Perfection? LOL NO

April 26, 2021

In this issue: Mistakes Happen Shop News The Tip Jar Private Lessons Contact info

Mistakes Happen
It's all very normal!

We hear a lot about projects from crafters. Specifically, we hear a lot from crafters about their projects and how frustrated they are over their mistakes. Their mistakes are usually pretty common and their reactions are all very, very normal. We're human, we want to make something fabulous and we want to do it 'right' the first time. HA! As some might say "Life don't be like that" (yes, we know that's grammatically incorrect, but it conveys the best feeling).

Now, we would never laugh at someone who is frustrated, because that's just mean. Instead, we generally share some perspective. First, mistakes are common. We're pretty sure every project on display at Yarnivore has at least one (and more likely several) mistakes in them. Second, sometimes it's you, sometimes it's the pattern or yarn or tool. Having another crafter look at your work or pattern can help you figure out what is going wrong. Third, practice makes better. (More in a minute on why we don't aim for perfection.) We practice to learn techniques, improve motor skills, and grow our confidence. And, finally, fourth, we forgive ourselves our trespasses. Sometimes we make mistakes into BIG DEALS when they are not. Forgive yourself and your project any mistakes that are not structural (e.g., that will eventually damage the project) or miniscule. Note that 'miniscule' is open to interpretation. Some of us have a higher threshold for tolerating mistakes. If you're unsure about how bad a mistake it is, feel free to ask another crafter or one of us for an opinion. Remember that expecting perfection in a hand-made item is like expecting perfect children, ideal but rarely seen in the wild. :)

As always, when your projects get frustrating, we are HERE to help you tame them!

Be safe, be well, be kind!

-Caryn & the Yarnivore crew

Shop News

Featured Pattern & Yarn
Lucky! We love the look of this FREE pattern from Knitty.com - Mistake Rib works up beautifully for a soft, squishy, lofty sweater. The pattern calls for an interesting mix of yarn and needle. At 140 yds/100g, their specified wool would be considered a bulky by our measure. However, the pattern calls for a US 7/4.5mm needle, which we'd normally use for worsted. Their resulting gauge is 16 st/4", which is closer to bulky than worsted, so we think we see the method in their madness (oh, so crazy for mixing yarn weight and needles, right?). If you want to try it on a bulky yarn, we think Plymouth's Deluxe Bulky Superwash would be a nice match. It's the right yardage/100g and is a well-performing yarn in terms of stitch definition and durability. If you want to use worsted, Cascade's 220 Superwash Merino would be super squishy. However, you'd likely need to be careful with your gauge and sizing as this one is much thinner than the pattern's choice. Either way, we encourage swatching!

Featured Notions
Mother's Day is right around the corner (well, it's in a couple of weeks). If you're looking for ideas, how about filling a yarn bowl with tools like Cocoknits' tape measures or stitch markers, Nuluv lotions or soaps, Knitter's Pride Row Counter Rings or a Yarnivore Gift Certificate?

Hours - We’re open 7 days a week (except some holidays)!
11-5 Monday-Saturday
Noon-5 Sunday
We'll be CLOSED on Mothers Day, Sunday, May 9!

Private Lessons
In-store and online private lessons are available! Please call us at 210-979-8255 to schedule a lesson! Wendy, Dawn, and Nancy M. are all available to help you with your projects! Private Lessons can be scheduled outside of regular hours at the discretion of the teacher.

The Tip Jar

It's so hard to figure out what size of pattern to make! What's ease? How do I measure myself!?

No worries!

Here's the easy way: Pick a sweater or sweatshirt (or other garment) that you already own that has about the same weight and stretch as your swatch (you DID swatch, right?) and measure THAT right across from armpit to armpit. Check that measurement against your pattern and do the size that's closest! It's way easier to measure a shirt than a body AND you'll already know that it fits!

All regular classes are currently on hold until we can safely seat up to 6 students in the classroom. We'll let y'all know when we can offer them again. Until then, we're offering most of our class material in private lessons.

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If you have a question for one of our teachers, you can email us at yarnivoresa@gmail.com.
You can also email Wendy with knitting or crochet questions at wendy.yarnivore@gmail.com or contact her through her Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/Wendy.at.Yarnivore/

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