I have been knitting a long time. 13 years or so now. I have designed garments, dyed yarn, knit many many patterns of varying difficulty, and still: there are things I can’t quite seem to learn! I thought I might list a few of them here in the hopes that you can avoid the same mistakes.
1. Knitting takes time: This may seem obvious but I still feel the need to ignore this fact every so often. I think to myself ‘why that will knit up instantly!’, or ‘I’ll have that done in no time!’. Let me tell you, it will not knit up instantly and it will not be done in no time. I’m quick (not Anina quick but pretty quick) but knitting takes time!
2. I’m finished: I am not finished. There is blocking to be done, buttons to be sewn on, occasionally seams to be sewn up, and always ends to weave in. This is not finished, this isn’t really even almost finished. Something to learn: your not finished until you are REALLY finished. And finishing work takes time too.
3. I should make a few more of these, it’ll be fun!: this kind of obsessive re-knitting is not as fun as I think it will be when I set out with a grand notion of knitting many of something. The end result can certainly be worth my while and I do like knitting something in many different yarns/fibers/colors just to see what will happen but it’s never been as fun as I think it will be.
4. I can have that done by x: I probably can’t. Even if I could have something done by the allocated date and time, I will probably leave it to the last and well…..see problem 1.
Of course I love knitting, don’t get me wrong, it’s just so much more fun if it’s well planned!