Dichroic Reflections

bunny 1 done

I finished making my first bunny last night (along with accomplishing a gazillion other things I needed to do this weekend). I'll try to put up a picture later. That 6" square took a bit long than I expected, because not only does sportweight yarn knit up smaller (than worsted weight), it's harder to work with. That might also be because partly this is acrylic, instead of the wool or cotton I'd worked with before. Now all I need to do is make another one - this is an occupational hazard of having friends with twin babies.

I get very proud of myself when I've finished a project, whether it's making a necklace or knitting a dishrag, finishing a race or a long workout piece, or something bigger like finishing my pilot's license or my MS. I still think of myself as a bit of a fuckup, good at starting things but not so good at finishing them, so every finish is a victory. I do have the tenacity to dig in and finish when it really matters - I don't think anyone has ever earned an engineering degree without that - but I'm not very patient and it's hard for me to finish something that goes slowly. Knitting is probably character-building for me.

I don't particularly mind quitting something when I've decided there's no good reason to continue, like the time a few years ago when I was thinking about getting an MA in Linguistics and stopped because I'd changed jobs, didn't have the free time anymore, and couldn't figure out what I'd do with that degree if I did get it. On the other hand, I do mind when I quit something our of sheer inertia or laziness, even if the quitting doesn't actually hurt me, as with the book idea I had a few years back. This is why when I'm working on projects just for fun, I choose small ones that I know I can finish.

I may not ever make a sweater, but I will someday get an IFR rating. Whenever I start that I know I can finish. It has the criteria for success: a finite scope (required number of hours and body of knowledge) and it is something that will benefit me. (It will benefit Rudder, too, because then he'll have a better safety pilot available for his own flying. The biggest obstacle to my finishing may be my own tendency to not want to do something I'm being pushed to do. See "pig, instructions for driving".)

Rudder is actually a good influence on me in this matter. He's much more methodical and patient than I am and has a driving work ethic that won't let him quit anything once he's started, but tends to start fewer things on the spur of the moment. He started both his MS and his VFR pilot training before I did, but thought both out more thoroughly before starting.

It's a fact, for me at least, than each thing I finish makes it easier to finish the next similar one. I used to be a lot more scared of racing; now I know that a thousand-meter race, or even a 5000-meter one won't kill me, because it's already tried to, and failed. I know I can finish a pilot rating or a masters degree, or even a little knitted bunny rabbit.

On a related note, can anyone out there recommend websites with nice, easy (and preferably small and quick) knitting patterns? After I finish the next bunny, I'll be making my first swatch into a purse, suggestion thanks to the people at the store I visited Saturday. I don't have enough yarn to make it into a scarf and can't find more matching yarn. (It was my first thing, and I didn't know enough to save the label.) After that, a Harry Potter scarf that I hope will knit up quickly because I'm using bigger needles. Mine won't be exactly like the one in the movie - someone has published a replica pattern but it starts with "Cast on 84 stitches on circular or double-pointed needles." No thanks. Anyhow, I figure that one is just a costume designer's interpretation and who's to say mine isn't just as good? I'll have to decide between garter, stockinette, or ribbed stitch, and am leaning toward the last, but will keep it as simple as possible. So, what should I do next?

Posted by dichroic at July 26, 2004 01:24 PM