Oops! Now what?

I mess up A LOT! Specifically for crocheting, I don't notice the errors until I am well past them. I miss a step following directions, I don't check gauge, I switch stitches in a stitch pattern all the time! Sometimes it's a happy mistake but often it leads to frogging... satisfying and cathardic in itself, I must say. So this week's post is dedicated to mistakes and learning from them.

Let's start with that blanket I pictured last week - it started as a completely different pattern (here's that pattern) but I decided that I didn't like it couldn't keep up with the stitch count  - it seems so simple but after 6 rows, I noticed it was starting to look slightly more pyramid shaped than rectangle (mistake #1). So I went searching for another, simpler pattern and found one that I've used to make a newsboy hat for a girl before and it's really simple - ch2, skip the first stitch *dc, sc in the same stitch, skip a stitch* across, hdc in the ch2 from the previous row, ch2 turn. But here's the thing - my least favorite part of crocheting is the first row of stitches after the foundation chain especially when it's 30 inches of stitches so I didn't take that row out even though it has ch3 spaces (mistake #2). Then, I take this project with me everywhere - I do it at my Craft Nights, I do it at my kids' activities, I do it while watching TV - I skipped stitches a lot because I wasn't paying attention (usually skipped the dc and did the sc) and didn't find them until the next row. If it didn't look too bad, I didn't pull them out and just put the pattern stitch (dc, sc) in that sc (mistake #3-18). Now the latest mistake I have made on this blanket was particularly egregious - I mixed up the pattern. I did sc, dc across instead of dc, sc and I kept doing it because I was sure that it was the pattern stitch (mistake #19). I didn't look right but I couldn't figure out what happened. I frogged it 4 times before my mother-in-law helped  find my mistake!

Recap:
mistake #1 - this happens to everyone once in a while when a stitch just doesn't work for you. move on.
mistake #2 - I should have pulled this out but now that it's there, I'll find a way to incorporate it into the border.
mistake #3-18 - I was being lazy and should have pulled these out. But since I'm not going to, I'm just saying that those spots are a reminder that it was made with love!
mistake #19 - when in doubt, go back to the pattern. My MIL pulled out about 6 stitches on the last row that looked right and noted that it was dc, sc rather than sc, dc - I need to remember this for the next time I can't figure out the problem. A little note - you'd think that this mix up would look the same after a couple rows, but it doesn't.

So will I take this lesson and go on with it? yes. Will I make more mistakes in the future? absolutely. Here's what I did last night:

Both of these hats are 0-3 mo size but the blue one barely fits an American Girl doll. Guess I'm starting over on that one! That's what handicrafts are about - making mistakes and moving on!