Wednesday, May 7, 2014

making mistakes



so I was inspired by Molly of A Homespun House Podcast a few weeks ago to try my hand at knitting socks. Now, knitting socks is something that has never really appealed to me. I'm not a huge fan of DPN's (although that's changing), and perhaps more importantly, I didn't like the thought of finishing one sock and having to start the other. 

But I decided to give it a try anyways. And you guys, I'm seriously hooked! I've even joined the Homespun House sock KAL for May (more on this later...) But it hasn't all been smooth sailing. I chose a pattern from Anna Wilkinson, the Polka Dot socks because I ADORE polka dots. I have a copy of the pattern in German, which was really a bit over-confidant of me (new knitting techniques in a new language...) but I chose did it anyways. 

And I made it to the heel nicely. But then came this little part in the instructions when it came time to turn the heel. And it just sounded weird. I couldn't see how following the instructions would get me to where I needed to be. And so, I charged out on my own, ignoring the directions and assuming I could figure it out alone.

Now I know this sounds crazy, but you'd be surprised how often I do this. And not just with knitting patterns. I tend to regard recipes as lists of helpful suggestions that don't need to be followed exactly as well. Now, I do believe there is room for creativity when following directions and sometimes it works out beautifully, but sometimes it's best to have at least a basic knowledge of what you're doing! Needless to say, I had to rip out and go back to the point where I deviated from the pattern to start over.  

Recently I read this lovely post by Felicia of The Craft Sessions. She talks a lot about how mistakes are a part of the process of making something- ANYthing, but we don't ever really share or talk about them. And quite honestly, I couldn't agree more. So, while I don't have a photo of my mistake, I am attempting to stop getting frustrated with myself when I have to unpick and start over, and remember that this is all part of a learning process. And besides, isn't the process kind of the point anyways? 

related reading: my thoughts on process versus product knitting

2 comments:

  1. I love those polka dot socks! And the deviating from the pattern is something I regularly do as well.. I somehow think I know better than the pattern, haha. By the way, at the blog Hands Occupied you can find lots of helpful pictures of sock-knitting, maybe that will help visualizing the heelflap and turn? Good luck!

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    1. haha, good to know I'm not alone in deviating from the pattern! It's funny because once I went back and followed the instructions exactly, the heel worked out no problems at all. At least I learned something! Thanks so much for sharing about the Hands Occupied Blog! The photos are SO helpful :)

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