Wednesday, October 15, 2008

What I've Learned from Knitting

Patience.

And no, I don't mean patience from using thin yarn and small needles, making hundreds (thousands!) of stitches, or frogging something a dozen times before I get it right.

I've learned that I can tackle big projects a little at a time and make progress, and eventually achieve what I wanted, even if it seems overwhelming.

If you sat down and calculated the number of stitches in a sweater, a shawl, or even a sock, how overwhelmed would you feel? That would seem pretty daunting when you picked up the needles to start, right? But we all know that those projects are very doable.

My hubby and I went out to dinner the other evening with a couple we're friends with. I was wearing my recently finished top-down raglan (pics later!). I got the same response I usually get form non-knitters. She could never do that, would never have the time, etc. I'm never quite sure how to answer that without sounding rude or condescending. Even worse, I'm never sure if the non-knitter is implying that they're just too busy with more important things to take time out to do something like knitting.

I want to ask about how they spend their time, but I don't. I wonder how much of her time goes for television, shopping, phone calls, waiting around in offices, etc. I use that time to knit. No, I'm not Miss Productivity, but I do take time out to do it because I enjoy it. I don't expect everyone to enjoy it, but I would like people to be a little less quick to make judgments about it, and me.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

just only prefer to the knitting needles longer than 8inch. ~~i have no patience to use the small ones.
Great minds think alike. I don't know why i am knitting, knitting, knitting....no reason, i enjoy it. especially when i finish my fathers' vest.

Anonymous said...

I agree-people can be rude about crafters such as us! I don't knit-couldn't figure it out right!
BUT, I do polymer clay (and other things) and sew pillows. People act like you have nothing better to do sometimes, or like it's just a hobby and not important enough to be a "real" thing to do...my two cents worth anyway!

Kelley said...

Very well spoken, and a sentiment I completely agree with. I often wonder how people spend their down time when they comment that they don't have the time to knit. I tend to think they simply don't have the patience to learn to knit. So many that I've tried teaching get frustrated and walk away. I chalk it up to being their loss, learning new things is always frustrating at first but stick with it and the payoff can be hugely rewarding.