Value your knitting because you value it

Folk Wisdom: Too much praise is really mockery. -Pilipino

Generally when a fellow knitter lavishes praise on one’s work it is in recognition of the labor and skill that has gone into the piece. False praise is not something commonly found in knitting circles. Even the novice knitter will find sincere compliments for things as simple as color selection, or even tension. I believe it is far more likely that a non-knitter will exhibit excess praise and thus mockery.

I have been lucky enough not to receive such attentions from any of my gift recipients. But is it luck or is it fear? I fear that a Handmade Mockery Monster may be lurking around the next corner (he’d be big and blue Fun Fur with red spots and snaggle teeth). This makes me extremely hesitant to give knitted items beyond my immediate family. I can see myself giving a cherished friend a pair of fingerless mitts, only to find the dreaded Handmade Mockery Monster has been hiding in that person….screams in horror!

On the other hand, no reaction or minimal reaction is equally as disappointing. That’s the knee high brown beetle creature with two bug eyes on antennas, known as Embarrassed Homemade Lurker. She’s just as likely to scuttle out from behind a loved one who quickly shoves the piece of knitting back into it’s gift box….causing your mind to buzz with a flurry of doubt.

Living in fear of the Handmade Mockery Monster and the Embarrassed Homemade Lurker is no way to live. I think the lesson to learn is not to depend on the reactions of others for your happiness. Enjoy the knitting and let the rest wash over you. Value your knitting because you value it. Rather than living in fear of rejection, or fear of arriving at the wrong destination, just enjoy the ride. And if you’re lucky someone else will drive so you can knit.