What's this about "freestyle"?

I don't really believe in patterns. In a sense, at least. I think patterns are good guidelines, places to get started, pick up ideas, learn new things. I don't think that they need be followed exactly. I seldom make it through a pattern (or a recipe) without making substantial changes. I usually don't even try to follow one; I just pick up my needles and start knitting. I suppose this might be dangerous, and I have had to pull out several projects at rather advanced stages, but I prefer to keep the freedom to try things, to make mistakes that I can learn from, and even to fail, rather than trying to adhere to someone else's directions. There are some exceptions. I try very hard not to be dogmatic about anything, and especially not something that's a hobby, and that I do for fun. In my opinion, crafts should be about inventing, starting from scratch and creating something. Every project should be an exploration, not just an attempt to replicate something someone else has done. I am a chemist; I spend a lot of my life replicating things within very tight constraints. My hobbies are not about rules and procedures; they're about relaxing and seeing what I can invent. It's just a less structured approach, and, I think, a lot more fun. Sure, it backfires every once in a while, but most of the time I am surprised by how well things come out. And hey, it's not like you can't just pull it out and start over if it all goes horribly awry...