Knit Like a Scientist
Learn how to knit like a scientist, learn from your mistakes, and feel confident in trying new things
10/13/20256 min read
In case you missed my presentation at the Knit Your Own Adventure Summit, here are some highlights about how to knit like a scientist and learning from your mistakes.
What I Learned from Science
As an undergrad, I worked on a project for a lab course where, on the last day of the experiment, my group lost weeks of our progress and could not finish. Our professor was very understanding and said, “That’s science, it happens to the best of us,” and we presented our findings anyway. My key takeaway from this experience was that failure is not a waste of time as long as you learn from it. As such, is it really a “failure”? I don’t think there are failures in science, only data. Similarly, I don’t think there are failures in knitting, only lessons to be learned, even if you have to frog.
Managing Emotions
No matter your skill level, mistakes are going to happen. Very recently, I was finishing up a lace scarf, weaving in the ends. I gently (or so I thought) stretched the cast-on edge, and my worst nightmare came true: the yarn along the cast-on broke! To say I was very angry with myself would be an understatement. It was like the whole scarf, with weeks of work, unraveled right before my eyes; I was beyond upset. When something like this happens, it is so easy for us to beat ourselves up and even judge our worth as knitters or as people.
Being emotionally prepared for these situations can be helpful in reminding yourself that it’s ok, it’s not the end of the world, or even your project. Chances are high that you can fix it or let it go (later, I’ll go into more detail about when to fix and when to let it go). In my case, with the scarf, it definitely needed to be fixed so that it wouldn’t actually unravel, but freaking out about it was not helpful at all. Things that were helpful: putting stitch markers around where the yarn broke so that the stitches wouldn’t unravel and I could easily find the spot later, setting it aside overnight so that I could calm down, and approaching the problem with fresh eyes the next morning. Being gentle with myself and giving myself the space to feel my feelings and get over them helped me to better solve the problem later.
Imperfect but Funtional
Mistakes are an essential and inevitable part of the learning process. Sometimes your final products will have mistakes in them, and that’s ok! I’ll discuss a little later about how to know when good enough is good enough, but for now, I’d like to reiterate that it is possible to make beautiful and functional projects with mistakes in them. Most people wouldn’t notice my twisted stitches in my projects from those first years; in fact, even most knitters didn’t! The things I made still get worn and used, and they were great practice. You know that scarf I told you about? I managed to fix it enough so that it won’t unravel, and while it looks a little wonky to me, no one else will notice. Sometimes you have to live with a project that’s not 100% perfect. To me, it’s a practice of acceptance, despite the flaws. In the end, I still have a beautiful scarf!
Good Enough
There is a clip I love from Community, saying something is “better than good, it’s good enough.” As artists, it’s very easy for us to point out our own mistakes as reasons why we aren’t good at what we do. But how can you tell if something you’ve made is “good enough?” If you’re making something for someone else, your instinct might be to be extra critical of your work, but chances are they won’t even notice small mistakes, sometimes even big ones, especially if you don’t show them the pattern! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people post in knitting Facebook groups asking if a mistake they made is “too much” and even other knitters (including myself) can’t spot where they went wrong. If you’re making something for yourself, consider if it is something that will bother you about the finished object. If so, it’s probably worth tinking or frogging back, otherwise you might not use it.
Experimentation
There are many different ways of knitting that get identical or similar results. I encourage all of you to experiment with some of these differences; you might find results that you like better. When I first learned how to knit, I learned the backwards loop cast-on. I found it so frustrating that I almost quit knitting, because I didn’t realize there were other options! Soon after, I learned the long-tail cast-on, which is the equivalent of the backwards loop plus one row of knitting. I find it much easier and faster to do, and it’s become my go-to cast-on.
Regardless of your knitting style, it seems like every knitter has their own way of tensioning the yarn, and that’s ok! I often meet knitters who were taught one particular way of holding their yarn and needles, and they stick with it for life. If the way you were taught works for you, by all means, you can keep doing it. However, I encourage all of you to try something new. I knit English style for years, but recently learned Portuguese, and I absolutely love it! Sometimes trying a new thing can feel scary, but it might turn into your new favorite thing; you never know until you try it!
Get Messy!
I have met many knitters who have the mindset that they need to understand a particular technique BEFORE they pick up their needles. I believe this is what makes techniques, such as brioche, so intimidating. Scientists generally have a hypothesis that they are testing, but the results are unknown until the experiment is done. Similarly, many of the techniques and knitting skills I know were learned by DOING. In my first brioche project, for example, I made this scarf and knit about a foot of it before I really understood what I was doing. Don’t wait until you get it to start, knitting is best learned by doing. Don’t be afraid to get messy and make mistakes along the way, that is how you learn.
Practical Considerations
When you’re experimenting, I suggest choosing a yarn that can handle frogging: save your mohair, fancy, and delicate yarns for when you’re more confident in the techniques you’re trying. If you make a mistake, don’t worry about it while you’re practicing. Sometimes your mistake might become a desired design element! The most important thing here is to just try new things. Worst thing that happens is you frog and start over with the knowledge of how to improve next time. Frogging is not a failure, only a lesson to be learned. Remember that perfection is not the goal; the real reason we knit is to bring us joy, so if you’re having fun, you’re doing it right!
Consistency Is Key
With many ways of increasing, decreasing, casting on, binding off, and treating edges, it is important to stay consistent within the same project. For example, if you’re slipping the first stitch of every row, you don’t want to start knitting them halfway through your project. If you are making any modifications to a pattern or are using a stitch in a different way than you usually do, make a note of it on the pattern or in a knitting journal. Keep in mind, we often will tell ourselves that we’ll remember something because it’s important, but if you’re anything like me, I guarantee you’ll forget!
Gratitude
There are lots of studies out there that show the benefits of practicing gratitude, and I think we can extend that habit into our knitting practice. Showing gratitude helps keep us grounded in the present moment, keeps our focus positive, and improves our mood and self-esteem. Tying this into knitting, we can be more grateful for what we can make with our own hands, regardless of the mistakes we may make in our projects. There was a time when I developed a condition as a side effect of a medication that made my hands twitch so badly that I couldn’t knit for months. It made me realize just how fragile our bodies are, and I am so thankful that I can knit again. Do not take your skills and abilities for granted, as they may not last forever.
I hope you found this post insightful, and I hope it has encouraged you to try something new! Use the form below to send me an email, I would love to see your experiments!
