Jul 28 2004
Little Miss Perfect
During my recent excursion to Bainbridge with the PurlyGirls, Jessica jokingly commented that I would be better off if I took a Xanax (or drank a couple of gin and tonics) before knitting. Her funny comment got me to thinking about how I strive for perfectionism with my knitting. Is it a good or bad thing?
When I asked my husband if my perfectionism was a problem, he promptly responded “only when you strive for it” and then burst out laughing. He didn’t think it was such a funny issue at another point in time when I asked him if the holes created by my increase stitches in Audrey were an eyesore. He told me that I was driving him crazy worrying about it, since no one would ever notice the holes, especially since the garment wouldn’t be stretched out even 1/10th of what I was doing to the knitting to display the “problem.” He told me to accept that there would be little holes here and there and to MOVE ON. I had to admit that he was right and that if I kept ripping out and redoing the problem spot I would (a) wear out my yarn; and (b) NEVER finish the sweater in a million years. Thank goodness for his honesty!
In response to Laura’s post about this same issue, Jessica commented that she thinks a person would be doing themselves a disservice by striving for perfection, because it only makes you feel frustrated—perhaps frustrated enough to give up knitting altogether. There are times when I have to acknowledge that she has a good point. I *have* felt like giving up when a project doesn’t work out as well as I imagine it should have. I tell myself that I’m a terrible knitter, that I’m not worthy of wielding Addi Turbos or handling beautiful Rowan yarns.
While fully acknowledging the problems perfectionism can create and that I don’t actually want to make something that looks like it was spit out by a machine, I’m not ready to give it up altogether. I take a great deal of pride in knitting something really well, in creating even stitches and making smooth seams. In fact, I’m really not disturbed that it may take me two to three times as long to knit something carefully since it will mean that I’ll end up with something I’m really proud of—something that can stand up to close scrutiny.
After thinking about this issue for awhile, I’ve come to the conclusion that I do need to take Jessica’s advice and relax a little, to accept that there will be some irregularities in my knitting. This may help me enjoy the process a little more. At the same time, I’m not going to overlook any errors that nag at my conscience in the vain hope that they will go unnoticed. I’ll still rip out and re-knit those problem spots.
