Wednesday, February 6, 2008

I Will Not Be A Guppy!

When it comes to knit & crochet, I can found, mostly, at the shallow end of the pool. You know, where the basic scarves, baby blankets, & even simple socks are swimming. Oh, I've dogpaddled out to the deeper end once or twice. I made a pair of "patterned" socks (Elongated Corded Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks) and a lace scarf, and I really enjoyed making them both. But, when done, I paddled right back to the shallow end with a bit of relief. When looking at other people's projects I'm likely to say, "Oh, I'm not at that level yet." What? Like I'm going to wake up one morning with the ability to do Fair Isle implanted in my brain? I am a hands-on learner; I know this about myself. Why am I waiting for some sort of notification: You may now proceed to Level 2?

This came clear to me the other day while talking about my upcoming vacation, a cruise. I was telling a friend about the activities I wanted to try. I like to do new things on vacation; things that I would not normally do. In St. Martin's, despite a fear of drowning, I took a hotel training course and went scuba diving. In England, I tried my hand at steering the long boat I was staying on. I was at the rudder when we went through the narrowest, twisty-est section of canal on our route, with boats moored on both sides. With sweaty palms, I got through without hitting anyone. Now, despite a fear of heights, I am planning on trying parasailing. So why do I save this "devil may care" attitude for vacations only? Why, if I am willing to hang by a scrap of fabric and lengths of rope, am I unwilling to challenge myself in my crafting? So I have to frog a piece; what am I afraid of?

A year ago, I bought the yarn and pattern for a sweater. One of Elsebeth Lavold's designs, Aud. It isn't a scary sweater, but OMG, I will have to learn seaming. I began and stopped the doctor's bag from Knit2Together because it needs a lining and I've never done that before. NO MORE FEAR! I have restarted the doctor's bag. I have chosen my cruise knitting: a lace project kit from Just Our Yarn for the Maple Tree Shawl by Karen Joan Raz. And I will start that sweater this year. I can do this. I may make mistakes, but that is how you learn and move to the next level. Or the deep end of the pool.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

You go KNITTER!

My palms get sweaty when I think of steeking. Perhaps...I too should take the plunge...

Summerset said...

That right! Sometimes the hardest part is getting the courage to jump in the deep end.

Marguerite said...

I freak out at the thought of Fair Isle. How do they ever keep the tensions even on all those strands? How do they keep the yarn from becoming one big tangle?

Toni said...

Good for you! I'm still trying to work up the courage to do steeks. Maybe this year!!!!

Anonymous said...

That is true of me also. Time to try some lace. MOM

Gigi said...

Woo Hoo! You go Caroline! The best piece of advice I ever got about crochet was to ignore the difficulty level of a pattern and just go for it! Good for you. =-D

Susan said...

Sweaters are awesome. Go for it!!!

Kathleen C. said...

Caroline,
You are so much braver than me sometimes... can't believe you're the same little sister we used to tease. (Will you never live down the splashing canoe paddle story? No.)

ErickaJo said...

Hear hear! There are no lost lives with knitting. No dented fenders. No black gunk to scrub off of the soufflé pan. There is yarn, and if you mess up, a quick pull will return you to the perfect state of the beginning. If only real life had only paltry consequences like the loss of silly time. Even then, think of the great time you had messing up!

Lora said...

Caroline...you are so fun!! Take it to the next level girl!!! YOU CAN DO IT!! If you need someone to give you permission, well, then, I, Lora, give you permission (I am a mom, I can do that)!! I'm sure a lot of the other people we knit with will encourage you to keep up the great work and build that fiber confidence!!! You're awesome! And even if you "Take it to Laurin" (a.k.a frog it), the yarn will eventually be something spectacular!