Imperfectionism

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In my last post I wrote about how much I value being a beginner and learning new skills. So I’ve been thinking “What is it about Beginner’s Mind that I appreciate?”  It’s certainly not the all-thumbs feeling or frustration of starting over again…and again.

Although, even as I write that last line I realize that IS part of what I prize. Those experiences are the essence of learning.

Present wrapped in gold paperBut I digress. What I really wanted to share were the intangibles I’ve picked up along with all this fancy knitting and purling.Stretching my knitting skills is having an impact on other areas of my life.

Learning something new is like being a kid again. Everything is still possible. Once I find my balance and take those first tottering steps, they can lead me anywhere. It’s up to me what destinations I choose.

That’s pretty heady stuff if you take a moment to think about it. Nothing is set in stone.  Dreaming is not only possible — it’s critical. What do you want to do?  (Careful now. No wishy-washy language here. Speak as though it’s already happened. Another valuable lesson of Beginner’s Mind – Be bold and claim it!)

I make beautiful things for the people I love. I design knitwear. I teach.I’m connected to a wonderful community of like-minded people.

Speaking of choosing your words carefully, Choice is something else I get to practice as I learn.

Beginner’s Mind can be a sharp reminder that it’s entirely up to me what attitude and emotions I experience in the process of learning. When I drop a stitch or mess up the pattern, I can…

  • (A) Get angry and fling my work across the room.
  • (B) Blame the (directions, pattern, teacher…).
  • (C) Quit.
  • (D) Take it as part of the learning process and begin again.

I’ve done (E) All of the Above… but lately it’s been more (D). (I’m still practicing.)

What I’ve really appreciated however, is the realization that it doesn’t have to be perfect. I do my best, whatever that looks like for me (and not the person sitting next to me). That’s all anyone can really expect and for a lot of us, that’s a big relief.

I’m more willing to fail and try again. My Inner Critic has quieted down. In turn, that leads Wool and Needlesme to being more patient with others in my life who are also just trying to do their best.

Imperfectionism has gifted me with way more than Perfectionism ever did. And to think…I learned all this from two sticks and a piece of string.

 

Knitting Practice

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I’ll admit it. I love to knit.There’s something magical about using two sticks to turn a piece of string into a 3-dimensional  item. I’ve also come to realize knitting lets me practice something valuable when I sit down with my needles and yarn. It lets me consciously choose a “Beginner’s Mind.”

A project that is sure to revive that “All Thumbs” feeling again isn’t a bad thing, especially for those of us who are teachers or parents. By stretching my skills I’ve gained more than just a bigger repertoire of stitches. I’m reminded of what it feels like to be a novice. I get to practice patience, both with myself and with the process.

When something isn’t working out, I experience again that hesitation and twinge of discomfort as I admit I can’t do something and ask for help. More importantly, I am reminded of how generous people can be and how most of us are glad to lend a hand and share our experience.

As I knit, there is also the element of instant feedback from my work. It either looks right or it doesn’t. I either have the right number of stitches at the end of a row or I don’t. I can see the growth of my work and my skills in front of me. And if it’s not going well, I sense the frustration of starting over as well as the satisfaction of watching it finally (FINALLY) looking the way it’s supposed to.

And when I don’t want to take things quite so seriously, there’s always at least one project on my needles I think of as “Free Range Knitting”. Something small and portable, requiring only rows of simple knit and purl with a bit of shaping. I can relax and let muscle memory take over, leaving my thoughts free to roam where they will. After all, everyone needs a break amid the challenges.

Finally, I’ve learned that some days it’s enough just to knit and purl.

A Tisket

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I love making practical things – something for my everyday world that adds a little beauty. Besides, it’s just plain fun to use something I know I had a part in creating.  However, the last time I tried my hand at basket making I think I was in summer camp. I remember enjoying it although I’m pretty sure the basket had a lean to it and bulged in all the wrong places.

My friend Karen has attended classes for awhile and I’ve wanted to go with her but the timing just never seemed to work. That all changed today and I found myself in a classroom decorated with baskets and quilts and populated by a group of warm and funny women. Noreen Crosier, our instructor was the epitome of relaxed graciousness, helping the rank beginner (me) and keeping all the other projects moving along as well. (Not to mention plying us with  homemade muffins. Mmmmm.)

I’ve started a market basket to carry my knitting projects. It doesn’t get much more practical than that and I loved watching the basket grow beneath my hands as I wove the reeds in and out.

But it wasn’t just the basketry that made this afternoon so special. It was also hanging out with a group of women who were strangers until I walked through the door. They immediately welcomed me and included me in the conversation and laughter that went round the table. They wove me seamlessly into their community as neatly as if I were one of those reeds.

I’ve been thinking about this blog in the same way. I could First Basket_Inside“expound mightily” on creativity and the powerful force it can be in our lives but what I’m really hoping for is a blog that finds its own community.  I want to share those moments of creative bliss and how it’s sometimes hard to find those moments and what keeps us from our work and why a hot cup of coffee with some laughter is sometimes just what we need.