A Scarf Screw-Up

The last thing I thought I’d be doing in retirement is knitting, but here I am with 3/4 of a sweater done, 1/3 of a vest, 1 scarf completed, and another underway. Surprisingly, I’m not so bad at it! I think what I like is the ability to get creative, although I have more to learn before I can design a pattern.

Another thing I like is keeping my hands busy. I’m a figity guy and if I don’t use them I start picking at them…bad habit developed many years ago. I also like making gifts for others. Unfortunately, projects take so long it’s hard to get to everybody I want as soon as I would like. So I’m also learning patience.

Speaking of patience…so many mistakes…constant tinking, or unknitting back to the mistake and starting again. Sometimes I can’t figure out what I did wrong, but am getting pretty good at fixing the mistakes.

I’m currently knitting a scarf for my sister’s birthday in early August. Today I found an ugly error several rows back. Try as I may I couldn’t figure out the problem. After spending an hour tinking and knitting to the point I had been when I discovered the error, there was that damn gap again. All of that time wasted. I simply couldn’t face going back again, so went on hoping it wouldn’t be noticed by the untrained eye. Well, a four year old can see this mistake!

But here’s what I figure…that gaf makes the gift unique. No machine would ever make that error! No one will have anything like it. And besides, it reflects who I am. My patterns of living are pretty consistent, much of my life is orderly and even-handed. But occasionally there’s a gap, a mistake, a problem that I simply can’t fix. But I go on, hoping it doesn’t show on me too much…ruin the overall image…putting people off too much.

My sister, hopefully, will look at that uneven spot on the otherwise perfect pattern and will remember that is what makes her scarf different from everybody else’s scarf. Just like her brothers flaws do for him.