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Often patterns are labeled with a skill level: beginner, easy, intermediate, or advanced. These skill levels tend to be somewhat subjective. They also miss the fact that you may be great with one intermediate level technique, but not with another. In order to aid crocheters and knitters in classifying their skill level, I’ve developed, what I am calling, stages of proficiency. You can use these stages to describe your proficiency with any stitch or technique.

Stage 1 – This is where you hold the hook or needles in one hand, the yarn in the other, and say “Huh?”. Because in order to do what the diagrams in the book show, it looks like you need to break the fundamental laws of physics.

Stage 2 – You kind of get going, and after 3 to 4 rows or rounds, realize you’ve been doing it wrong and rip everything out to start over again.

Stage 3 – You get going, realize you’re doing something wrong, rip it all out, start over, and realize, “No. Wait. I was doing it right. It’s supposed to look like that.”

Stage 4 – You are managing to do the stitch or technique, with liberal amounts of cursing.

Stage 5 – You can now do the stitch or technique without cursing.

Stage 6 – You can do the stitch or technique while holding a conversation.