Monday Musings
Lesson One: Following a PatternLast week I knitted Fetching. Kind of. As I picked up my needles I thought "Good - a well written pattern, I can knit from beginning to end without any maths, adjustments or in fact, thinking.
As I cast on I caught myself thinking: I wonder if this would work with an Italian cast-on...
As I knitted the cuff I caught myself thinking: I don't really like my mitts long - maybe I'll stop at 12 rows...
Having reached the thumb I caught myself thinking: I really do prefer gusset-increase to an afterthought thumb...
And I left off the picot edging.
I can read a pattern, I can even write a pretty fair pattern. But somehow, I can't bring myself to follow a written pattern word for word, beginning to end. As soon as I start I find myself tweaking here and adjusting there. Four rows more, two stitches less, in the round rather than flat, toe-up instead of cuff-down. I think this is why I spend rather more of my time thinking about knitting, and frogging my knitting rather than actually knitting.
Somewhere out there is a pattern which I will follow stitch for stitch. In the meantime, I keep my notebook handy and spend much time examining socks - trying to figure out what I did to the first one so I can attempt to knit a second which matches.
Ciao :-)
Last week's Monday Musings
Labels: Monday Musings
posted by dianemulholland @ 9:19 pm
4 Comments:
LOL!!!! I used to follow patterns once upon a time, but like you I often find myself changing a few bits here and there - or combining two patterns which are almost right to make one which is perfect!!!!
I aspire to be like you!! I have to stick so strictly to a pattern so I don't stuff up. I'm still a beginner I guess ... but I'm getting there (thanks to you oh master knitter).
*L* You may spend more time thinking about your knitting, or frogging your knitting but you are truely enjoying your knitting ; )
I know exactly what you mean. I'm a perpetual pattern tweaker, but I think that's a good thing :)
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