Advanced vs. Expert

One of the questions on the class evaluation today was my level of knitting expertise. Advanced, I would say. Not expert. Before this weekend, I was contemplating giving up my spot in Sunday's class. Too much. Time away from my dog, time in a room with 20+ other people, time away from projects that need to be finished! I'm glad I didn't give it up. Finishing for the Finicky. Wow. I'll never look at selvedges (which I love, by the way) again. I need to re-do some things on my sister's vest right away, to get the shoulders and neck just right. If you ever get a chance to take a class with Susanna Hanson, don't hesitate. I'm not sure she's in the Midwest often, but I would consider a trip to the Madrona festival next year to take more from her. One of the things I really need to take a critical eye to is some projects in progress that have problems. Susanna suggested that projects like that need to be let go. It occurs to be more often that the sweaters I make for Piccolo turn out better than anything I make for myself. Maybe this was part of the reason I embraced vests over the last year. Less chance for something to go wrong. Except I just assembled one that has some real issues, and can't be worn in its current state. I keep looking for patterns for that perfect combination of color, texture, fit and finish. I rarely hit that winning combination. This weekend also made me contemplate what I want to commit my time to. One thing for sure--I want to work on a new collection for a second book. I've got a lot of ideas percolating. Since I'm so much better at that type of knitting, I should focus on that more. I do want two ambitious sweaters, like a Zimmerman saddle shoulder seamless Aran, and a Bohus. Socks are exempt from this scrutiny, but my tendency is to knit something in a heavier yarn for more instant gratification. I'm doing a craft show in a few weeks, and I should try to sell off some stash yarns there to put towards funding the Bohus. Fingering weight sock yarn, for sure will be let go.