Maybe I'm screwed

I'm starting to think that I don't know how to knit. Just because I've finished lots of projects & non-knitters think they are pretty does not necessarily a good knitter make. I started to think I was screwed up when I took that damn sock class. Apparently the teacher there is an "english" knitter & I knit like an old Russian grandmother - more specifically, my teacher's granny. I apparently learned the Continental method of knitting, plus I think I put my own spin on it. I figured out that I was knitting different when I would knit in different groups & they would ask me if I was left handed. Which I'm not. So when I took the sock class, they tried to show me how to purl as if I was knitting using the English method. Which naturally didn't work, but I didn't know any better because I never bothered to study things like the anatomy of a stitch! When I went to my sweater class, my teacher there figured out that I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing. So she literally worked with me for 2 hours to figure out how I could purl to make it work with the way I knit - as you will recall, obvioulsy I put my own "spin" on it because I don't knit exactly like anyone I know - including the people that taught me.

I am such a rebel. I put the book Knitting for Anarchists on my Christmas list mainly due to my extreme agreement with this statement from a review of the book on Amazon.com "Zilboorg's book is a real eye opener, and equips those of us who do our stitches a little differently with the knowledge and ability to deflect purists, stitch nazis, and other fiber arts authoritarians when they tell us we're doing it wrong, and show them that our stitches are perfect regardless of whether we knit Continental or English, leading leg in front or back, or if we wrap clockwise or counterclockwise." AMEN my knitting sista!

But here is what I'm learning. If I want to be a knitting rebel, I really do need to
figure out what each stitch does. I did the exact same thing when I wanted to learn to play the piano. I wanted to play songs, damn it, not learn notes!!! I also refuse to do a swatch & figure my gauge - I mean, really, what is wrong with me. How am I supposed to knit cool sweaters & wraps & things that I'll actually wear other than scarves if I won't play by the rules? I guess I'm just frustrated. There are many things that I want to make & I can't figure out how to do them because I can't just follow a book. Like over the weekend, I wanted to make a scarf that said I needed to "yarn over" - which looks easy in the book. But they show you how to yarn over if you knit like them. So how am I supposed to know how to yarn over? I tried a few things but it's not working because instead of a spiral scarf, I have just another straight scarf. Oh, what's a knitting rebel to do? Part of me thinks that I should just start all over & play by the rules. But the rebel in my refuses that theory, because I can be an anarchist if I so chose! I guess I'll go study boring stitch anatomy. Or maybe I'll just wing it & stay in my frustrated state! I'll let you know what I decide.