Deja Vu Yarn Along

{Knitting Along with Ginny this week.}

Back in 2009 I queued a vest on Ravelry that I really liked. It was fitted, a little lacy, and seemed like something I'd be able to jump into after just a little more experience since I'd not really knitted a lot of garments at that point. Come 2010 I was pretty sure I was ready to jump in with my usual style. I pretty much knit whatever I want and if there is a new technique involved I take it as an opportunity to learn said technique. And wouldn't you know I hadn't knit any lace at all yet? So I knit and ripped and knit and ripped, and wondered again and again what the 10 + 2 thing meant on the lace pattern, and I added stitch markers at the end of every repeat, and STILL I ripped.


And ripped.


And ripped.


And finally I had enough sense to cancel the project and admit that my non-existent lace skills were not good enough to get me moving on this project. I planned to come back a year or two later after getting a handle on lace.


So it's about 3 years later. I've knit several lacy things. I've followed many a chart and actually know what 10 + 2 means. I realize now that I hadn't understood at the time that I'd knit row 1 of the lace chart from right to left and then row 2 from left to right. I realize now that I hadn't understood that the yo might shift over the marker (since I tend to use cut up straws for markers) and I'd need to watch for that to make my counting life easier.


With 3 more years of experience surely I can try again.


Except it's deja vu all over again, baby. I have ripped it back to beginning 4 times, the first time because I decided to change needle sizes, but the other 3 times? Irretrievable mistakes, almost always with counting. I put all kind of markers in there, people- every three repeats. I've been working on this things for 4 days and I'm just now 7 rows in. I've been throwing extra yo in there, extra k2tog- the kinds of things that mess with the tension too much to just drop down and redo those rows and work your way up- it has all required a ripping every time and I may have said some not-kind things to myself as I tried to figure out how that many extra yarn-overs can make it into 20 stitches. And the usual mistakes don't apply- I'm NOT a beginner. I don't accidently yarn-over switching from knit to purl stitches- in fact it doesn't even switch from knit to purl within one row!

Yes, I've read people's Ravelry notes and checked for errata. Like a million times. Because sure I can't be the problem here.


At this point I think I just have to assume I'm a counting dud on this particular pattern. If it doesn't work forward in the next week I'm going to abandon for good and leave it alone for eternity. Surely there is another little vest out there that I will like just as well. And if not, maybe it's a sign that I should forgo vests altogether.


I have really not read much this week due to the recital. I have a giant stack on my nightstand though, so I need to get moving again soon.