Sew What?

So it turns out that the sewing machine works best if you have the presser foot DOWN and the feed dogs UP. Who'd've thunk it? I've been successfully sewing semi-straight lines on scrap fabric today. The zigzag stitch makes me happy.

This foray into sewing has led to a revelation: learning to knit changed the way I learn everything. It wasn't until my third attempt that I was able to figure it out. What made the difference was stick-to-it-tiveness. I really, really, really wanted to knit. Once I decided to do it, it wasn't even about the process or the finished product or anything besides not getting beaten by this stupid needlework that four-year-old Scandinavian children can do in their SLEEP.

And man, did I make mistakes. It probably took about 200 attempts before I was able to knit a full row -- and that's with dropped stitches, accidental YOs, and whatnot. But I once it clicked, it really clicked. It was the same with crochet. And I'm hoping it's the same with sewing.

So I'm keeping all this in mind as I slowly figure out the sewing machine on my kitchen table. It still sort of blows my mind that I will be stitching together pattern pieces, instead of creating the fabric, loop by loop. What a crazy shortcut to a finished garment!