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A Knitted Sampler Built Confidence (2 of 4)


 At one point I ran across a compilation of patterns that my grandmother had, and I decided to try them all. Each pattern’s directions included a photo and were written so the finished products all had approximately the same dimensions. If you were adapting the pattern to a larger project you would just repeat from the beginning. 

 So I gathered up leftover balls of yarn from old projects and my grandmother’s stash, and I got to work on those patterns. What I found with the more complex patterns was that you really had to trust the directions because it could take quite some time before the pattern would emerge as pictured. And you couldn’t be reticent in pulling it all out and simply starting over. The fact was that I didn’t have any other aim than to try these patterns, and perhaps that made it easier to experiment. To me, they were like puzzles and it was fun to try to figure them out.

In the end I had a strange collection of knit squares which I ended up stitching together into an afghan-  a knitted sampler. The final product is far from the prettiest thing I've ever created but what I really gained was a confidence in my knitting skills. I learned that practice is the only way to proficiency. I also found a fearlessness in trying new patterns.


This shawl was created from a pattern found in 
Sock-Yarn Shawls, 15 Lacy Knitted Shawl Patterns by Jen Lucas.

 I'm convinced that this is a great strategy for starting any new creative activity: 1) gain the basic skills and then 2) gradually challenge those skills with bite sized, increasingly more complex applications. 
Practice, practice, practice. 

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