YKWIM #108: I love my ugly baby
Just call me the Mother of Crafts
You: Andrea! What is going on up there in Vermont?!
Me: UM, SO MUCH, where do I begin. My summer goal was to swim at least once a week and I pretty much did, minus maybe two rainy weeks. For work, I got to cover a high heel race and a bunch of dogs trying to break a world record, which was really fun. A lot of movie nights, a lot of fresh tomatoes, a lot of drawing. But the thing I’m most proud of is that I finished the scarf I started almost two years ago.
You: Oh wow, that’s great! I’d love to see a picture.
Me: Sure, let me model it for you.
You: Nice! It’s probably handy to have a new scarf up there. You going to wear it?
Me: Well… it’s an extremely imperfect, not-very-pretty scarf. I’m talking huge holes all over the place. Wavy edges. Random loops of yarn. I’ve been calling it my ugly baby.
You: Oh yikes. I guess you could just unravel it and pretend it never existed.
Me: Okay so, I just learned that’s calling frogging, and I was really tempted to do that when the first big hole appeared not long after I got started. I showed it to my friend Becca, who taught me how to knit, and she was like, ‘You could unravel and start over, but then you’re just going to keep unraveling after every mistake. You might as well keep going.’ So I did.
You: That’s really wise of Becca.
Me: She’s the best. She insisted on teaching me to knit before I moved here and I ended up making friends with people who are really incredible knitters. Becca knew, somehow.
You: I have to say, you could have kept this scarf to yourself and waited to show off something a little more attractive.
Me: Yeah, I guess, but I’m not that slick. I’m too honest. It reminds me of a quote on Instagram that’s been sticking around in my mind lately: “Being an artist is not a game of self-congratulation. It is an insecure business. I am not showing you stuff I think is great. I am showing you what I am doing.” Sometimes things turn out the way they want, many times they don’t, and most of the time it all goes in a direction I was never expecting. I’ve already started my second one and so far, no giant holes. No holes at all!
You: Look at you go!
Me; Thanks, pal!