The Adventurous Beginner
A knitter’s nascent biking endeavor
Have you ever been a Newb?
Newb: short for Newbie, or someone who is completely new to a topic, game, or activity.
Of course you have! No matter what you do in life, you are inevitably a beginner at first.
Even the first stage of life is called NEWBorn!
So why is it that I hate feeling like a Newb?
When you are a child, the world seems fresh and exciting. The feeling tends to morph as you trek through your teens and twenties. Life is an adventure! Go try new things! Find yourself!
But a breaker gets tripped in that fourth decade. Sometime between ages 29 and 40, the world starts expecting you to be a master of whatever you pursue.
The idea of being completely new to an activity becomes incredibly uncomfortable.
The Biking
As a tween, I went on my fair share of bike rides around town, but that was the extent of my biking prowess.
Last year, I decided—after years of consideration—to take up mountain biking. Granted, it was out of necessity for our family; the kids wanted to join a club.
Y’all… I was out of my depth. Being void of almost any knowledge about something I wanted to do felt like I was trying to run across a tightrope ten stories off the ground. I had a tiny bit of purchase, but boy oh boy. And if when I fell, there was a sea of experienced eyes watching.
Fortunately, the people attached to those eyes were also kind and helpful, so I got through the season only minorly scathed.
I still feel humbly inexperienced at times, but I have learned enough now to enjoy myself and not crash over every root and rock.
Or Wholeway Ride?
The Knitting
I love that in knitting we have an encouraging name for a Newb Knitter:
The Adventurous Beginner
Doesn’t that just sound fun and exciting? The term Adventurous Beginner implies, “I’m new, but I’m here for an epic journey!”
One aspect of knitting that I appreciate is that both Adventurous Beginners and Seasoned Knitters can learn to knit and then attempt new techniques—complete with the risk of failure—in privacy. You can hop on YouTube for video tutorials, use Google to discover blog posts with photos, or you can find a friend or a helpful LYS (Local Yarn Store) owner to show you how to work through The New.
I now recognize that I’m a learn-in-private kind of gal. How about you?
As a way to help spread crafty knowledge, I’m building a knitting tutorial library on YouTube on the Mountain Song Designs channel! My latest video shows you how to...
Knit an I-Cord || Knitting Tutorial with Jocelyn Peters
The Growth
Showing up to a meeting of mountain bikers (one of whom was described to me as “the Tony Hawk of mountain biking”… 😯🫣), while feeling completely unmoored, was ultimately a fantastic experience for me.
I felt brave. (Eventually...)
I’ve come to realize that no courage is required when you are an expert.
But to be a Newb, to show gurus that you are clueless… that is what takes nerve.
I have gained a greater appreciation for those who are similarly willing to go out on a limb and try something new in front of others.
Test knitters who boldly sign up to test patterns when they have never tried some of the techniques before are my heroes. I find their willingness to try—despite the small possibility of failure in front of others—absolutely inspiring.
Want to join my awesome group of test knitters on Discord?
Future Endeavors
In considering my recent enlightenment, I may have to add a subsection to my Bucket List:
Perhaps the greater chance of failure will allow for a sweeter success.
What would you put on your “Newb Stuff With Likelihood of Failure” list? (Knitting or not.)
Even if you’re an Adventurous Beginner in stranded colorwork, my recent design—the As If Cowl—is a great one to start with! For the next week, you can still buy the pattern for 40% off! No code needed on Etsy. Use code: EMMA40 on Ravelry.
