Counting. It's Elemental.

This is shameful. The blog is turning into a running dialog of my knitting foibles but at least this time I have a few photographs. Having a full time job really sucks because it's dark by the time I get home. And if you know me, then you know my thinking goes "if it's not worth doin' right, then it's not worth doin'".

I digress. This is about the sleeves. Oh, those sleeves. Turns out my real problem is.... I cannot count. Nope. I cannot count. Counting is too difficult for me. Or, more to the point, I cannot read directions and count what the directions indicate.

How did I learn this little factoid? Well dear reader, I will tell you. I was nearly finished with the second sleeve when I took another look and this time I read the pattern and realized that the increases were actually correct in the first sleeve. The instructions stated to make the first increase and then REPEAT the same increase 5 more times. That counts as a total of 6 increases every 6 rows and then 8 more increases every 8 rows. OH. DUH. So it wasn't 5 increases, it was 6. And all this time I thought I had made one too many in the first sleeve.

Imagine my relief, though it did mean ripping sleeve #2 down about 8 inches and adding that 6th increase. It wasn't so bad, and I was back on track in no time.

The challenges don't end there, dear reader. Because now I have NO IDEA how to add the sleeve to the body. Which is where I am now. Stuck. This time I decided to just put it aside, ponder it awhile, and let inspiration guide me. Still waiting.

And while I wait, I will knit the small projects to get me through the Holidays. And maybe I should go back to third grade, because obviously I missed the day they taught us to count!