women of a certain age are like sunflowers; they know how to turn their faces to the sun.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Turn Your Face to the Sun

As MD/AN lies waiting for me to remove all those tiny pins (couldn't face that cold floor this morning - waiting for a warm up that isn't happening as we seem to have lost our sun - SIGH) I read an interesting thread in the KAL group forming on Ravelry, asking what level of expertise is required to knit the stole.

I liked what I wrote in response.

(How often does THAT happen? Usually I think of what I should have said hours later and experience one of those "DOINK! I could've had a V-8" type moments.)

Anyway, I decided my answer deserved a wider audience. So here tis... Feel free to call me an egotistical such and such...won't be the first time...and unfortunately, not the last...

I hesitate to make judgments as to the feasibility of the pattern for knitters of various ability levels. If you have tried lace knitting before and had a dreadful time of it, then you probably won’t enjoy this pattern. (Then again, if you felt that way about lace knitting, you probably wouldn’t be reading this.)

I remember my former brother-in-law Paul, who had never been on a pair of skis in his life. We took a family trip to Colorado some years ago, and by the third day, he was out-skiing all of us (which I found massively annoying, personally speaking - upstart!) Ability to learn is such a subjective thing.

My personal mantra is, “Just because I haven’t, doesn’t mean I can’t.” Those eight little words founded Sunflower Designs. I have found them to be an inspiration, a revelation, and a blueprint for a full life.

But that’s me, not you. I don’t want to discourage anyone from joining up. But I also don’t want to make a sale off of someone else’s frustration and disappointment. I don’t design to make money. I design to bring beauty into the world. I want everyone to have as much fun knitting my designs as I have designing them.

Here at Sunflower Designs, our motto is: Turn your face to the sun. Only you know how much sun you can take before you burn. Don’t be foolish, but don’t be afraid either. Huddled in the shade is no way to live your life…

Now excuse me while I put on my knee pads, bundle up my tootsies, fortify myself with a nice Cabernet and some chocolate, and ruin what is left of my fingernails (and my eyesight) after pinning her out yesterday...

by unpinning her today. Those little half-inch sequin pins are murder.

More snow today, pictures tomorrow, release early next week...


5 comments:

Lucia said...

You have a great attitude. I personally have never been intimidated by lace, or by any other knitting technique. I've looked at things or tried things and decided they were more work than I was up for or that the finished item wouldn't be worth the work involved (I would not make the Grapevine socks, for instance, unless someone I really really liked or owed a huge favor really really wanted them), but that's a different issue. If I want to, I can. (In the realm of knitting, anyway.)

I have to say also that the pattern doesn't look that hard to me. It looks like it would require concentration and possibly some swatching to feel confident of executing the patterns well, but it doesn't look like it would drive me around the bend.

Anonymous said...

I am not a lace knitter but I am young and still into socks. (is 38 young?) Anyway, you said it very well.

Donna Lee said...

Bravo. I have tried knitting everything I have wanted to, so far. Some things have longer learning curves than others but they all are learning experiences. I read an article that said if you only knit what you know, you never learn anything new. And the worst case scenario? You rip it out and start again, and perhaps again.

La Cabeza Grande said...

Perhaps the question could be answered from a different perspective such as, "What skills do I need to create my own stole?"

Perhaps beading? Or chart reading? Or grafting and picking up stitches? That way, the reader can judge for themselves if they have a chance for success.

Oh wait! How cool it is that you have a KAL!!!

Anonymous said...

Jewelry pliers, or other pliers, work wonders with removing a zillion pins. (I know, NOW I tell you....)