The benefits of lockdown learning

Reduced access to crafting buddies has, surprisingly, boosted Kath Garner’s knitting confidence no end!

How I envy confident knitters! People who pick up pattern, needles and yarn, creating something beautiful in a matter of hours. I have yet to reach that stage and at times feel deflated that I am making little progress in my knitting abilities. The pandemic and lockdowns have not helped. Hit by an overwhelming lack of confidence, and with no one to guide me through the intricacies of a pattern, to pick up a dropped stitch or to sort out an error, my steady knitting progress took several steps backwards.

THE EASY OPTION

Since lockdowns I have realised that I was forever taking the easy option. Although I thought I was progressing and learning more about knitting, in reality I wasn’t learning anything! I was happy doing what I knew and anything remotely challenging was passed on for someone else to do on my behalf. I’ve spent years teaching children to try things for themselves and to be resilient when things go wrong, and yet there I was, giving up at the first opportunity and refusing to try patterns other than straight knit or purl because… I couldn’t do it. I was hardly practising what I preach!

INDEPENDENTLY KNITTING

Giving myself a strong talking to, the latest lockdown was set aside to push myself and achieve something independently, knowing that getting help was not easy. As Easter approached, I turned my hand to making chicks. Searching the internet, I came across three di erent patterns and studied them carefully. Normally I would opt for the easiest, but this time I challenged myself to try them all! I soon realised that it wasn’t di cult and I ended up with a batch

of slightly varying chicks. They have rather wonky eyes and no beaks, but I had done it – I had completed them independently!

ZOOM TO THE RESCUE

Having bolstered my confidence somewhat, I glanced through a magazine and found a tea cosy pattern. instead of casting it to one side assuming it would be too di cult, I studied it carefully and thought I’d give it a go. Although it had seemed a simple pattern, I could tell straight away that I wasn’t doing something right and despite restarting numerous times, I just couldn’t figure it out. My version was turning out toy teapot size. I contacted a friend via Zoom and she soon realised that a doubling up of wool was necessary, using two strands at the same time.

A CONFIDENCE BOOST

Again, my confidence increased. I had learned a new technique and when I made a mistake, which I spotted surprisingly quickly, I taught myself how to return to the mistake one step at a time and correct it – a massive achievement. A strawberry tea cosy and a bright orange pumpkin swiftly followed and with the loosening of restrictions, I was able to meet my knitting friend in a carpark. Here she sat in the car on a freezing cold day, hand gel on and doors wide open to guide me through the next step, proving that with a bit of ingenuity, there are ways and means around every problem. I’m still envious of prolific knitters who find everything so easy but I am learning to be proud of my own achievements, however small they are.

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