I had a big advantage in that I was surrounded by knitting and crocheting as a child so this sound bite just never came up. No one told me knitting was hard so I didn't expect it to be.
"But it's too hard to....", WTF?
I've been teaching knitting for so long now I hesitate to tell you the number of years for fear you will think I look like this:
I noticed in the last year I've been told "it's too hard to..." numerous times. It's been said to me by smart, fabulous knitters. It's been said to me by knitters with advanced professional degrees. It's been said to me by knitters who have been knitting longer than I've been teaching classes. They've said it about the simplest steps in knitting.
The most amazing thing to me about this is, we have more knitting information at our fingertips than at any time in history. Patterns are much more detailed. You can find many YouTube videos on any technique you would like to explore. Post a question in a Ravelry forum and a knitter will get great advice and resources to explore. Yet with all of this available info knitting is now too hard?
Theories anyone?
Instant gratification--spoon feeding syndrome. I also notice from various social experiences and teaching experiences, people don't read well any more--I think it's that they don't take the time. And as I write this I'm wondering if the texting codes and abbreviations are messing with knitting/crocheting abbreviatins. I secretly taught myself to knit at age 3 by watching my mom and grandma, so it can't be that difficult. but that was 67 years ago, and there were no electronic distractions and I had nowhere to go and that was my entertainment.
ReplyDeleteI just had another thought. When I teach knitting (not formally, I notice that many knitters who have some skills already had bee taught that "there is only one right way" to perform knitting tasks: their cast-on is the best way, the chain edge stitch (or lack of) is the only way to execute selvedges, their way of holding the needles is the best way....This leads to some degree of inflexibility of thought, and inhibits one from stretching and going outside the box.
ReplyDeleteI find myself frequently saying "there are NO knitting police"!
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