...finishing the first diamonds and the 24-row repeat. The plan was to do another full repeat and be at 8", ready to start the shaping.

Ahem. This would mean that 24 rows would be 4". Yup, I checked the pattern and the gauge is 24 rows x 18 sts in moss st/cable st pattern. I have measured 18 sts. I have 4". I measured my 24 rows. I have 3.5". ARGH. No I did not swatch. This is a dog sweater. The sweater is the swatch.

I shouldn't be surprised. I know I knit a bit tight, a habit that stuck after making a sock one of my very first knitting projects and trying really hard to avoid ladders. (I did, for those curious).

So I frogged. All of it. And started over. I think Sam realized I wasn't too happy about this, as he stopped trying to catch my yarn or needle, and instead tried to appear as inconspicuous as possible:

I did 6 rows before realizing I'd had enough of the Classic Cabled Aran for the night. So it sits at this much done...

...until tomorrow when I can bear to look at it again. (As an aside, a big "thank you" to my mom for bringing me back the metalic magnet-board from her trip to Florida over the holidays. I didn't think I'd ever use it 'cus I put all my patterns in my Palm, but the lace socks taught me that I really prefer working from a chart v.s. a written-out "k4, C4B, p1, k1, p4, C4F, blah, blah, blah".)

Because Law & Order: SVU was still on and I needed something non-aggrivating to work on, I pulled out the blue charity baby sweater. I'd started it yesterday by doing 5 rows of the ribbing during my knitting class. Tonight I made it up to 23 rows before stopping to come post and go to bed:

The sweater is using Paton's Astra that was donated to the Lakeshore Hospital Auxiliary and given to me for these sweaters, and a pattern called Heart Warmer from an old Paton's book that calls for the Astra. Only another 13 rows and I begin the raglan shaping.

I really love raglans. I didn't like them at all until I started knitting, and now I love the neat little paired decreases and the ease it is to seam when you make the decs 1 st in from the edge. I'm looking forwards to putting this together, which is odd 'cus I'm only 23 rows in of the only piece I've started.

Now to bed, to hopefully wake up tomorrow and forget that I'd ever worked the full 24 rows of CCA (even though I'm still really proud of myself for dropping those 5 sts 6 rows and working them back up in cables, no less).