So I finished knitting this baby hat last weekend when I was crafting with my friends, and I expressed some sincere disappointment in how it came out. It just didn't look right to me, fresh off the needles and full of odd bumps where I had miscounted sts and decreased too soon or slightly loopier sts where I changed yarn color. These imperfections seemed visible only to my eyes, but they bothered me none the less and I hid the hat away so I wouldn't have to look at it for the rest of the night. It's hard when you work on something so tediously and get this image in your head of what the final project will be. Well, it's going to be perfect! Flawless, not a stitch out of place, a thread too loose or a smidgen off. Especially when it's a gift or when someone else will wear it, you want every detail to be right! of course, but....
Sometimes I forget what marks the beauty of handmade items. The slight imperfections that, well, make them more perfect.
A handmade item should not look like it was made by a machine, but by a simple human being. That is not to compensate for sloppy work or mistakes of course, if you know how to fix it, do. A dropped stitch can be put back in place, a loose button made tighter. You don't want your garments to fall apart or fit incorrectly, but they can reflect some character and personal charm. I thought about all this and started to ease up a little. I was being way to hard in this teeny baby hat! People wear, buy and enjoy handmade items because they reflect the person's touch, the time they took and the uniqueness of the work. Plus I want the item to be worn, loved, touched and know it can't stay pure and pristine forever. So favor the flaws of your handmade items, embrace the imperfections! Know each stitch was made with love, even if it's a bit smaller than the one knit before it.
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