I saw an Instagram reel recently that got me thinking.
A younger man stopped an older man on the street, and asked “can money buy happiness.”
The older man said it can — sort of.
When you’re young and have no money, getting some money will bring some happiness.
But what he said next is what really struck me…
He said everyone chases wealth, but wealth isn’t really about money.
It’s about choices.
A wealthy person gets to choose how they spend their time.
That’s the real prize.
Now apply that to your knitting.
When you cast on from a written pattern, you have exactly one choice:
…do what the pattern says.
The designer picked the yarn, the construction, the neckline, the ease, the finishing.
You’re not creating.
You’re assembling someone else’s idea of a sweater.
That’s fine when the pattern is exactly what you want.
The trouble starts the moment you want something slightly different.
If you want longer sleeves, a different yarn, or an adjustment to the fit, you get stuck.
That’s not freedom.
It’s more like being at the ER, waiting for someone to tell you what’s wrong.
The good news is you don’t have to be a knitting doctor to get unstuck.
You just have to be Fearless.
You need to have so many options at your fingertips that no project can intimidate you.
That way you’re never trapped inside someone else’s instructions.
You’re knitting from principles, not directions.
If you know how a shawl is constructed, you can play with shapes, color, texture, and borders.
You have an infinite number of choices to work with.
You’re FREE to create whatever your heart desires.
That’s the real wealth in this craft.
The freedom to make exactly what you want, exactly the way you want it.
And the best part?
You don’t have to be rich to do it, just willing to learn.
Conclusion
Do you agree with the older man?
Are you beholden to patterns? or do you knit freely?
Hit reply and share your thoughts with us!
We’d love to hear your feedback. 😊