She's A Rebel

I have a problem. Either I have a problem with authority, or I'm extremely dense. Here, a little backstory will illuminate the issue.

The first earflap hat I knit was in a newborn size, and I got to the last repeats before I realized I had ignored the instructions and done what I thought I was supposed to do instead of what it actually told me to do. I kept decreasing every other row, and the pattern told me to decrease every row after I reached 35 stitches. Oy. I frogged to the 35 stitches and redid it, no problem.

This isn't the first time I've done something like that, either. I have a horrible habit of assuming what the pattern is going to say instead of reading the pattern. This gets me into trouble constantly with my knitting, with hours going crazy over a pattern because I'm confused, and then more hours spent ripping and re-knitting.

So I started a sweater. I didn't really want to do a swatch, because I wanted to see if the yarn would be soft when it was knit. So I started the sleeve, got to the last increase, and looked at the instructions to see what I needed to do next. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I was supposed to change needles sizes after the hem. SIX INCHES AGO. Sigh. I checked my gauge to see if maybe I could wing it, but no such luck, the gauge was smaller than needed. I should have switched needles. My last chance is in the blocking. I'm going to go ahead and finish the sleeve, block it, and see if the gauge loosens up.

Also, maybe the yarn will soften up, since it's pretty scratchy. It wasn't scratchy when I bought it, dang it, but it's just a little too scratchy to wear as it is. If this turns out too scratchy to wear, I don't know what I'll use the yarn for. Scarves', gloves', and hats' skin areas are too sensitive for this yarn. Maybe socks. Next time, I'll tell you what happened, and have some pictures. It'll probably be Friday or Saturday.
Lykke Til!