New Skills by Susan L.

  It is something to be most thankful for: teaching videos online. I am tackling a child's knitted dress with an absolutely adorable bunny pattern on the front. It also has a single stitch motif along the edges. Working with two colours is something new. Reading a grid pattern is also new.
  I got the motif nailed although my technique is uniquely my own. I am sure there are knitters out there who would cringe watching me. But that's okay, it got the job done!
  My first practice run to knit the bunny on its own before beginning the dress failed miserably. There were holes. It scrunched up. When my knitting mom called last night, I picked her brains but since I am a visual learner, only a fraction of what she said made sense.
  That's the great thing about knitting. Ripping things apart and starting over is easy. Nothing is wasted.
  Mistakes never are.
  Although, having to start a baby sweater over for the fifth time was seeing red frustrating. I am definitely NOT a saint.
  The sixth try succeeded. Woohoo!
  I had translated the pattern into my own knitting lingo. (Apologies to those wonderfully creative designers out there.)
  As my needles click away, I often think of the first person who decided a couple of sticks and a string could make warm clothes. Who was the first person to look at a sheep, a llama or an alpaca and think, "How can I get their wool onto my back without killing the producer?"
  Shearing. Spinning. Weaving. Knitting. Crochet. All because a few brave souls decided to make some mistakes.
  "How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver." Prov 16:16