No Knitting...

It turns out that I'm getting to know a lot of knitters.  And loving that, too!

I'm also getting to know a lot of folks who really would like to learn their machines, but they have roadblocks. 

Here are some roadblocks I've observed (and built to stop myself, too):

"I have to know everything."  You know this knitter!  She asks two hundred questions.  She asks some of the same ones over and over.  She's afraid that if she doesn't totally, fully understand how to do something before she even attempts it, she'll mess it up.

We're all dazzled by how devoted she is to learning, but she's creating problems for herself:

1.  She's worrying herself instead of starting.
2.  She won't remember the answers anyway, because she didn't knit and apply the knowledge.
3.  Because she's trying to work it all out mentally before actually starting to knit, she's confusing and overwhelming herself.

Do you recognize yourself?  Take the cure:  I challenge you to make a mess.  Please!  Get in there and knit something and stop over-thinking and over-questioning the process.  The bigger the mess you make (within limits, let's avoid pulled hair and stabbed fingers) the prouder I will be of you.  I challenge you to make messes until you make something, and you'll be amazed at how much you learn!

This may sound completely upside-down and backwards, but one of my strengths is that I dive in make such horrible messes.  I learn by making mistakes.

"I need to make samples first."  Aha!  It's Mr. Swatch!  I identify with him - after all, I'm always telling everyone that I like to solve problems by swatching first.  However, I've also found myself making merely piles of swatches.  In spite of all the lovely ideas I've read over the years about things to do with those huge bags of swatches, I have never made anything out of my bags of swatches.

Swatching is addictive, because there's always one more thing to try out.  Perhaps we need a 12-step program for us Swatchers. 

The cure and the challenge, Mr. Swatch - instead of a square swatch, knit a finished object!  Instead of knitting a swatch, knit a rectangular something-or-other, next time out.  Make a scarf, shawl, or drawstring bag to try out your new stitch or technique. Capisch?  Should you choose to accept this mission, Mr. Swatch, you'll have a finished product!

"I'm a perfectionist."   This one's not a roadblock - it's a black hole.  It's dark in there, too.  Nothing will ever, ever be good enough.  There will always be better yarn.  There will always be mistakes and flaws.  There will always be something about your latest Unfinished Object (UFO) that isn't good enough.  There will always be some other knitter who just happens to make something more interesting or prettier or more impressive than your project.

Challenge to the perfectionist:  Deliberately make something humble and simple and see if it isn't a healing experience for your soul.  This blog is stuffed with simple little projects, and after all my years of knitting, I'm just amazed at how fun it is to make simple little things, especially gift items. 

Next assignment - pick out a UFO and work on it, and get it finished.  If it doesn't fit, give it to a charity.  You might just surprise yourself and like it a whole lot more than you thought you would.

It's like sewing - once you get a pattern that you love, you can use it over and over for great productivity and enjoyment.  You have to make some mistakes and modifications to get there, though.

Now after my confession last night about the many, many absurd mind changes I made on the current book, I just want y'll to know that I finished every one of the prototypes.  They'll get used, and worn, and if they can each be just a little better....so what!

"I think I'm going to knit but I keep running out of steam first."  I have the idea that some of the knitters I meet are so busy collecting machines, and yarn, and shopping, and talking about knitting, and hanging out with knitters, and planning to knit, that they use up all their knitting mojo and the knitting just doesn't happen.

Oh, yes, I'm quite prone to this one, too; my weaknesses are Legion when it comes to knitting.  One of my life goals is to stay off that Hoarders show.  To stay out of the headlines, as in WOMAN SMOTHERED UNDER 5200 CONES OF YARN.  To avoid my friends saying, "She's all nattering and no knitting."

So marshall that energy; don't waste it nibbling around the edges with all that thinkin', collectin' and talkin'.  Next time you get the urge to shop, collect, yak, or otherwise massage your knitting cravings without actually making something, go look through the yarn you already have and the machine you already have, and get started.  There's a beautiful challenge in making something cool with the things you actually have.  And get a partner, a knitting buddy, and agree to each knit something by a certain date and time and show it to each other!


  

8 comments:

  1. I am laughing so darn hard! The "headlines" did it. I can relate to keeping from collecting (as much) and knitting more, guessing do a bit of both.

    When I received my first Brother standard I had no clue where to begin, so I dove right in and started my very first machine knit socks. I would not give up until I was able to complete the pair which took hours and hours over several evenings (and many attempts). Finally got it and can now turn out a pair in about 45 minutes now but, why rush? I have graduated to many different and involved projects and ideas (some really awful test items) but, my motto "never give up, never surrender" (that's from a goofy movie)!

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  2. I am laughing so darn hard! The "headlines" did it. I can relate to keeping from collecting (as much) and knitting more, guessing do a bit of both.

    When I received my first Brother standard I had no clue where to begin, so I dove right in and started my very first machine knit socks. I would not give up until I was able to complete the pair which took hours and hours over several evenings (and many attempts). Finally got it and can now turn out a pair in about 45 minutes now but, why rush? I have graduated to many different and involved projects and ideas (some really awful test items) but, my motto "never give up, never surrender" (that's from a goofy movie)!

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  3. My first machine was a Brother 830, and I promptly bent a couple needles, tried to knit with 4-ply, and did several other idiotic things. My husband went to a local dealer and asked her what we should do next. He came home with a proper yarn winder and a cone of 2/12 yarn in a light, easy to see color.

    Within a week, I have made a moccasin pattern. I really need to find that ancient pattern and publish it as a little summer slipper.

    Get in there and make a mess like Tom and me!

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  4. Wow, you hit the nail on the head today. Here I am reading about knitting when I have many projects I should be doing. Guess I'll get to it. You say make a mess. My sister in law and enabler in knitting and I call it making string. We make string together on many Saturday afternoons.

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  5. Okay, you got me! I'm the one who likes to know all the mechanics!! But I laughed when I looked at the instruction manual for my LK 150 - "practice latching up dropped stitches". I figured I'd find that out soon enough and started out with a kids sweater, and sure enough, I had ample opportunity to practice! Once I could keep the cast-on edge from popping off, it was full speed ahead and 2 hours later I had 3 pieces for a raglan sweater.
    I really do need to get better about swatching though. I made 3 kid sweaters figuring they would fit at least a few of my 4 granddaughters, but now I need to specifically fit the 4th one. Sigh. I really don't like the pattern I used for the other three so I'm open to suggestions for a 5 year old girl's sweater ("in purple please MeeMah" she tells me)!
    Hmmm, maybe I'll go knit a while....Brenda

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  6. Great post - I am all of your characters rolled into one - perfectionist who spends too much time talking, shopping, buying going to clubs and classes as well as "a need to know it all first" person.

    Oh and you forgot hanging about online looking at all the knitting stuff on the web! Downloading all those patterns and not naming the files well enough to distinguish them. Forgetting to save the images so the instructions don't always have a picture to go with them.
    Thanks for your insights.

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  7. Diana, i hate to ask because you have provided soooooo much information already and i thank you whole heartedly. i need to know how to change colors while knitting in the round on my new used double bed bulky brother. i just don't want to go back and weave in ends. please advise where i might find info/ demo on your site. And i agree, get in there and knit. thank you for your humor too. So very blessed i found you.



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