Gauge Tales

As Mrs. Spit said in the comments yesterday, '... I like the Yarn Harlot's idea - guage swatches are nothing more than a vain offering to the knitting fates and bear no resemblenece to the actual thing.'

So true.  

Late yesterday afternoon, I did another count for gauge.  It wasn't making sense. It was fitting and yet, according to the swatch, I was 100 stitches away from where I needed to be to make it fit!  100 stitches at 6.5 stitches per inch is 15 inches.  Clearly something was off.

So I counted yet again.  20 stitches on 4 inches (midway between needles and coloured yoke, just like yesterday).  Plenty o' stitches.  I will have 7 inches of straight...Which makes me want to pound my head against the floor.

I'm going to rip back the last few inches, and take out the increases I was making on the front.  I just don't need them.  Increases along the side every 6th row and a few randomly placed ones across my lower back will be just about perfect. In my head this sweater was supposed to be a nice casual a-line. Now it can be.  

Yes, the knitting fates were active yesterday, messing with my mind and my knitting.  It is what it is.  I'd get frustrated, but you know, it was a lovely day.  I sat on my front porch on the swing, I turned on the wee thermocell to keep the bugs away and knit all afternoon.  I knit there to supper time, when the sky turned gray and the thunderstorms began again.  Not a bad way at all to spend a hot summer afternoon. If I have to repeat some knitting, I won't mind at all if it is tied to such a nice memory.