Elka Knits: A Rant

April 06, 2004

A Rant

Two posts in one day again. I sure am talkative when I am tired. I was trolling around blog land and noticed Nanette's perfectionism post. She mentioned the galloping horse theory. I hate the galloping horse theory. Now don't get me wrong. I am not a great knitter. I do not think I am better than anybody else. I am a fussy knitter and have said so before. I see no wrong in correcting a mistake when I notice it nor in trying to improve how I do one thing or another. But this galloping horse is used as an excuse for shoddiness. Let's think about the avg day shall we. We get up, get dressed, go to work[or not] then eat dinner, go out maybe to movies or bookstore or some soiree[maybe] then come home and take a bath before going to bed. Where's the horse? Most of the time we are sitting around in our sweaters. We are not running some race or zipping by on a horse or motercycle or race car. Odds are people can carefully inspect our sweaters in our relative stillness. I have decifered the pattern on many a garment during one party or another during a simple conversation. Not that I am Miss pattern encyclopedia just hello we are standing there talking. They are not zooming past me. And I am sure that they could, if they cared to, figure out the pattern on my sweaters.

The only more offensive excuse for shoddiness is: God would be offended by perfection so the amish, moorish, whateverish, purposefully put in a mistake. This theory is offensive for two major reasons. The first is IMO God would be more offended by a person wasting their talents/skills and downright laziness than anything else. I mean really! So you have a kid that is smart as a dickens and they flunk out of school cause it would be offensive to you to work hard and do well in school? And aforementioned kid says but I didn't want to insult you by doing my best?! So your not God but we are, according to religious theory, God's children. I consider it an insult to do anything less than our best. Which Nanette mentioned as a crippling thought but best we can do at the time not better than everybody else in universe. We learn, we grow, we get better. Hopefully. The second way this theory is offensive is well its implication. By saying we have to have a mistake so as to not offend God through imitating perfection is to say our work IS perfect. Thats right. My knitting is so perfect I have to purposefully put in some barely noticable mistake. And if our work IS perfect then aren't we saying we are God-like? In fact aren't we saying we are better than God since our creations are soooooooo perfect that He would be insulted by them? I could go on and on about how this particular theory just makes my blood boil. In fact my blood is boiling right now so I better go.

Posted by Elka at April 6, 2004 03:26 PM

Comments

Amen, Elka. I happen to believe that we are reflections of holy perfection. There is no reason why we shouldn't want our knitting to be as well. Striving to do something right is not a crime. Perfect to your heart's content, Elka, dear. I know I will.

Posted by: Nathania at April 6, 2004 08:07 PM

Elka, You're not the only one who thinks the way you do. I was reading this laughing because it's so true. I hope Nece feels better soon. I feel for you. Can't imagine a little one with stomach flu. Yuck!! I've got 3 kids myself. The last one 1 year old tomorrow.

Posted by: Amy Aybar at April 7, 2004 07:30 AM

I really think that fixing mistakes is good. When you fix a bad seam or screwed up kitchener stitch you learn absolutely how to do it right the next time. So many people are nonchalant about mistakes meaning they'll probably never get it right. Does it need to be right? Sometimes it does if you're giving stuff away. Or if you're in the Master Knitter program. :)

I rip stuff out all the time. It drives my husband nuts but not ripping and knowing there is a problem drives me more nuts. It can go too far though - it does for me with the Master Knitter stuff. I have to at some point stop keep trying to make my swatches better and just send them off for evaluation.

I just realized your box of odds and ends is sitting on my kitchen counter. I will force DH to mail it off to you tomorrow.

Posted by: Nanette at April 7, 2004 05:11 PM