What's mildly irritating you today?

[ZenGum]

that making knives often times consists of adapting to and covering up mistakes

That is very similar to one of the best definitions of art that I have heard.

A rigid musician will play a tune someone else wrote, and if they get, say, some timing a little wrong, they carry on trying to do it right and hope no-one notices. A true artist musician, if they're a little late with one note, might slow down for the next few phrases of the music, and work what was originally a mistake into the the overall piece in an organic way. People will notice, and if the artist is good, will like it.