If I weren't so busy swatching, I could do vasectomies

I've spent the last two days doing very little knit-wise except swatching. (Is swatching even a word?) Since the Engineering New Stitch Patterns class with Cat Bordhi I've been on a mission: I'm writing a pattern for a shawlette. Yes, I realize I've only knit maybe three shawls/shawlettes in my entire life, but don't try to confuse me with facts. I had a revelation in the class: don't let what you don't know stop you from creating new things. People, that is HUGE.

Think about it. How many times have you decided not to attempt something because you didn't think you knew enough to just jump right in and begin? I'm not talking about brain surgery or anything like that--although I'm pretty sure I could perform a vasectomy if I had to. I saw a doctor do one on Phil Donahue years ago and it didn't look that tough. I'm talking about being adventurous, just going for it even if you don't have a clue.

With Cat's encouragement, I created my own unique stitch pattern and it will be featured in my shawlette. She started the class by giving us three basic stitch patterns drawn from a set of cards (more on that in a later post) and then turned us loose to create. I had a blast! My combination was a tough one, and at one point Cat told me I could choose different cards if I wanted. But I persevered and came up with something I really like.

The bottom of the swatch is the rough draft; the top is the refined version. It took me most of the class to get to this version, but I enjoyed the process so much.

Tomorrow I'll post more photos and give more details about the class. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the last few hours of my birthday. I had a nice dinner with my family, got a phone call from my son, and donated to Ravelry, something I plan to do every year on my birthday. That's a whole lot more fun than getting a colonoscopy like I did a few years ago, but just as necessary. What could be better?