Knitting and Crochet Blog Week: Day 6

Day six: 2nd April. Something to aspire to.

Is there a pattern or skill that you don’t yet feel ready to tackle but which you hope to (or think you can only dream of) tackling in the future, near or distant? Is there a skill or project that makes your mind boggle at the sheer time, dedication and mastery of the craft? Maybe the skill or pattern is one that you don’t even personally want to make but can stand back and admire those that do. Maybe it is something you think you will never be bothered to actually make bu can admire the result of those that have.

Tips: If you think you have learned all you ever want to in your craft then say so. Maybe you have been knitting for nearly 30 years and yet never learned to purl (many my think this is impossible, but I met a woman on the bus who told me exactly this once… Maybe she was following the E. Zimmerman school of thought to closely?).

There are lots of techniques and skills that I wish to learn, but most I still consider on a To Do list, rather than an aspiration.  Things like Fair Isle and entre-lac I know that I'll be able to pick up with a little practice.  I understand the concept behind the effect and have played with them a little, but just haven't gotten to those specific projects that would give me a chance to practice and refine. But these things on my queue just don't have the awe-inspiring connotations of something that I aspire to.  However, there are those techniques and projects that do have that mind boggling effect.  For example...

Shetland Lace!!  Thousands of lacy little stitches blossoming into gauzy white patterns.  Maybe a wedding ring shawl - 6 ft square of lace so fine it can pass through a wedding ring...  I don't know what I would use such a piece for, but they are beautiful and delicate and impressive and I love them.  Definitely something to aspire too.  Maybe for my 50th wedding anniversary?  Only 46 1/2 years to get there - plenty of time! ;)

My biggest aspiration, though, would probably be speed and finishing skills.  Not things like seaming, but simply completion of projects.  I'm still very distractable and regularly subject to Cast-On-Itis, so I'd love to have the focus to just knock out projects.  There are just so many things I want to do on the needles,  not even just all for me, but also projects to teach and ones for gifts and for charity, so I want to have a little more focus and be able to get through my list more quickly.  Not a huge goal, and not one with a specific role model, just the idea of those folk that just settle in and can complete projects so simply :)  For that, though, I think I might just have to be a little more organized and dedicated, but that applies to a lot of aspects in my life right now... reading, work-outs, and yes, my knitting.