Friday, December 03, 2010

1 + 1 = 4




"Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, really believe, your mind will find the ways to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to solution."
-- Dr. David Schwartz


I have admitted in the past that Math problems boggle my mind at times. People doubt the validity of that statement since I knit. And in knitting sometimes you have to use Math *gasp* to figure out gauge or resize a project. Actually, since I started knitting I find I use Math more then I ever did.

So you can understand my frustration at these words in my pattern.

Keep decreasing until you have 20 stitches on the needle.
Row 1: Bind off 20 stitches and purl 6 stitches (you should now have six stitches)

Ummm…okay?!? Where did those 6 stitches come from?

I left the knitting over night to see if some magical knitting elves would find my missing 6 stitches and leave them for me…but that didn’t work out so well and I ripped the whole mess out not knowing where to go from there.

And I’m over it.

New day, new pattern…I actually read this one first to make sure it makes a modicum of sense before diving into it and finding that the errata is above and beyond my skill of knowing where to go next. This is why I make a lot of my patterns from scratch. It is so much easier to follow the ramblings in my head then someone else’s. But making up a pattern takes time and that is something that I’m short on.

But back to my point. Always read the pattern all the way through. I constantly say this to all my students; so why I thought that the Fates would allow me to slip by without having my own words bite me is just plain folly on my part.

And that is what I get for trying to cut corners…sigh.

So, I’m going into this new pattern with my eyes open and hopefully next week I will have something to show for it.

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend.
Ruinwen
:)

3 comments:

Rue said...

And here you never thought you'd need all those math classes. ;D

If that pattern were crochet, I'd interpret that instruction as starting to stitch in a new direction.

But since knitting requires stitches to knit upon, it sounds like that step is just...um, horse hockey.

Geraldine said...

I can SO relate to this post. And it's such good advice,read through entirely before pulling out hair!!! that being said, there are a lot of knit/crochet patterns that do have mistakes in them. I've noted this and people I know that knit a lot say the same thing too. It must be hard for beginners when that happens especially. I've learned to not always think it's my mistake. LOL

Hugs and Happy Knitting, G

Nana Sadie said...

My favorite admonishment to my students was always "READ the De-structions!"

And of course, I don't follow my own rule at all!
(((hugs)))