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I have a problem, knitters.
I know others have blogged about this, so this will be a short rant.
I want to say I get cross when big bossy boots stamp on enthusiasm.

What I will say is, lets be positive, when someone shows an interest, lets encourage them, I have been around a lot of knitters the past few days, and overheard a comment which bugged me...
"thats for an advanced knitter" in such a smug tone I could barely control myself,now, I don't want to shout but...LET HER TRY!!! who decides?? come on tell me, who decides what is beginners, intermediate or advanced? I know brilliant aran knitters who are scared to try lace, fairisle enthusiasts who shy from sock knitting, I feel that there are 2 levels, patient and impatient, why couldn't this person say " thats a complex pattern, I would swatch a bit before starting"thats all that was required, you swatch, you like it, you enjoy the knitting, you buy the yarn and knit the garment.
What I see are 2 problem areas:
1) is fear of failure, you think something looks hard, so you don't try.
2) is far more serious, and we need to take a good long look at our collective knitting selves...this problem is harder to define, but it is wrapped up in the smug tone I heard..."I can do something that you can't...I am better than you" what a load of bollocks! All of the knitters I know personally are generous souls, they share their vast knowledge, and encourage others, but there are still people around who bask in their imagined superiority, and condemn enthusisatic puppies to a life of garter st scarves, or worse still...no knitting at all.

As I said before, I don't llike the skills rating thing, I think Knitty handle it well, they are not negative. I would say that I have "advanced" skills, in a "beginner" frame of mind, maybe we should have skills categories like:

- "commutes"
- "small children- attention varies"
- "long summer holiday at the beach"knit
- "long winter holiday in the cabin" knit
- "fits in well with all the other stuff you have to do" knit
- "kids are in bed by 8 and hubby is watching t.v."

I know the techniques, I can chart fairisle and aran, design from scratch, but frankly these days, I can't be stuffed! I am sure I will do complex work again one day, but for now the socks,scarves and baby jackets are all I need. I know teenagers who spin and steek...because no one ever told them it was hard, so lets just be positive, and enjoy learning from each other.

please, next time someone with sparkles in their eyes, says "oooh thats beautiful, is it difficult?" just say "no, but it takes some commitment" and enjoy being part of another human's creative development.