Wednesday, September 29, 2010

A learning opportunity

I'm teaching myself a new knitting pattern. For a reasonably intelligent woman, with a strong practical 'knack' I've been making a real pigs ear of it. Each stitch is something I've more or less used before, just in an unfamiliar grouping.

I pull most fancy pattern (ie fancier than plain knitting) out five or six times at least before I get the hang of it. That's normal for me. This time though, I'd done it so often the thread was wearing out. I thought the specialty yarn I'm using might be contributing to the problem: yep, a poor workman always blames his tools.

Then I had the Ah Ha! Moment. After several days experimentation and much groaning and unpicking, I worked out the problem: I'd misread a 1 as a 2. No wonder I was running out of stitches before I ran out of instructions!

After the first time, I must have been seeing what I knew was there, rather than what was really there. Which raises the question of where else in my life I do that. In the meantime, the knitting is coming along nicely.

Sent from my iPhone

No comments: