My first blanket was very rewarding. As I started out, I figured there was no way that it would possibly turn out nice without mistakes or flaws. But in the end, any mistake I did make was able to be concealed by the thickness of the yarn or an impromptu change of pattern. Just like Tejada-Flores in "Games Climbers Play" explains how climbers are able to define the rules of the game through the communities preferences to make each experience just as rewarding for each climber, the same idea can be applied to knitters. Knitters are able to change their patterns from the one being used to fit the mistakes or likings of the knitter, and the final result made me just as pleased as it would have otherwise, if not more happy that I was able to put my own personal twist on the blanket and go with the flow.
I think that knitting a beginner blanket like that to start off my journey was very important for my progress in learning how to knit afghans with detailing. If I were to skip to a more advanced pattern, I would have never learned how to purl, which is a basic stitch and used in many patterns in advanced blankets. Since every other row was purled, I became really comfortable with the stitch and am now confident when having to remember certain patterns that I can do it mindlessly. If I were to skip that stitch, almost like a glider in World of Warcraft, I would not have the basic skills I needed to be successful in the future.
I was able to get into the flow of things. I was lost in the process of knitting and found myself sitting on the couch knitting for hours before I realized how long it took. I just kept wanting to unravel the yarn more and more and see the blanket grow bigger and without realizing it, I finished the blanket in two days once I actually got started. I got in a trance of knitting and purling, however at one point I did lose track because I got distracted, it resulted in a cool pattern and a further understanding of what the pattern was actually creating. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explains my feelings perfectly when he has his TED talk "On Flow" (http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html) and describes what happens when you engross yourself in an activity and become one with the motions.
How I felt mindlessly going through the motions of knitting
I was forced to look up a few things when I got stuck. I looked up how to knit in new yarn when my first set of yarn balls ran out, how to add a stitch when I accidentally dropped one, and how to end the blanket with four strands. Some I looked up on knitting blogs, and most I copied from YouTube videos. I think that the availability of directions online has made the task much less based on observation and bonding than it was previously. For example, when I was learning how to knit at the beginning, I learned hands on from my Mimi who was able to show me on her own needles and help me with mine. Through observation and conversation I was able to quickly pick up the skills I needed and they stuck. Now, through the creation of the virtual world, so much is learned through strangers with no connection made between the piece being made and the relationship with the teacher, which was forced when no internet was available in the past. The very important role that observation in life, which Erving Goffman talks about in "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life", is being lost through the increasing reliance on the internet. Because of that, I have decided that any questions I have will be dealt with by either talking to my Mimi on the phone or taking a trip to the knitting store nearby (http://www.knitaround.com/).
I have decided for my next blanket that I will either learn how to use circle needles or use a pattern that is intermediate from the same website that I found my beginner blanket pattern on.
Circular Knitting Needles
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