Did I my learning up

I started crocheting last December after crocheting for a while. I figured I’d learn to k it the same way I learned to crochet (and currently crochet); mess around and figure it out. This has worked pretty beautifully for me, I’ve made multiple items including a full blown pj set. I’ve learned a lot. However, I cannot actually read a pattern now. Is improv really that bad with knitting? Did I really mess up my learning?