Mods or mistakes?

I'm currently working on Helena from Knitty. I've loved doing this pattern, but there have been a few parts that I have changed, and I can forsee at least one other change that may have to made so that I can finish it and be happy to see it worn.

I accidentally used 3.5mm needles instead of 3mm for the sections that required smaller needles. I could blame the fact that I have a husband who likes to watch TV in the dark, or that I was too excited to get on to the next section. Whatever the reason, it worked, I like it, and I decided not to change it.


I picked up extra stitches under the arms when I was starting the sleeves. I did this semi-intentionally. I felt there might be gaps otherwise. And, I was concentrating so hard on the actual picking up of the stitches that I didn't start counting until I was doing the second section of pick-ups.

And, finally (for the moment, the cardigan is, as yet, unfinished, after all) I did shorter 'skirt' section. Just 4 repeats instead of the 6 (or 7?) specified in the pattern.

The purpose of all this rambling is this... I consider these 'mistakes' - mostly. I have done things that could conceivably be considered 'wrong'. After all, I didn't follow the pattern. But I know some people would call them mods.

Are they only mistakes if you didn't consciously choose to do them at the time? Do they become modifications if, after making the mistake, you decide to keep them? Are they mistakes if you don't know what you did, but modifications if you can identify the change you made?

Does it actually matter and is it all just a matter of the way you approach you knitting and your pattern?