Day 1
So, after my burst of energy and enthusiasm to start knitting (see my previous blog post), I’d got some of Laura’s beautiful Fireside yarn ready alongside some borrowed knitting needles, and I sat down with Knit How and a hot drink ready to follow the steps. After I’d read the introduction I was more keen than ever to get started, and on the next page were some diagrams of how to cast on. “Amazing!” I thought. “Just what I need!” But as it turns out, casting on was a bit of a challenge. To be honest, even doing the slip knot to start with took a few attempts (much to Laura’s amusement!)
However, after a quick demonstration from the expert I had another go, and with some help I managed to actually cast on! It might only be the smallest of steps, but I was a little bit proud of myself as I’d finally started my knitting journey. Next was the first knit stitches, and after looking at the diagrams and watching another demonstration I did a few stitches by myself - hooray! I took them out and started again from the beginning though so I could practice the skill of casting on and doing knit stitches again before moving on otherwise I knew I would forget; as I did this, I could feel myself getting a little more confident with each stitch.
I only got part way through when I had to get up quickly to prevent toddler mischief, meaning lots of my stitches fell out. I decided that rather than trying to learn how to fix the dropped stitches, I’d just start again, giving me another chance to practice and get better. Realising that I’m not going to be an expert knitter anytime soon, I took this opportunity to switch to a different yarn for my practice stitches and save Laura’s Fireside for my first project (I think this will probably be a simple square coaster - other suggestions are welcome!). So, when I started again (again) I did my casting on, my first row of 30 knit stitches and left it there until another day. On the one hand I’d done barely anything; on the other hand, I’d done the hardest thing of all: getting started.
***
Sometimes we’re in a rush to be really good at something, and we can be discouraged if we don’t get there straight away. (I get the feeling already that this is something I’ll find tricky at the start of my knitting journey!) But it takes time to get good at something, and if I’m not careful, feeling discouraged will just stop me from trying, which will stop me from getting better. Instead I need to celebrate the small steps of progress, enjoy the journey, and just keep going.
Is there anything you need to remember to take one step at at time? Personally, I think as restrictions continue to ease, I’ll be anxious at first about speaking to people in social situations again; I think like with my knitting I need to remember to take it slowly, break the big goal down into smaller, more achievable, less anxiety-inducing goals, and just keep moving forwards knowing that it’s not a race and I’ll get there in the end. What about you?
-- James