Friday, January 14, 2011

The needle and the record

Rullsenberg has taken up knitting. Sometimes it goes brilliantly. Sometimes it goes less brilliantly. I found this helpful advice on knitting from the Yarn Harlot.
Are you bad at this (right now)? This comes up in classes I teach all the time. Knitters being really, really hard on themselves. They're learning a brand new thing... something they've never done before, and they suck at it. They'll angrily exclaim "Why can't I get this!" and I always answer the same way.

I say "Yeah. That's weird. I mean, you've been trying this new skill for 10 minutes. You should have it absolutely mastered by now. Bizarre that you're not perfect at it yet."

The truth is, that if you're brand new to a skill, you probably suck. You'll likely suck less tomorrow. Don't throw in the towel because your first (or tenth) try at something isn't successful. Sure.. you suck. You're new. Keep trying and you'll suck less. Later. It doesn't mean you're bad at colourwork. It means you don't know how.

Yet.
That, sometimes, sums things up.

Here's the work in question.

Rullsenberg's knitting

5 comments:

Jane Henry said...

Oh Lisa, that made me HOWL. When I was 6 an aunt tried to teach me and my twin sister to knit. She was immensely patient with us when kept presenting her with very very holey knitting. So many years later I did learn how to do it properly and sent her a scarf I'd knitted. I then went on to knit my self several jumpers at uni (I lived with a champion knitter, who like my mum can run something up in an afternoon). My enthusiasm waned when Spouse asked for a Dennis the Menace jumper made of mohair, which I lovingly produced, he lovingly wore and then one day mistakenly put it in the wash and it shrank to the size of a doll's jumper(-:

It is very therapeutic though, knitting. Maybe I should take it up again...

Lisa Rullsenberg said...

then one day mistakenly put it in the wash and it shrank to the size of a doll's jumper(-:

Now you've just made me howl JH!

Thanks for the sympathy. I had hopes of a stripey scarf - hello Joe in Vegas! - and all I ended up with was the ragged bit I produced (with some red wool darning to 'make a feature of it'). *sigh*

JoeinVegas said...

Don't be hard on yourself - that is very good while learning - (a lot better than I can produce)

Ms Heathen said...

As I keep telling Mr H, it's the PROCESS of knitting that's important, not the end result!

Keep at it, Lisa - it's a wonderfully therapeutic hobby, and what you've produced so far is certainly unique!!

Lisa Rullsenberg said...

Unique - yep, that's me! :)