Writers Need to Knit

My ventures with knitting have been invaluable in teaching me to slow down and follow directions methodically. Skipping ahead when knitting turns a sweater into a purse!

Observing my online students skip over and skip over and skip over very direct step-by-step instructions (as indicated by the 50% who do complete them accurately) makes me think that all students need to knit a potholder before being accepted into class.

Unfortunately, many students come into class assuming that they know the drill. "How many tests?" they ask. "Where are the paper assignments?" they want to know. They want the answers from me, so they can hold me accountable, I think, rather than taking the time to acquire the information for themselves. Or, perhaps it's that they want to put 30 minutes into a task that can't be accomplished in less than 90. Or, it may be that they think all writing classes are the same, so, having had one, they know all that needs to be known.

That's where knitting comes in, I think. I can know the basics--knit and purl and cast on and off--but each pattern is different. And some more complex than others. Neither are all the codes identical from one designer to the next, I've learned. But I've also learned that, if I want to end up with the garment I've set my heart on, I can't get it all at once. I have to give myself time to make it right.

Now why do we understand that with something like knitting or quilting, but not with writing?