Dear Sweater,

I am not sure where we went wrong here. We started off great, your stitches flying, inches adding up, cables turning out beautifully. Loppem, you are lovely sweater and I look forward to wearing you.

Why are you being so difficult now that I've reached the yoke?

Here's the thing...when I do a stitch count and get that right, then meticulously do the increase round I fully expect to have the right number of stitches when I am done. But I didn't. So I spent an hour (a whole freaking hour) going over each stitch trying to see where I went wrong. When it was clear that I was not wrong, I started searching online to find pattern errata (because sometimes it really isn't user error), only to find that while there is some I have the updated pattern so it doesn't apply.

I decide to simply do away with the extra stitches and carefully planned that out. This only made our problems worse. Because now you don't have enough stitches. I know I decreased the right number. Where are these stitches, I ask you sweater?!

I can only suspect that you are angry with me. You must have heard me saying that I didn't think you were long enough and that I planned to wait until you were done to be sure of the length, but chances are good that I'd be undoing your cast on edge and adding a cable repeat. I don't know if I'll need to or not, can we please wait until the moment arrives to be upset about this?

Maybe you're insulted that I decided that a wool sweater really should have sleeves and have plans to alter the pattern to make full sleeves. Look, I live in a cold climate. Sweaters without sleeves are not a lot of use to me. Shrugs are a different story, but I wouldn't make a shrug out of pure cozy wool. It's not a reflection of your design, just a reality of living in Nova Scotia.

Or maybe your feelings are hurt because I ordered two more skeins of yarn to make sure I have enough. I assure you that you are not lacking just because I need more.

The fiasco the other night was regrettable. Angry words were spoken, and I'm sorry I threw you to the floor.

All that said, I do think we need a break from one another. Just a little one. I'll pick you back up, I promise.

In the meantime, please do not feel threatened by my casting on Margot. I just needed something simple to work on in the interim. Signs of Fall are everywhere, I will need more than one sweater.

Yours with love,

Lesley