Following Directions?

When you have a thing that needs to be put together, are you more likely to look at the directions or just try to wing it? It probably won't surprise you to learn that I like to read - and follow - the directions...most of the time anyway! With knitting, well...sometimes I get a little cocky with knitting. 

Recently, I picked up a pattern for a toy that was knit flat and seamed, but my plan was to knit "in the round," avoiding the need to sew all of the pieces together in the end. Having done this many times before, I felt fairly confident, until I stuffed this blob (that looks NOTHING at all like a parrot), and set it down to figure out what I had done wrong. 

This pattern, as many before it, starts with "make two" in the instructions for the head and body. In error, I assumed this meant that the two pieces would be stitched together in the end, so I cast on double the stitches, joined to work in the round, and worked every row of directions twice. This is standard operating procedure in the world of toy knitting, but it was not giving me anything remotely resembling the pic in the pattern!

I was making a parrot, not a chubby chick! Did I possibly only need to make one? Ding! Ding! Ding! Yes, as it turns out, this pattern pictured two parrots (same bird, different main colors), and it was telling you to make double the pieces at every step. If I had knitted the pieces flat, at the end, I would have had enough parts to piece together a pair of parrots. So I ripped out the round one, and started over. By the time I knit only one beak and sewed it on, my knitting was was starting to look like the photo!

I was a little sad that I had lost so much time in my misinterpretation of the instructions, but I was also well on my way to one lovely bird! As I added crest feathers, claws and the whites of the eyes (don't shoot!), I was eager to move onto the wing feathers...and today, I have that bird finished! I would have finished it yesterday, but I have a stupid job...

For the record, I love my job. I have been created for the type of job I have, and I don't know what I would do if I did not work in an office someday...but some days, I'd still rather knit. Luckily, yesterday was Friday, and since then, I have finished a flock of feathers...

He seemed very curious about the feathers and appeared to be looking in their direction, but without pupils...well, I'm not sure what he thought about that development...lol!

Triumphantly, before blogging today, I did manage to whip together wings and lace some lashes onto that bird, and now he is complete! A Parrot Pal (singular) to be loved by a boy whose favorite animal is a...mongoose! 

No! His favorite animal is a parrot, Sillies! It's a parrot for a parrot-loving boy! I'll post pictures when they are together at last (his birthday is next month). Just for kicks, I've also made him a parrot hoodie...isn't that fun?

For what it's worth, I didn't exactly follow the directions on that either, but I was probably closer than the parrot! And how cute is this little guy on the shoulder?

Oh, I am looking forward to this birthday, and to the next couple also! So many directions to follow, but I think I can...I think I can...I think I can... 

How are you at following directions? Would you rather improvise? Whatever your answer, I hope you have what you need by the end of the project!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!