Knitting & Crochet Blog Week: Skill +1UP

PROMPT: Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet?

I'd have to honestly say that I've grown in confidence more than skill. But if I have learned anything new in the last year, it's lace.

The first lace chart I tackled was at Christmas 2009, when I knit this Ulmus shawl for Granna. I really struggled to understand what was going on, and had to restart this scarf about five times before I figured it out. I probably knit more from the sample photos and trial and error than I did by being able to read the chart.

Fast forward to last month, when I knit this Moonlight Sonata shawlette for my mom. I think it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. And I'm particularly proud of how quickly I memorized the chart. I know that's not something I can exactly point to and say "SEE?! I did it!" so you'll just have to believe me, I guess. ;)
For me, the process of learning lace was more about experimentation than skill development. As time goes on, I've learned a little bit about which way certain types of increases and decreases lean (not that I don't constantly get them mixed up), where holes will actually end up in the grand scheme of things, even though they look out of place when the yarn over first gets mentioned, and how to best control tension so that blocking isn't quite such a chore (Does anyone else have this problem? It doesn't seem to make sense to me that my tension is different when I knit lace than when I'm working in st st...). It's a little like a science experiment. It's a lot like fun.

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