3rd times a charm, or the 4th.

I don't know why, maybe it's because I am always moving at warp speed.  I can't seem to begin a project without starting it at least three times.

It's silly, really.

I'm knitting a baby sweater for a shower gift.  The mom to be is a family friend I've known since she was 7.  My oldest was her maid of honor and I knit her a garter for her wedding.  The connection makes it all the more special.  I started to write that this has nothing to do with the knitting, and then I thought 'maybe it does'.

For starters I have to give you interesting background on how I came to the sweater I chose.  Since I want the sweater to be a surprise, I sent her mom (my friend) pictures of six sweaters.  If you are on Ravelry, you can click here to see them. For those of you who are not on Ravelry: one sweater was a classic, center front cardigan, three sweaters had asymmetrical fronts and possible stripes, one was knit with variegated yarn, and one was kind of like a long blankety baby shrug.

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/monahan/garter-yoke-baby-cardi

My friend quickly responded and suggested the classic sweater, garter yoke baby cardi.  I found her reasoning fascinating and it made sense.  Both the mom to be and her husband are engineers and like order and symmetry. 

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/hyina/garter-yoke-baby-cardi-3

That didn't keep me from changing it up a little bit.  You know I can't leave well enough alone. I looked over all the projects knit and found this one.

The sweater is top down, no seams... a beautiful thing.  Getting back to my opening paragraph, I must've cast on at least three times for the sweater.  A little baby sweater!

First attempt: After setting up the markers, I found I was under a stitch.  I was not going to fudge forward on a gift.   

Second attempt: my cast on had a blip in it, one stitch that was larger than the rest.  That won't do for a orderly people.  

Third attempt: I wanted to knit using the Portuguese method which means knitting garter by purling every row.  That affected what row and how I introduced the contrast color.

Seriously?! This is not the first time this kind of thing has happened.  Either I read only as much as I need to, to cast on and knit the first few rows.  Or, I read what I think the pattern says and get caught up short when I realize I'm not doing as the pattern instructs.  Selective reading is so often the culprit.

Note to self, read the pattern before starting.  Simple, yet effective.

 

Finished!