On what subject(s) are you an authority?
I had to look up the definition of authority for this one. What does it mean exactly to be an authority on something? Google says it means you “possess expert knowledge, experience, and credibility in that area, allowing for informed opinions and influence over others.”
By that definition, I don’t believe there’s much that I can honestly say I am an authority on. Even my experience as a teacher doesn’t make me qualified because there was a lot I didn’t experience considering I only taught in a Catholic school, not a public one. Those are two very different types of schools. The kids are different and so was the experience.
I think, though, I need to look toward my hobbies for this answer. With that in mind, I’m going to say knitting and crocheting are the subjects I can claim authority over.
To break it down by Google’s definition—
“Possess expert knowledge”: I don’t know everything there is to know about either craft but I’ve been doing it long enough that I know how to make a lot of complicated patterns and use a variety of stitches and methods to create a finished object. With crochet, I’m even getting fairly good at creating my own projects without a pattern to follow.
“Experience”: This goes back to what I just said about having expert knowledge. I have been crocheting since I was a kid and knitting for a little more than 20 years. My projects page on Ravelry, where I have documented each project I have ever made, has 275 listed, including ones that I didn’t finish or that came out terribly wrong. I definitely have the experience.
“Credibility in that area”: The only credibility I really have, aside from praise from people I’ve shown my projects to, or that I’ve gifted things to, I can honestly say that I am an award-winning knitter. In 2012, I entered this shawl that I knit into the North Carolina State Fair’s knitting competition in the shawls category:
It won 1st place! I got a blue ribbon and ten dollars for the prize.
A few years after that I entered the shawl category again in an attempt to win back my title, but I didn’t place. My scorecard showed that I got 85 out of 100 points. That’s a B in my gradebook, but not enough. I actually didn’t get a scorecard for the shawl that won in 2012 so I don’t know how many points I actually got with it.
And finally, “allowing for informed opinions and influence over others”: I often give advice to fellow knitters and crocheters on Ravelry and the ones I know in ‘real life’ too. They’ll ask for opinions on what yarn would look best with a particular pattern, or what kind of modifications should be made when they see their project almost finished but need advice on finishing it. I am able to answer all kinds of questions. I can also teach others the craft. I taught an adult crocheting class where I work and most recently taught the kids knitting class. Next week I’ll be teaching the kids crocheting class. And even on the weekends when I go to my Saturday morning knit group at Panera Bread, I help the people in my group if they have a question. Most recently I showed one of them how to work a 2-color brioche knitting project. I’m working on a sweater right now using that technique.
The sweater in progress:
It’s reversible right now, but soon I’ll have to decide which color I want facing out when I wear it.
I could probably go on and on talking about knitting and crocheting. Maybe that’s what makes me an authority on it. I know a lot about it and I can do it fairly well. I also just enjoy doing it. It’s really just as simple as that.
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