Fifth Time's the Charm

I hope next year I will remember: Never start a new sweater at Madrona. It just doesn't work. Last year's was a disaster. I attributed this mostly to a terrible pattern filled with errors. This year I wasn't going to make the same mistake. I brought yarn and needles to start a new variation on Retro Prep. I've knit the body of this sweater twice before. It's plain stockinette in the round. Easy as pie, right? You, I'm sure, sense where this is going.

Attempt #1: Cast on and realize at the end of the first round of ribbing that I got my pattern (k3, p2) off about 12 stitches in. I decide it will be easier to rip and cast on again than tink back.

Attempt#2: Cast on and realize at the end of the first round of ribbing that I got my pattern (k3, p2) off about 25 stitches in.

Attempt #3: Cast on and complete the ribbing happily. Look down at my knitting during Fiona Ellis's talk and try really hard not to curse out loud. My cast on was twisted. Rip.

Attempt #4: I can't remember what happened here. I think I blocked it out.

Attempt #5: Success! I knit the ribbing. I realize that somewhere between my first and fifth attempt to cast on I changed the number of stitches I was casting on by 20. So instead of a very close fitting sweater with virtually no ease, I'll have a looser sweater. I added more of the body stitches to the steek so it won't be that bad.

I knit several inches of the sweater on Saturday night. Sunday morning, lying in bed, I realize I screwed up the side decreases. (I actually increased when I was supposed to decrease. In my defense, I was in a bar. However I wasn't drinking so I don't know if that counts.) Sunday morning at breakfast I ripped back. I now have about five inches of the body done.

Did I mention I'm teaching a class on this? I hope my students don't have as much trouble as I did.