The first time I worked on one of her patterns it was to learn the Moebius Cowl. I had really just started to seriously knit when I tried this pattern. It boggled my mind. How could anyone come up with something so complicated and beautiful at the same time?
But, that was Cat in a nutshell. She used math in a way that was unique and inspired to create new ways to form structures like her Sweet Coloriolis Socks that follow a curve instead of a straight line to form a beautiful sock.
She had no fear when it came to bringing her creations to life. She would bend the rules or create new ones to suit her needs. She taught me so much.
I might have never delved outside of the box without the week I spent learning to La Link and La Rink, which was a very special way to increase that Cat discovered.
Cat instilled in me that there are no rules if you want something to come into being enough. She taught me ideas need to be fiddled with and reworked until they blossom into your vision.
She was an amazing lady who changed my knitting in so many ways.
Thank you Cat for sharing your talents with us. You will be sorely missed. 🙏
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When designing I find that allowing your point of view to be open to new ideas and information is key.
I wasn't always this way. If I was told a pattern wouldn't work in the round then that was my truth. I would never have thought of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole as it were.
Teaching constantly challenges me to think of knitting from a world view, not a personal one. There isn't one right way to do anything.
Everyone knits differently. Some people are pickers (Continental) and some are throwers (English). There are flickers as well. There are all kinds of combinations of the three and there are also regional ways to knit that vary from country to county to town. All of them are right and good ways to knit.
If you are trying to make something specific the visual result might vary a bit from the pattern but that doesn't make it wrong. Uniqueness is beautiful.
Many times a student will come to me upset that they have messed up a stitch pattern. I always ask them if they like it or if they want to rip it out.
If they want me to rip it out then I oblige and happily rip it out and many times I will reknit the rows or cast-on or do anything to help with the frustration that the knitter is feeling.
But if they like what they have created, I will sit with them and make sure that they can recreate it. Now instead of seeing a mistake, we have what I like to call a "design element". The student has created something totally new and wonderful by coloring outside of the lines for a bit.
I feel this ability to be open that I have developed over the years really helps me as a teacher and as a designer. Once you start playing outside of the box, you realize the box is just an illusion and this whole amazing world opens up.
Every time that we reach outside of our comfort zone and push a little further we open ourselves up to new possibilities. Of course, that goes for everything in life, not just knitting.
I remember back to a time in 2004 when I was scared of double-pointed needles(dpns)...just terrified. I couldn't imagine using something that didn't have end caps to keep the yarn from falling out.
But the day came when I wanted to make a blanket for someone in our group with a new baby and to start it you needed to use dpns. This was probably the worst way to learn to use dpns because you started with two stitches on each needle and my worst fears came true as the stitches fell off over and over.
It didn't help that I was at the hospital with Mom when she first got cancer so my emotions were all over the place. But I was determined and stubborn and when I finally got those eight stitches on those four dpns it was a triumph.
A year later, I tried socks and I found that dpns were the easiest to use for me. A year after that I taught a class using big yarn and big dpns as an introduction to socks and double points.
Now, I reach for the dpns whenever I am doing something small or a swatch. I love using them.
Something that vexes you today, may not tomorrow. We are always growing and changing and as our view expands so do our possibilities.
I've known a lot of knitters over the years and one of the things that most of us have in common is the fact that we all have big dreams. We find a certain pattern and it doesn't matter if is beyond our current level, or something we've never seen before...we just dive it with both hands. This ability shows such courage and strength to reach out into the unknown and play in a sandbox that is usually unseen by our eyes.
And when you play in that sandbox, be kind to yourself. If everything doesn't work out as planned, take a breath and tell yourself it is totally okay. If you need to frog your work, do so without judgment, just allow it to be part of the process of opening up.
Happy crafting!
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May you be safe.
May your loved ones be safe.
🙏
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Sending love and light to everyone facing discrimination, hate, prejudice, inequality, or racism.
🙏🙏💖💖🙏🙏
