Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

I am an experienced knitter.

Dropped stitches?  Check.  Bound off too tight?  Check.  Knit unintentionally through the back loop?  Check.  Sleeves way too long and floppy?  Check.  Rewrote the sweater pattern in the round and forgot to account for the sleeves?  Check.

But from these unfortunate boo-boos I learned how to rescue a dropped stitch, even 10 rows down on a lace pattern.  (Hint:  mark it and fake it after the fact!)  Bind off too tight?  Use a bigger needle or a different bind off.  Knitting through the back loop?  I learned to recognize the difference and use it to knit with a tighter space.  When the sleeves aren't right, it's OK to rip them back, even after you've worn the sweater.  You can re-knit them in a shorter, tighter pattern and make them perfect for you.  And I learned steeking, that scary technique, through necessity and time crunch, for the sweater in the round.

There are books to make your knitting life easier.  Amy Chin has one that I like, Knitting Tips and Tricks.  It isn't so much about fixing errors but tips to prevent them.

The title of this entry shows how I live my life.  Sure, school is great, and I enjoy it immensely.  New class is starting next week, in fact.  But doing is more fun, risky, and rewarding.  The occasional error, or "learning experience" is generally worth it.

Who knows?  Maybe you will solve the age-old  problem of "yarn barf" in a way no one else has, or an easier way to "be careful not to twist" when joining in the round.  One way, for socks, is to knit them toe up!  Another is to knit back and forth for a couple of rows, then join.  It will be easier to see what you are doing and you can use the tail to sew up a short seam.

Am I an experienced knitter?  You bet!