Make Lemonade
I learned a valuable lesson about knitting (and about life) today. My husband and I decided to take a drive to VA Beach and of course I brought along my knitting. I was happily knitting alon in the car on my olive green cotton cable shell when I noticed that I'd missed a cable twist at about the halfway point from the begining to where I am now, which is at the end of the bindoffs for the armholes. Talk about a major bummer!
Well, I sat there in the car considering my options: (1) leave it alone and pretend that it doesn't exist (2) make this the back instead of the front and keep going - after all, if I make a mistake but I can't see it, is it really a mistake? or (3) rip it out to the point of the mistake. Once I realized that this was about 40-5o rows, I suddenly had one less option to consider!
We ended up finding the new knitting shop in Williamsburg (fantastic, by the way). I brought the sweater inside and asked if anyone had any suggestions on what I might do. Fortunately, they didn't like my option #3 either, which was a major relief.
A wise lady there reminded me about "Persian Flaws". The story is that the finest artisans that create priceless heirloom Persian rugs always include a "miskae" somewhere in each piece. The "imperfection" distinguishes a handmade pice from one that is manufactured by a machine. Ironically, it's in our imperfection that we find a hint of our humanity!
She then told me of a famous knitwear designer, whose name I can't recall, who swears that some of her most inspired patterns began with "mistakes" that took on a life of their own, resulting in her sweaters having an unusual, creative, if somewhat quirky, flair. Instead of trying to remove or hide them, she celebrates them by adding embellishments or other fun touches. Sometimes she even adds a few more intentional "mistakes" in random areas and the sweater ends up looking like it was designed that way! What a neat idea.
Needless to say, I left the shop much happier and much wiser, and with a renewed enthusiasm about finishing my sweater. Not only has my sweater been saved, but I think it will end up being even more special because of the experience.
I think Jonathan summed it up when he first learned of my mistake. He said simply "Knit Happens". So when my knitting gives me lemons, I'll make lemonade!
Well, I sat there in the car considering my options: (1) leave it alone and pretend that it doesn't exist (2) make this the back instead of the front and keep going - after all, if I make a mistake but I can't see it, is it really a mistake? or (3) rip it out to the point of the mistake. Once I realized that this was about 40-5o rows, I suddenly had one less option to consider!
We ended up finding the new knitting shop in Williamsburg (fantastic, by the way). I brought the sweater inside and asked if anyone had any suggestions on what I might do. Fortunately, they didn't like my option #3 either, which was a major relief.
A wise lady there reminded me about "Persian Flaws". The story is that the finest artisans that create priceless heirloom Persian rugs always include a "miskae" somewhere in each piece. The "imperfection" distinguishes a handmade pice from one that is manufactured by a machine. Ironically, it's in our imperfection that we find a hint of our humanity!
She then told me of a famous knitwear designer, whose name I can't recall, who swears that some of her most inspired patterns began with "mistakes" that took on a life of their own, resulting in her sweaters having an unusual, creative, if somewhat quirky, flair. Instead of trying to remove or hide them, she celebrates them by adding embellishments or other fun touches. Sometimes she even adds a few more intentional "mistakes" in random areas and the sweater ends up looking like it was designed that way! What a neat idea.
Needless to say, I left the shop much happier and much wiser, and with a renewed enthusiasm about finishing my sweater. Not only has my sweater been saved, but I think it will end up being even more special because of the experience.
I think Jonathan summed it up when he first learned of my mistake. He said simply "Knit Happens". So when my knitting gives me lemons, I'll make lemonade!
posted by Syd at
1:05 AM
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