August 28th, 2007

What a splendid weekend, nicely extended by the Bank Holiday Monday. I read, barbecued with friends, drew, went to a food festival, and turned the heel on the toe-up socks. This last being the definite highlight of a bright weekend. It's been a while since I tackled a new knitting technique, preferring to stick with the safe and known, but I'm getting a great deal of satisfaction from these socks. Toe up rocks!

But I have realised one thing: if I read ahead in the pattern (and I noticed this when knitting lace too) I get all panic stricken and confused. Instead, I have to just follow the directions as they come, not looking too far ahead, trusting that it will all come out right.

This goes against the grain for me though. Whenever tackling anything new, my first reaction is to read as much as possible about it first. Often, the reading is as far as I will get - I'm a wonderful driver and gardener in theory, but in practise.....

However, I seem to have this mental block when it comes to knitting instructions. So I proceed at a gentle pace, not looking further ahead than the next couple of rows, trusting that everything will turn out right in the end. And you know what? It always does. A lesson for life, I think.