Thursday, January 18, 2007

Knitting Thought of the Day

Knitting is like raising children. Everybody is an expert and prepared to tell you the best way to do it, which is of course their way. Do it your way. As long as it's turning out the way you want, you are doing it right. If it isn't, adjust accordingly. Your way. You can look at what other people do for ideas, but you don't have to copy them.

This is another THANG that makes me NUTS. The Knitting Police. The ones who tell other knitters dumb crap like that they "Aren't purling right," when the stitch is turning out fine. If you "aren't purling right" you'll see it. If the stitch is not twisted or otherwise distorted, obviously you are doing it right. It doesn't matter how you get there, use whatever motions are easiest for you. This isn't the friggin' Olympics, nobody deducts points for style. But I've seen threads on KR fretting about "knitting styles" wanting to label their style as Something Official, and so many people eager to help the poor befuddled one analyze and name that style, as if it matters to the finished product. It doesn't. I have been knitting since I was 8 years old, that is, oh my God, 40 years, and even I don't know what Style I am. I move the yarn with my left hand, so that's Continental-ish, but I wasn't taught in any formal class, the Aunts just showed me how to make a stitch and not twist it by accident, and left me to figure it out. My formal knitting training was a couple of rainy afternoons when I was 8. I had learned to crochet already so moving the yarn with my left hand felt natural to me. I don't know if any of the aunts knitted that way, I never paid attention. I don't know how to knit "right." If I'm doing a long stretch of purls I move the yarn with my thumb. I'm fine with my self-taught style because it's fast and not hard on hands that are already carpal tunnel challenged and produces nice even stitches, but I don't know what the hell it is, and I can't teach it to anyone else.

I wish I could share work issues here, but maybe one of these days I will be able to. All I want is a little stability, the confidence to buy a new car, an idea of whether I should stay and remodel the bathroom, or continue to get this place ready to put on the market. I have no clue.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Get out of Dodge! Seriously, why stay in FL? You're too young not to love what you do and where you live. Sell all your shit, pack up the rest and GO. Some days, I wish I could!

Anonymous said...

ay, chica. try and enjoy the unknown middle. there's no action that you can take right now (so long as you're contemplating staying with the co. as a possibility) and no need to take any action, either. it can really be quite freeing and allow you to squirrel the $$ away in the meantime.
Also, and unrelated, strikker of blog of the same name, will be in your town Friday 1/25. I'm heading up to meet up and am wondering if you can free yourself from the ass-ferrets at a reasonable hour maybe imbibe something or other? I hope to convince her to visit your haunts (casuelle & Sip n knit) earlier in the day. let me know...
hoping things get resolved to your satisfaction and soon...

Catherine said...

Caroline, that's exactly what I'm doing. Banking the bucks as fast as I can, cutting expenses and offloading overhead possessions. I'm in this for the duration, I have fallback positions. I'm preparing to move. Or stay. But either way it will be in a cleaner, simpler world.

Catherine said...

Next Friday? I'm clear so far. Where shall we meet?

Catherine said...

Mac, do I have a story on that for you! While my husband was undergoing one of the many surgeries, I was sitting in the waiting room, knitting, minding my own business. Some woman sat down next to me, watched me knit, and then announced that, "You knit funny." I was used to this by now, having knitted in my share of waiting rooms, so I shrugged her off with, "It's how I was taught as a child." She insisted that it was funny, it was wrong, because she learned to knit three months ago and I didn't knit like they do it in the books. So it was wrong. And she would NOT STFU about it. I mean, seriously, she is so lucky to be alive today, but only the thought that I would have to explain it in court kept an Addi circ out of her heart. Though I probably would have gotten off on the "She needed killin'" defense, because Good God, my husband was undergoing surgery for a massive renal met that had fractured his femur, and some stranger in a waiting room was bitching at me about my knitting?