The Courage to Try

"You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage -- pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically -- to say 'no' to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger 'yes' burning inside."

-- Stephen Covey

When I began knitting seriously and looked at lace my inner critic told me, “There is no way you can do this.”

I didn’t start with something simple either: I began my lace journey with charting. In the beginning, I couldn’t read a chart to save my life. It just didn’t click. I called on the Yahoo knitting gurus to help me and I still didn’t get it.

But I never gave up. I kept failing and somehow I had this extra stitch that wouldn’t disappear (even when I K2tog) but I never lost hope that one day I would make lace.

So I tucked away my project and went on to other things.

After a year went by I was making lace with line by line instructions and wanted to learn to chart. So I sat down with a chart and meditated on it like a Mandela and suddenly it all made sense. I wondered why I’d even made it so hard for myself.

When I designed my first class project I wanted it to be lace and I wanted it to be charted. The scarf was a success and people found it easy to use the charts I created.

This month I realized that ball of yarn in the corner of my bedroom shelf was that same project I had put away so long ago. The cycle had come full circle and this is the WIP I have been working on this week. I love the simplicity of the design and I really enjoy this pattern. It is a World Lit Only By Fire in Lavish Lace.

The moral: After I finish this scarf which I am raffling for Women’s Heart Awareness at the fair, I’m going to take out my tank again and meditate with it. I know that this time it will make sense and this time I have the courage to create it.

Happy Crafting,

Ruinwen
:)