The Question of Pride

Hmm. The question of the day is "what are you most proud of?"

That's a complicated question. Am I proud of the things I've made? Um. not really, not in a "look what I did!" kind of way. I don't make things because I want to show off my skills. I make things because I have to. I get cranky if I don't. That's not really something to be proud of.

That have to leads me down the road to trying out all kinds of things. I decide I want to make X. Not a clue how to do it. So I figure it out. I read about what other people have done, or adapt skills I already have to the new project. I experiment. I fail. I try again.

Eventually, it comes out right. I breathe a sigh of relief and start a new project- right back where I started, with an idea and not a clue how to bring it to life. That's part of the fun.

Maybe what I'm proud of is encouraging other people to get their hands dirty. Or if not legitimately dirty per se, at least to get their crafty mojo running. I take public transit a fair bit, and I make certain I don't travel empty-handed. I use the time to knit or work on another small project. Often, fellow travelers watch me work, which sometimes feels a bit creepy, but that's just me. Some times they're another knitter and engage me in conversation about what I'm working on. Other times, they ask how I learned to knit. "From YouTube," I say.

"Oh, I could never do that; it's so complicated," they say.

"How many stops do you have before your destination?" I ask.

"Five or six," they say hesitantly, wondering what I'm up to.

"Perfect," I say, digging my spare needles and some cotton yarn out of my bag. "Sit down and I'll teach you how to do it. It only takes ten minutes."

And they do. They're always amazed at how simple it really is. I explain how to cast on, the knit stitch and let them try it out. Once they've got the hang of it, they're all smiles. I give them the needles, enough yarn to complete a garter stitch dish cloth, and a sheet of pictures showing how to cast off. They usually want to know why I'm giving these things away. "Just sharing the crafty goodness," is always my reply.

A couple of times I've had those folks find me on the platform weeks later, wanting to show me their finished product. That's something to be proud of, right there.

For those of you who want to learn and don't find themselves on the TTC, here's a good video about casting on from Koser Yasmine Samkough on YouTube.

(top image "borrowed" from stitchdiva.com)