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Yesterday, I bought this pair of fingerless gloves.
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| A little funky, perhaps, but I think they are full of awesome! |
Innocent enough. They were on sale, after all--only a dollar. And my hands are always cold... It seemed a good idea to get something so that I can type (and make jewelry) without my hands getting too stiff to work.
...That's how it started.
As I continued to shop, I started to think: wouldn't it be nice to have to have a scarf to match? And, as might be expected--I was, after all, in a craft store--this innocent thought led to the acquisition of a skein of yarn.
A matching skein of yarn.
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| Thus began my attempt to capture the true color of this yarn... It's labeled as "Rhododendron" and is a beautiful purple-pinkish magenta. |
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| It's a little more pink than it appears in this picture-- due to the lighting, I suppose. |
(Hilarious side-note... When I was at the store, trying to decide what yarn to pick, I was wearing the gloves. I kept going up to the different yarn candidates, holding out my hand, asking my friend--"how does this look?" The ensuing laughter definitely got us some interesting looks. We even got a fellow shopper to help us look!)
Also while out shopping, I acquired a nice pair of knitting needles--since all of the ones that I own are currently in storage, and I needed some size 13 needles anyway.
Now, this is where I should tell you that I've always had an interesting relationship with knitting.
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| Still not quite the color of the yarn... Imagine it a little darker... |
Every other crafting endeavor I have pursued, I have wanted to be the best. I am constantly driving myself to learn more, practice more, become the most skilled and perfect craftswoman I can be. I innovate, study. I have practiced bead-weaving, experimented with book-binding, taught myself how to sew french seams since I don't have a serger.
I want to be the best.
...Except when it comes to knitting.
I cannot purl to save my life. I do the basic stitch with a beginner's level of proficiency. I don't hold my hands in the correct way--to maintain tension, I wrap the yarn around my index finger, instead of doing it the recommended way. I don't try to follow patterns (because I can't purl anyway). I just cast on stitches, and make a long rectangular block until it reaches the length that I want.
And I'm okay with that.
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| FYI: this is not me demonstrating my technique. This is me showing off how close the colors are between my gloves and the yarn. |
I find knitting to be relaxing. In all of my creative endeavors, it's one of the only ones that I can just do, and not have to worry about.
I have given myself permission not to be perfect... and it's wonderful.
So, after years of not knitting, I am finally doing it again. It's amazing that my fingers still remember how... I picked up the yarn and the needles, and I didn't even have to think about it.
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| This is how far I got knitting last night... It's still not quite the real color, but very close... It's going to look so nice with my purple coat! |
Sometimes, I get so caught up in trying to make things perfect--make them the best--that I forget the simple beauty of creating something with my two hands.
Making something that did not exist before I made it.
Every once and awhile, I need to let myself be imperfect. That, in and of itself, can be a beautiful thing.
...And, to think that this all started with a pair of $1.00 gloves.
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Disclaimer:
When I state that I am giving myself permission not to be perfect, I am--of course--referring to the items that I make for myself... to prototypes and experiments. When it comes to items in my store, I will always make sure they are the best that I can make them. I wouldn't feel comfortable charging money for them otherwise!
...It is pretty safe to say, then, that I'm not ever going to sell my knitting! :D
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