I Can Start, and Finish, Hard Things

A few years ago, I had a big birthday and one of the things I did to celebrate and make the year meaningful was a little project called My Year of Fifty.   That was so fun!  One of my goals that year was to learn to knit and I took this class at the community college to help me along.  I had hoped to complete a scarf during the class, but alas, seems I am a very slow knitter and it took many months.  I can't believe I don't have a picture of the finished product, so you'll just have to use your imagination, but it's a lovely mustardy color.

After I finished that scarf, I made another scarf (again no picture), and then my friend j'Nae taught me how to make these nifty dishcloths, and man oh man, have I become the dishcloth queen!!!  I mean, really, I can make dishcloths like nobody's business.  I love how quickly I can knit these up and how wonderful they are to use in the kitchen.  I've made them for myself and lots of friends.  This is really my kind of project, because they're practical and easy.  I can watch tv or talk with friends, while I knit and I don't have to count stitches or feel that stress level rising because I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing.   Easy, easy.  Yep, I love knitting dishcloths.

But the one thing I've really wanted to learn how to do is knit socks.  When a "real" knitter (someone much more experienced than myself) tells you that it's not hard to make socks, don't believe them.  Because I'm here to tell you, it's hard to knit socks!  I wanted to quit more than once.  But I was determined to see this project to the end.  With a few friends for moral support (who by the way are "real" knitters), I signed up for a 4 week sock class with Amy from Kniticality.  Amy is an awesome teacher, extremely patient and very relaxed with uptight students, like myself.   In fact, I've noticed that most "real" knitters tend to have this laid back personality, that I just love and covet.  So I'm wondering, if I become a "real" knitter, will I adopt this personality trait too?   If so , it's worth learning this skill!   At the first class, Amy told us she would help us until we got our socks finished, even if it took longer than the four weeks she had allotted.   She had no idea what she was getting herself into with me as a student.

The first week, we learned how to do a knotless cast on and began knitting the top of the sock.  This was the first time I had knit on circular needles, but that wasn't too hard.

The second week we began the heel flap and I started working on double pointed needles.  This was a little trickier.  At this point, I started visiting Amy's shop several times during the week, between classes, to get extra help.  I was trying desperately to keep up with my friends. 

Somewhere around week three, I decided to give up on that and just do the best I could to get through this project,  at my own pace.  And did I mention that I. am. slow.  I've learned that my perfectionism ( I hate to admit it) works against me when I'm learning new things.  Because I don't want to make mistakes, I work slowly.  The problem I have is, I don't really know how to repair my mistakes once I've made them, so my philosophy has been, just try really hard not to make any mistakes.  Well, obviously that's unrealistic.  Those dear ladies at Kniticality tried to help me tink (which is knit backwards) off my mistakes and it looked easy when they were doing it, but when I got home and tried to do it on my own- yikes!!  So, luckily for me, and not so much for them, I would just hop in my car and go get help! 

I loved knitting with my friend, Darlene, but that girl is a speed demon and had her socks knitted in three weeks.  She was good enough to help me out of my "stuck" spots on more than one occasion, though.  The hardest part of the sock, for me, was knitting the gusset.  Imagine pronouncing that word with animosity, with a darn thrown in for good measure.  That "darn gusset".  That's how I felt about that little area on the sides of the heel.

I had to learn to decrease stitches, while working on those double pointed needles.  It was tight quarters and just felt so awkward.  While I was learning how to knit the gusset, I started preempting the inevitable headache, by taking three Advil before I ever arrived at the knitting shop. That helped somewhat.  At this point, I stopped talking about my socks with my husband.  He could not understand why I was putting myself through this ordeal, when I could easily go buy some nice socks in the store.  

And give up?  No way.  

By the third week, I had almost finished one sock and was making headway on the second.

This was a happy day, when I tried on my socks and I was this close to being finished.   Now all I had to do was put the socks back on double pointed needles and decrease to the end, finishing it all up with a kitchener stitch.  That sounds so easy when I type it, but it took me a few more sessions to get them completely finished.

I did it.  I finished these lovely socks.  I really did.  I can mark this one off my bucket list.  I'm still amazed that these started out as two balls of yarn and now I'm wearing them on my feet.  Of course, it took me much longer than the rest of the class- I finally quit counting how many times I went for private tutoring.  It was really embarrassing.  But, I finished !!!

And these sweet ladies helped me to the very last stitch.  I'm sure they must have breathed a little sigh of relief when I walked out of the shop that last day with completed socks in my bag.  I promised them I wouldn't be back for a while.  But I didn't say I would never be back.  I feel sure I will get that knitting itch to try a new project next year.  But for now, I just want to knit some dishcloths, or maybe a scarf and chill out.