So can someone tell me WHY casting on for a new project is so ridiculously hard for me to get right the first time? Or even the first *fifteen* times??? It doesn't matter what the project is, or how many stitches need to be cast on, or what kind of cast on method, or needle(s) I'm using - I just cannot get it right on the first try.
Take for example, a pair of plain socks. I've made a ton of them over the years, probably more than any other knitted item. I could probably knit a plain pair in my sleep (not well, mind you, but I could probably do it). But before I even get to the knitting, I have to cast on multiple times! Either the count is off, I've wonked it up, I don't have enough yarn to finish, etc. Some say - put a marker every 5 stitches ... and then, I look at what I have, and there's a marker every four stitches ... or every six ... or - well you get the drift.
Over the weekend, I finished the pair of socks I'd been knitting. So I decided to cast on (at last) for Main Street, which I'd been wanting to do for about a month. The pattern says to cast on 228 stitches for a size Medium.
Someone - please just KILL ME NOW.
Over the past couple of days, I have cast on at least 4 times, and each time there has been a problem that required starting over. I'm sure by now I've cast on over 1000 stitches total, and I have nothing to show for it. Well, that's not true. This morning before I left for work, I *think* I successfully got the right number of stitches. But I made myself put it away so I can re-count them later. My work life has enough aggravation without arriving to work already annoyed!
So tonight I will count the stitches. And then I will force The Tim to double-check my count. Should it be correct, I will knit the first two rounds of the pattern, Row 1 being all purl, and Row 2 being all knit. I'll wait before continuing after that, because guess what - a simple lace pattern follows!
In between, I'll cast on for my next project, which will be a pair of socks for the I [heart] Fall knit along. Well, I'll start casting on ...
Tell me - am I the only knitter who has this problem? Surely there is someone else ... right? RIGHT?