If at first you don't succeed...

Having just finished a nightmare project that took over 4 months to complete, I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate this blog post to those who want to try something new, or re-try something that they did not succeed at the first time. 

This project was mainly a nightmare because it was a totally new type of project that I never attempted before.

While buying the last few materials I needed for this project, I came across a bargain book bin. In it, I found the sequel to Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs, titled Knit Two. I enjoyed the first book, so getting the sequel in hardcover for $5.00 was a deal I could not pass up.

I started reading it last night, and found the page right before the first chapter to be particularly relevant. If you take anything away from this post, I hope it is this:

"When you're new to something-or you haven't tried it in a while- it can feel impossibly hard to get it right. Every misstep feels like a reason to quit. You envy everyone else who seems to know what they're doing. What keeps you going? The belief that one day you'll also be like that: Elegant. Capable. Confident. Experienced. And you can be. All you need now is enthusiasm. A little bravery. And-always-a sense of humor."

-Knit Two, Kate Jacobs

This quote not only put my experience with a new type of project in perspective, but also it ironically reminded me of my first knitting experience.

I decided to start knitting in 2005. I bought my first knitting kit to make what I thought would be a simple red scarf.  I wish I would have known about You Tube tutorials back then. 

To say I was frustrated with my first attempt to knit would be an understatement. I wanted to give up on that scarf multiple times, but I continued on, with cramped hands and crankiness from lack of sleep. Eventually I finished that red scarf. I wore that poor excuse for a scarf with its dropped stitches, inconsistently sized stitches and random knots proudly. 

Why you may ask? Because, there was a story that went with that scarf- it was my first completed knitting project. I guess you could say I probably felt the same way that a child feels when they make their first art project. Wearing it was like "putting it up on the refrigerator" for everyone to see.

Even though I was down on myself because the scarf did not look like the picture that came with the kit, I found comfort in the fact that my then boyfriend (now husband) told me that he thought I would be able to knit better the more I practiced.  He believed in me. He did not think that scarf was so tragic that I should never pick up another set of knitting needles again. So I did practice- A LOT. I even took some classes. Now I knit more than scarves.

I do go through knitting droughts where I get so frustrated with a project that I  hide it in my closet I find the ambition to tackle that pattern again. 

As it turns out I not only learned how to knit, but I learned more about myself. I learned about patience and the value of NOT multitasking for once.  I learned that having motivation, ambition and practicing something you want to succeed at is essential.

In the end these projects are worth it because each project I work on is for people (or inspired by people) that I hold close to my heart.

Sometimes I think that the people who receive these projects as gifts are willing to overlook those imperfections. I like to think it is because it is made by hand with love.

So, I encourage you to try something new, or attempt something that you were not successful at before. As Kate Jacobs writes, “All you need now is enthusiasm. A little bravery. And-always-a sense of humor.”

You may find yourself “knitting” much more than a “scarf”- and here is one of my first projects that was not a scarf:




  It probably took me 6-9 months to finish this set because I had to stop, restart, and stop so many times. It was completed in 2007. I was just happy to be able to make more than a scarf!

 

Tutu Cute

I have been neglecting reading books the past few weeks- but for good reason.

Either there is a baby boom going on, or I am at an age where many of the people I know are bringing babies into the world. It could be both. Either way it is an excuse for me to work on some of my favorite craft projects!

I was not able to take pictures of all the projects I completed before I shipped them out, but here are photos I was able to take of some of my favorite recent projects:



A colleague of mine requested that I make a tutu for her niece- one in purple for newborn and one in pink in size 3-6 months. She wanted them for her niece to wear for pictures. She gave me creative liberty on the shades and style, and this is the purple set that I put together. While making the purple tutu, I was inspired to also create the headband with the daisy because I thought it would be cute for photo shoots. I did not stop there- I decided to whip up matching Mary Janes.

 

Since I am all about cute baby things, I could not help myself and decided that the pink set had to match the purple set- but in the larger size. I shipped everything together with care instructions and a card with the message from my colleague that simply stated  (in colorful stickers of course) "I hope you dance." 



This set all started with the baby blanket. It is for one of my friends from college. When I found out she was expecting, I looked through my yarn stash and found colors that I thought would be perfect for her baby. I did not know if she was expecting a boy or a girl, so I decided to use the green shades and brown for something neutral. I still don't know if she is expecting a boy or a girl, but I went with my gut instinct (and this dream I had) that she would have a girl- so keeping my fingers crossed on this one. As it turns out when I went shopping for gifts from her registry recently the items matched the colors of the blanket!



Here is a section of the baby blanket from the previous photo showing all the shades of green I used. This blanket was my first attempt at the knitting technique known as entrelac. It took me a few tries, but I was determined to learn the technique so that I could get the cool weave effect and incorporate all the colors I picked out. This blanket took me several months to complete- but I am happy with how it turned out.



Finally- something for a mom! This is something I made for my friend from college who is expecting her first baby (goes with the green/brown baby set). This was inspired by those ceramic signs I see at stationary and boutique shops.  At the time that I first saw them, it was not in my budget to buy them. I went the cost effective route and decided to make my own version of those signs.