I spent yesterday evening with some friends, playing a board game, knitting and having a little wine. I was working on a project I hadn't picked up in a month or so, one with a really easy Quaker Rib pattern, and I thought I knew what I'd been doing when last I looked at my row counter.

But evidently I wasn't paying attention and started knitting on the wrong row of the pattern, the result being that I knit about two inches with the front side of the stripes on the back of my work (it took me so long to notice because I was engrossed in the game and the company and not really paying attention to what I was doing).

So today, clearly, I have to rip back. But I don't feel too bad about it because, first, it's a really easy pattern and it's no effort to reknit a few inches, but also because I had a good time while I was knitting, and I know I'll have a fine time knitting it again.

Admittedly, I don't always have such a good attitude about mistakes. I do my share of swearing at the needles, the yarn, my inability to count to four accurately and consistently. But for the most part, I know that I knit because I love it, and a mistake just means I get to do what I enjoy for a little longer.

How do you feel about knitting mistakes? Do you believe any time spent knitting is time well spent, even if it doesn't always go your way, or do you sometimes wonder why you picked this craft at all? I'd love to hear your thoughts.