"I could never do that!"

I was recently talking with someone who knows that I am a Knitter. I was showing her a couple of my projects and her immediate response was: "I could NEVER do that!" "Oh, I know - wearing a wool scarf in Florida in August is a bit crazy," I responded. "No, I could never knit!" she clarified.

A frightening exclamation: "I could never knit!"

The reality is that ANYONE can knit.

If I who had NEVER had any experience with knitting whatsoever could buy yarn and a set of needles, read "Knitting for Dummies" and watch some instructional videos on YouTube, and successfully fashion dishcloths, scarves, shawls, hats and even socks (well, that required private tutoring), then, my friends, ANYONE can knit!

During the process of learning how to knit, I've realized a few things...

You have to let go of perfectionism (and doing that is harder than learning how to knit). First of all, after you've put so much time and effort into knitting something by hand, you don't want it to look like it was done by a machine! Hand knits have a unique look to them. Be kind to yourself.

You are not expected to knit lace or Fair Isle on your first visit at Knit Night. As long as you have yarn on two needles, you can find a community of welcoming fiber artists who will welcome you into the fold. Let go of any expectations you have of yourself to be an "instant expert."

Knitting, like anything, requires practice and perseverance. But getting the basics down is easy and in a matter of hours you can be on your way to knitting your first scarf or spa cloth.

But the great thing about knitting is that every project is a new opportunity to learn. You can learn a new stitch or a new technique that takes your knitterly expertise into new directions. It's very exciting!

But if, one year ago, I had told myself, "Oh, I could never do that!" then I wouldn't have discovered what has become my passion. I would not have launched my love affair with yarn. I would not have met other Knitters who have become cherished friends.

If you've thought about knitting but were afraid to try...

Let go of the reasons why you "can't" knit and find the reasons why you CAN and SHOULD knit! Here are a few suggestions:

• I can make my own clothing and accessories and that's pretty cool.
• I can make beautiful hand-made gifts for friends and family.
• I can make something beautiful out of yarn.
• I can enjoy the stress relief knitting gives me and the meditative state that knitting puts me in.
• I can experience a great sense of accomplishment with each finished piece.
• I can have something to show for watching countless hours of television.
• I can prove myself wrong when I said, "I could never do that."

Friends, I have found so much joy in knitting - and if you have found that same joy, that's awesome - it's up to us to share that joy with others and help others overcome their fear of needles and yarn.

And if you are new to knitting, throw caution to the wind and try it.

Just once.

You'll be hooked for life.