Enjoying what we do
Otherwise, how else do you explain when the gals are more than happy to drop by early morning for breakfast? Or when they come over earlier with some snacks or tibits so that we can snack and chit-chat a bit before class starts officially?
[Perhaps it helps that we are a group of easy-going, like-minded people who love to chat, give suggestions when needed and share experiences to encourage each other? It's the female bonding, I reckon that makes all of us feel connected to each other -- and we all always look forward to the group class sessions!]
We chat about anything under the sun -- their work, kids, family. We even shared some recipes (so Singaporean, huh?) and of course, the topic sometimes also goes right back to our knitting / crochet projects.
These are all the upcoming projects yarns. They are for the gals, not me!
In fact, even though Esther has sprained her wrist, she also turned up for the session on Saturday.
As usual, the room just simply gets littered with the various magazines that they are browsing through. Julie, who is new, has also joined us for her first group lesson.
Chai Bee has gotten one of her cardigan knitted and it was time to add on the crochet trims. It is slightly slow going as she has never done crochet before.
Jenny is focusing intently on the project she has on hand. She has self-imposed a deadline to have this ready by end July. Worried? I should have more faith in her.
She's the Queen of Improvisation. Originally, there's a hoodie to this garment -- in view of time constraint, we decided to leave it out.
Jenny: "Can we skip the hood? We can just edge the entire garment and attach the buttons."
Me: "Sure."
Jenny: "Hmm...do I have to pick up all around the edges and do ribbing? What about the buttonhole placement? [pause] Can we crochet all around instead?"
Me: "Yes, you can, Just simply single crochet all over, it's faster and easier."
As Jenny is crocheting....the conversation continues...
Jenny: "How about the button flaps...? Can we just do one?"
Me: "I think two will look more esthetically pleasing and balanced. C'mon, you already skipped so much work!"
(Laughter all around the room.) This is such a familiar scene with all of us.
Jenny did manage to finish her project by the end of the session.
The result?
A cute baby jacket! We have decided to go for constrasting bands to brighten up the garment and add visual interest. The omission of a hood does not hurt the overall pattern one bit.
The gals do know that I strive for perfection. I try to share my passion for knitting and crochet with them -- knitting and crochet features very much as part of my lifestyle of which I enjoy tremendously.
However, as we all know, sometimes we can't wait to get to the finish line soon enough -- mistakes happen and sometimes we need to improvise a little.
That's why the gals always chuckle and grin when they overhear the others asking me:
Question: "I've made a mistake over here, do I have to rip back?"
Answer: "If I can fix it later, no. Just leave it and we'll deal with it when you are done with the entire project."
Question: "Can I omit sleeves from this pattern since I prefer it sleeveless?"
Answer: "Yes, if the pattern is suitable; we'll do so."
Sometimes we all just need a bit of push over the edge -- to get out of our comfort zone a little. That's why the gals enjoy the freedom of knitting sassy fitting garments that fits them to a T or modifying patterns a little to suit their needs.
So are we having fun yet? Absolutely! Sharing is sexy
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