girl's (not!) got talent

I like to knit. A lot. If you know me pretty well or if you used to read this here blog before, you already know that about me. And although I like to share my work with knitters and non-knitters alike, especially on Instagram and here at WeThree, it always makes me inwardly cringe a little. Because when someone sees something I've made, I inevitably get the following comment that positively makes my skin crawl:

Wow! You are so talented!*

I know. Totally offensive, right? (Hello sarcasm!)

Yes, I know it's a lovely compliment, but that comment bothers me every single time for two reasons:

1. I am not a person who takes compliments well. (I bet you had already figured that one out.)

2. Knitting, at least for me, is not a talent.

Let me explain. 

I am a person who likes to follow directions. I am also a person who likes to make lists. I have notebooks chock full of grocery lists, cleaning lists, dinner lists, play lists, daily lists, monthly lists, etc. If you ask me to help you with a job and then proceed to give me a list of tasks to complete in order to accomplish said job, you are my new best friend. Because what I really like to do, is CROSS STUFF OFF the list. The simple act of drawing a line through a sentence or putting a check mark in front of it gives me unending amounts of joy that I can only imagine as being akin to winning the lottery. YES! I CROSSED SOMETHING OFF THE LIST! IT' FEELS LIKE I WON 100 MILLION DOLLARS!!!

I kid.......sort of.

When it comes right down to it, knitting is about following directions, aka, crossing things off of a list. You learn some stitches and techniques - knit, purl, cast on, bind off, make one, knit two together, slip slip knit, etc. - and then you follow the pattern. Can you see why this craft appeals to me so much? I get to follow directions, cross things off a list and at the end I have a beautiful garment that some actually talented person dreamed up in their head and then put down on paper in the form of a list of directions. That actually talented person is my new best friend.

I say all of this because people are always saying to me, "I wish I could do that!" 

Well.

I am here to tell you that you can! None of it is hard. It just takes time and practice (and, at least in the beginning, a fair amount of patience). ANYONE can do it.

Don't roll your eyes at me. Yes, even you can learn how to knit!

When I first got started with knitting, (thanks to my beautiful grandmother, Betty, and my lovely friend, Julia) I made a lot of scarves. And when I say a lot of scarves, I mean a lot of scarves. I made a scarf for everyone. And they were the most pitifully horrible preciously simple little things you ever did see. Knit knit knit, purl purl purl over and over and over again. That was how I practiced. Once I got good at scarves, I moved on to hats - another short project that required me to learn a few new stitches. I then proceeded to make a hat for everyone. I kept practicing and choosing harder patterns and spending time on YouTube (TONS of great resources on there for knitters!) learning new stitches and techniques and as a result, I am now able to manage bigger and harder projects.

But not because I have a special talent. 

The reason that I can make a sweater is because I worked at it and didn't give up even when I wanted to throw my needles and yarn at the wall because I dropped yet another stitch. (So dramatic!) Truly, the reason I can make a sweater is because I first made a lot of crappy scarves and hats. End of story.

Since I have been doing all of this practicing over the last several years, this past January I declared 2018 to be "The Year of the Sweater."  I had previously only knit one adult-sized sweater that turned out well and one adult-sized sweater that turned out horribly misshapen and definitely unwearable. I also, quite selfishly, declared 2018 "The Year of the Sweater(s) That I Will Keep for Myself." Normally I give away the majority of my projects because it makes me happy to make something for someone that is practical and useful and beautiful. But this year, most of my projects have gone, or are soon headed, directly into my closet. I've accomplished a fair amount since January because knitting helps me deal with stress, keeps my hands busy, helps me be quiet (please refer to my last post for why this is so important) and just plain makes me happy. The fact that there is (usually) a usable and lovely piece of clothing at the end is just icing on the cake. 

If you, too, like to follow directions and cross things off of lists, I highly recommend learning how to knit. I can teach you!** Here are some cool things you can make after you finish all your crappy scarves and hats. 

Andrea Mowry is one of my very favorite designers. This is her Weekender sweater that I finished back in January. I'm casting on her Go! hat this weekend.

This as-yet unfinished sweater is Humulus by another one of my favorites, Isabell Kraemer (find her on Ravelry - a knitting website/community). I love the little color detail on the sleeves.

I've been working on this sweater since February. It still needs buttons, blocking (that means you wash it, stretch it to the final measurements and shape, and then let it dry) and a whole lot of ends woven in. This is the Aileas Cardigan also by Isabell Kraemer. More fun details in the faux cables, pockets and collar.

T-shirts are  my favorite so I decided to knit one. I made most of my progress on this as we were driving from Virginia to New Hampshire to Vermont and back to Virginia back in June.  This is the NOTICE (spring) sweater by Ankestrick (you can find her on Instagram or Ravelry).

 This is my most recent project, the Nutkin sweater by Clare Mountain, found in Issue 5 of Laine magazine. Such a beautiful publication and some really great projects. I am still working on the collar and the whole thing needs to be blocked and then pieced together, but this is definitely my new favorite. Hoping to finish it up in the next week. The next photo shows a better shot of the pretty details of this one.

I'm such a sucker for details!

 

My pile of sweaters was created one stitch at a time, one row at a time, one YouTube video at a time. It just takes practice!

Hoping this will inspire you to create something today whether your passion is art, music, words, or even following directions.

*If you comment on this post and tell me that I'm talented, I promise I will turn right into a three-year-old, stick my fingers in my ears and yell "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA." Practice and perseverance. Practice and perseverance.

**I really can teach you! If you're interested, I'll provide a starter kit, a lesson and endless amounts of helpful YouTube videos, advice and encouragement.