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Knitasaurus Rex

Letting go of Perfection

10/17/2018

7 Comments

 
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Our Knit-Along group had their final class last night and they’ve made so much progress. I’m incredibly proud of this troop of new sweater knitters. They’ve stretched themselves to try something unfamiliar, learn fresh techniques and expand their toolkit. But this has been a struggle for some. 
 
I’ve heard people worry about being short a stitch, that they aren’t getting the length right, that their stitches are uneven. If you watched my Instagram Live video this week, you saw me admit to making mistakes myself. (I failed to follow my own pattern.)
 
So I’m here to remind you of something:
 
IT’S OK IF IT’S NOT PERFECT.

I know we all want that flawless sweater like we see from Thea Coleman or Andrea Mowry on Ravelry. We want to get it right the first time, and never have to rip back. But this is the real world. We all have scars and flaws. We learn as we go. When we stumble and get it wrong, in knitting, or relationships or at work, we step back, assess our mistake, and try again to get it right.

How do we do that?
  1. Identify the issue.You know your project doesn’t look right. Maybe you have the wrong number of stitches. Maybe your eyelets don’t line up right. Did you miss an increase? Are you dropping a yarn over? What caused the problem?
  2. Assess. Can this be fixed further into the project? Is it even noticeable? Which is worse: leaving the mistake or undoing hours of work?
  3. Make a plan.Your plan could be to ignore it and pretend it’s not there. That’s cool. If you’re going to fix it in the next stage, make a note on your pattern so you don’t forget the plan (like I did). If you’re going to rip back and do-over, how are you going to do that? Where do you rip back to? How do you keep from dropping more stitches than you meant to? How do you keep from repeating the mistake?

(Pro-tip: this is pretty applicable to the rest of life, too.)

And you know what? People will find flaws in you on their own. You don’t need to help them along by pointing them out. When someone compliments your knitting, smile and say, “thank you.” Take the compliment with grace. They don’t need to see that one spot with the wonky stripe or the missed yarn over. You worked REALLY HARD on that; you deserve positive feedback. A compliment is a gift, and turning down a gift is an insult.
The pursuit of perfection often impedes improvement.”
​– George Will

Besides. Blocking covers a lot of sins. Block that ish.
7 Comments
Barbara Masucci
10/17/2018 06:47:02 pm

Thank you for asking me to help Ellen teach this class. It was fun, the people were amazing, and I enjoyed the interactions. It was an excellent experience working with another knitter, especially one who is so talented.

Reply
Kerry Heckman
10/17/2018 09:01:41 pm

Thank you so much for helping. It was a much bigger class than we usually book, and you made it manageable for Ellen.

Reply
Julie McNairn
10/17/2018 06:56:38 pm

I noticed #2 said asses instead of assess. Point well made.

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Kerry Heckman
10/17/2018 09:00:27 pm

😂 Oops. Corrected.

Reply
Mindy Forbes
10/17/2018 09:03:34 pm

Thank you. Reading this was a gentle reminder that if my knitting is a reflection of me and as long as I stay true to myself, it’s all good.


Mindy

Reply
Jason Gordon link
10/26/2018 08:42:40 am

Letting go of perfection might be the most favorable thing for your contentment. Letting the perfection go will lead to a more peace-filled life. You can gain confidence. You can improve your psychological and physical health. You can comprehend that you are a priority and thereby you can start enjoying your life. It can never be effortless to let the perfection go. But as it is the leap, thus, it can be possible to accomplish. Consult a proficient mentor straight away to get the best recommendations on letting go of faultlessness.

Reply
The Spooning Recipes link
2/13/2021 03:47:32 pm

Great readinng this

Reply



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    Kerry has been knitting for more than 30 years and has an unhealthy relationship with tacos.

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