I am a beginner

Aren't I?

I started knitting about a year ago, and took a 2-month hiatus for certain pressing reasons. That means I've been knitting for about 10 months. That qualifies me as a beginner, doesn't it?

I can knit, and I can purl. I can tell the difference between the two. I can cast on (a couple of different ways), and I can bind off. I can increase and decrease in multiple ways. I know what to do if my needles fall out of my work without panicking (although it annoys me greatly), and after replacing my needles, I can tell when a stitch is twisted. I can knit in the round on circulars and on double-pointed needles, in jogless stripes no less. I think short row shaping is much easier than it sounds. I can recognize mistakes, and prefer to fix them by running a ladder and then using a crochet hook. I can add the simplest of modifications (a ribbing edge here, an intarsia stripe there) to certain patterns. As for finishing, I weave in all my ends, and am comfortable with kitchener stitching and mattress stitching. I can felt and do some easy blocking.

So maybe I oughtn't call myself a beginner anymore.

But. I have never done a project for which I've needed to knit a gauge swatch. The idea of knitting from a graphic pattern (like that for the Mariah cardigan on my sidebar) is daunting to me. The thought of making a garment that requires calculations involving gauge, fit, and ease fills me with dismay. I don't even aspire to try making complex fair isle patterns; it just doesn't appeal to me. I never wanted to be an expert knitter to begin with. I just wanted a scarf.

I suppose this lands me squarely in the intermediate category of knitting expertise. But you know what? I want to be a beginner. That's how I am with most things. I like having that label to blame for any ignorance, mistakes, and inexperience that I and my projects display.

So I'll keep calling myself a beginner until I don't feel like one anymore. Or until I end up teaching someone to knit. Or until I make something that someone mistakes for storebought. How does that sound?