Hubris
Wednesday September 05th 2007, 12:58 pm
Filed under: Knit

I got a good start on Johnna’s shawl.  At the 48-stitch point, I thought, you know, better count those…  But why?  C’mon, I know I did those increases right, it’s not like this is rocket science!  I did a brief check without paying enough attention to the doubled strands, which of course tend to tangle stitches over each other on the needles if you’re being in a careless hurry.  It went past 48, and I just figured I hadn’t been paying attention anyway, so I must have missed a stitch or two in my hurry.  Eh.  Whatever.  I went merrily on.

It wasn’t till I hit what was supposed to be 193 stitches, and had 204 (still didn’t know that) so that the  new pattern section came out totally hashed, that I found out what I’d done: I’d cast on with 13 instead of 12.  Wayyy back there at the beginning.  I frogged just a bit, trying to finagle it, which is the point at which I snapped this shot, and then started knitting it again.  Stopped, looked at it, realized how bad my fudging job looked, and finally gave in to the inevitable and frogged all the way back down to the cast on.

One simple single stitch, all by itself.  Just one.  One quarter of an inch, max.  And everything built on top of that, over and over and over, until the whole thing was way over in left field.   All I had had to do was stop and take a full accounting of where I was going, while I was so sure I knew what I was doing that I ignored my inner gut check and kept right on, thinking I was following the instructions.

I love the way knitting gives occasional life metaphors.  I also love the fact that when it doesn’t work out right, you can rip the thing all the way back to the beginning, painful though it may be, and start fresh.

You should see it now.  More pictures later as there’s more and more to show off.

Well, THAT didn’t work!


7 Comments so far
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Knitting has helped me to slow down, think things out and given me more patience. I was a basket case before I started knitting

Comment by Sonya 09.05.07 @ 1:21 pm

Isn’t it wonderful, how in knitting you can start over and make everything better? I wish that life could be that way!

Comment by Karen in Oregon 09.05.07 @ 1:57 pm

Wow, you’ve really fallen off that pedistal I had you on! (just kidding!)

That happends to me EVERYTIME I attempt lace. I’ll try again… soon…

Comment by Amanda 09.05.07 @ 5:59 pm

remember I am the one who sucks at knitting – I can’t do a simple trellis pattern!!! And I can’t figure out what I keep doing wrong – and it has to be the same thing every time I am sure…

I have ripped out my shawl (not one of your patterns btw ;0 ) 8 times now – and haven’t completed one stinking ball of yarn yet!!

So I totally understand what you are saying 😀

Comment by rho 09.05.07 @ 7:05 pm

How comforting that things are salvageable in knitting. If we have the patience, that is. Like Sonya, knitting is where I learned patience.

Kathy W

Comment by Kathy W 09.06.07 @ 9:35 am

I count on ripping back at least twice on every shawl I do. “For the want of a stitch a row was lost, for want of a row – there goes the knitting!”. If you could only get a “do over” on other things in life.

Comment by Judy 09.06.07 @ 11:46 am

I can so totally relate to this. I’m sure, sure, sure that I’ve got it right, and that’s when I eat the humble pie!

Comment by Renee 09.07.07 @ 10:07 am



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