LEARNING TO KNIT:  The Ugly Sock

I know, I'm very late to this party.  I decided to take up knitting (again) to remind myself first hand what it feels like to do the thing I ask of my students.  It's been a while since I faced being a rank beginner or very rusty at something I was never good at to begin with.  I wanted to do something to keep myself honest.

The photo of a very ugly sock says it all.  It is becoming a sock though.  I just came from a class where I showed it to my students who laughed at it at the same time they also told me how well it's coming along.  I can only hope I am as kind with them as they are for me.

The take away for me, trying something that I've attempted several times before but could not make myself get over the hump to become a knitter is that having others to want to do something for is a great motivator.  I could not tell them that I tried and then come up with some dog ate it excuse. to do what I ask of them:  just stay with it even if you think you are bad at it.

I do have a sock, or at least I will in the next day or two when I get to finish the toe.  It will be warm and the holes in it are smaller than the ones worn in my favorite pair of socks, also this color of purple wool that I've not been able to make myself throw away despite those holes.  I've stuck it through so many much more difficult things but somehow learning to knit always lost out to other concerns, but really I had a hard time looking at the mess I'd made of it and wasn't willing to take the time to fix it.  I love socks.  If I had only done this sooner, I'd have a whole drawer full of beautiful warm socks.  No regrets, though.  I can do it now.

I do have two feet though.  I have hope that the second one will be better than this one.  I'm looking forward to wearing them both and looking down at my feet wearing a reminder that just sticking with it most times is all that I need to do.