There is no denying that handmade products, when well-made, look so scrumptious, that you just want to make them yourself. So, here is the story for Knitting for Beginners.
When I was a newbie knitter, I would see SO MANY jumpers and shawls and blankets that looked gorgeous, and would tempt me into making them. I would excitedly go to the local yarn store to spend HOURS hunting for the right yarn, consider and reconsider the materials and cost, visualize how my project would look like. Then I would think if the needles I had would work or I had to buy more. Finally, I would walk out of the store thinking what a great time was to be had making what was planned, and how lovely it would be to use what I had made.
Only to begin… and then realize that my project was WAY TOO ambitious for my skill and patience levels, and for the amount of spare time I had. Mistakes would creep in, and then I would be spending my time fixing errors rather than moving ahead. Slowly the project would be put away temporarily, and then with demotivation, it would be eventually abandoned. All in all, there was an expense involved, time spent, and a wide range of emotions felt – without the project being made.
So, what went wrong? In hindsight, simply put, I should have started small and chosen an easier project.
Spontaneously choosing to make something that looks beautiful and something you would like to possess or gift, should come with a lot of consideration. So, when I decided to make a baby blanket as a beginner project, I should have stopped and reflected upon multiple things:
- Do I have the skillset required yet, aka can I understand, visualise and work the pattern and stitches required?
- Do I have the time that is required, or will this be a 5-10 year project?
- Do I have the appropriate yarn and needles, or do I really need to make an investment?
- Do I have the patience to fix errors, or will my temperament be a major hurdle?
At that point, my answers to most of these questions were not a clear and honest YES.
And so, this is what I probably should have done:
I should have started small, and chosen smaller and useful projects like dishcloths, bibs, coasters and scarves. That would have helped me to learn different stitches, and more importantly get done in a matter of hours. And even if I went wrong, it could be fixed easily without stressing or belittling myself.
I should have started small, and kept going, rather than giving up on large projects. A beginner’s finished project, no matter how lopsided or hole-ridden, is a finished project and that is a good motivation to make slightly bigger projects.
Start Small, But Start! After all, even the largest granny square blanket starts with the tiny granny square 😉
At this point, lets talk – How do you start small to achieve your big dreams? Leave a comment or contact me.