Patwoman's Rules Of Fixing Mistakes In Crafting

I have a set of rules I like to share with my students. A lot of times, new knitters or crocheters are so concerned with "doing it right" that they forget to have fun. Now, don't get me wrong, it's important to "do it right," but if you're not having fun with it, what's the point?

I don't want new crafters to get discouraged by all the rules of knitting or crocheting. So, I made up some of my own rules. (Like all rules in the Patwoman World of Crafting, they're more like guidelines.)

This is what I tell them when they discover a mistake that they've made. In a perfect world, the error is discovered right away and it can be fixed right away. But sometimes the mistake is in a previous row. That's when the rules come in.

Rule 1
Can anyone else see the mistake, or is it just you? If the answer is no, it's not a mistake. If the answer is yes, see Rule 2.

Rule 2
Can you live with the mistake? Some mistakes, like an extra row on a stripe, are not a big deal. Let it go. It's a design element. If you can't live with it...

Rule 3
Can I fix it easily, without ripping back a million rows? (Some mistakes, like a dropped stitch, can be fixed without ripping.) If the answer is yes, fix it and then it's not a mistake. If it's no, you're going to have to rip it back and fix the mistake... or see Rule 4.

Rule 4
Can it be camoflaged or covered up? If it's visibile and you hate it, and if you can't fix it without a massive do-over, put an applique on it. Or a button. Or a flower. A loopy cast on edge can be prettied up with a row of single crochet over that edge. Or some fringe. A split stich can embroidered over or duplicate stitched. with some contrasting yarn.

How about you? What unconventional rules do you have?