Picovoli on Life Support: Film at 11

I wish I could explain what happened to Picovoli. I swear I was paying attention as I was knitting, reading the pattern carefully, and counting as I went along. I swear I was. But at this point, it's almost as if I was reading a different pattern. I was all the way down to the point where I was to start my waist shaping, so I knit a round putting in markers where the shaping is supposed to go, and I had 8 stitches too many. Not too terribly ominous if the fit is OK, right? So I tried it on and, although, the sizing around the bust was OK, maybe a little too loose, the armholes and sleeves were really too big. J had suggested that I might have cast on too many for the armholes, so I counted, and it appeared that I had cast on a total of 8 too many. So, I knew I had to rip back 5 1/4 inches to the armholes. This did not make me happy, but I knew that if I didn't do it right away and then immediately start knitting again, this would become a permanent UFO. So, I ripped, and I began to cast on again for the armholes. I was so confused because I couldn't figure out where I was in the pattern. Nothing was making sense, the working yarn wasn't where it was supposed to be, and I was baffled. So, just for yucks, I'd figure I'd count the stitches for the sleeves, the front and the back to make sure I had the right number. Well, wouldn't you know I had 8 too many! I did two too many increase rounds. Now, I remember reading the pattern and carefully counting the number of stitches I had in each section and the number of increase rounds I had done just to be double sure. So, how did this happen? I really don't know. Obviously, I was wrong about having cast on too many for the armholes. I must have miscounted that as well, which is easy to do since I was counting columns of stitches after they had been knitted which, to me, is less of a science than counting stitches on the needle. SO, I need to rip back another two rounds (308 stitches each!) and begin again...maybe. At this point, I feel like quitting and revisiting this project later, but with the knitalong going on, I really don't know what to do. I know I am frustrated, if nothing else. I'm too frustrated even to take a photo of the damn thing.

So, on to happier things...I started Clapotis! I made sure I knitted up an entire skein of the Silk Garden so you could see the entire colorway. I wasn't pleased, at first, with the green on the bottom because, as you can see, it goes on for quite some time and it's a kelly green - not my favorite. Finally, after a while, I got some blue, and then that seemed to never end, either. Toward the top, the colors change more frequently, which I like. I think I will be quite pleased with it when it's done, which is going to be a while from now. I've started Section 3, which inolves 150 rows of 107 stitches each, but at least in each 12 row section, I get to let one column of stitches unravel, which is kind of fun. I've already done one, see?

This is going to be a very warm and cozy wrap. I'm also enjoying my Elvira shawl...tonight is our anniversary dinner so I can show it off to the world!