In case you have missed it I am a knitter. My knitting is a personal thing that gives me joy and knitted things. As personal as knitting is to me, I find knitting with a group of other knitters is usually a good thing. Knitting tribes are places to get and give advice, learn new techniques, and just generally be in the company of other people who share your passion for all things fiber.
I am by no means in the expert class of knitting, but with my tribe I did not think it was a competition to out do one another. In fact I have always been impressed by how supportive they have been. I have also seen some of the most advance knitters I know make errors in their knitting. Those little errors give me hope that one day I too can reach that level of skill.
No matter what the level of knitting that is happening around me, I make it a point to only praise the members of my tribe and encourage them to keep on knitting, no matter what I see them doing. I find most of my tribe subscribes to this philosophy. MOST, however a few are sitting there judging my work. This weekend while I was knitting one of the women asked me, "I know that is really pretty, but what are you knitting?"
I explained I was knitting a pullover and my current piece was a sleeve. She immediately started picking apart my choice to knit it that way. I countered that I was following the pattern. I might as well have said, I was knitting a garter stitch scarf with a crochet hook from the disdain I heard in her voice. Apparently, only poor knitters follow patterns and I should have obviously knitted the whole thing in the round. A choice I had already eschewed. I turned off her judgment and thought, "You are not the boss of my knitting!" I may ask for advice or help with a pattern, but I get to decide what and how I knit. Take your unasked for and unwanted judgment and be the boss of your own knitting not mine, thank you very much.
