I just finished reading Stephanie Pearl-McPhee‘s guide to the land of knitting and in it she talks about the difference between product knitters and process knitters. Basically, product knitters knit so that they can have finished projects, and process knitters knit so that they can knit.
Of course, most knitters fall into both camps on occasion, but I have come to realize that I am, without doubt, a process knitter. I don’t mean to say I am unconcerned about the finished product – I am as aware of the Christmas deadline as any other knitter – but I am one of those people who is unhappy with the finished knitting unless it is just right.
If you are a knitter, you will understand that this noble impulse can be a royal pain in the ass. For instance, my latest not-quite-right project is a pair of baby socks (rav link) I’m knitting for my niece/nephew who is going to arrive shortly. This is what they look like right now:
Not bad, eh? I finished turning the short-row heel (I’ve never actually done one of those before) and felt quite clever, when I noticed an interesting instruction. Instead of making a reverse stockinette stitch stripe down the middle of the sock, which is what I had somehow ended up doing, I was supposed to be knitting every other row completely so that there would be a garter-stitch stripe instead. You know, like the pattern’s own name even says?
Here’s my dilemma now: I am very close to being done this sock. Since it’s a baby sock I have only a couple more inches til the toe, and then I’m halfway to having a present finished. But, as you probably know, garter stitch has different qualities than stockinette, the first being that garter stitch does not curl and pull in like stockinette does…like the stripe on the front of these socks does. I’m sure that when the socks are on, they will look fine. There is still an interesting, textured stripe down the front. My brother and sister-in-law are not knitters, so they will likely not know the difference.
But I can’t do it. I have to rip the dang thing out. Why? Well, first of all, I refuse to make one sock incorrectly and one sock correctly, and I don’t think I could stand doing it wrong twice now that I’ve noticed the mistake. And secondly, any time those socks got mentioned again, or I saw a picture of the baby wearing them, I would have a second of pure distaste for myself for having done such a shoddy job.
What about you? Are you a product or process knitter?
