gauge is stupid and i hate it

i'm not kidding. i never even used to think about it until i read this. so i blame the yarn harlot, as ignorance truly is bliss. how did i justify ignoring gauge? i just did. i would see that part of a pattern and skip over it. la la la. it can't happen to me, that's what i was thinking. i am so perfect i always knit things just as the pattern describes, right down to the size of every single stitch. which is really hilarious when i stop and think about it. but seriously, it's just a part of the denial. it's an illness. and it's not even as bad as it could be. it's just a sock. but i knitted this sock while we were being all fancy this past weekend. so i feel like it has memories. but basically all those memories are an inch too small. making them useless unless you have teeny ankles and smaller than size 7 feet.

this whole gauge thing sent me on a mad quest last night. i started pulling out different socks and measuring them compared to the pattern. and i found some interesting things. my favorite hand knit sleep socks which are a skooch too big are 6 stitches to the inch, my socks that are too small are 8 stitches to the inch, and socks that are just right are 7 stitches to the inch. the one thing i am not so sure of in this little experiment is what size needles i've been using on which socks. on the offending socks i did go down a size just to get a tighter fabric, but i really didn't think it wouldn't matter. IT DOES. one extra stitch per inch equals one inch. that's crazy. i don't think i'll ever recover. knitting is math. this is a bad thing for me. i SUCK at math.

i am scared to go back and look at sweaters, especially the one i have still in progress. i have a beautiful peace fleece everyday cardi all finished and sewed up that i never wear cause it is too short. is it short because i didn't make row gauge?? it's all stockinette, so i can find out. but then what am i going to do? rip the entire thing? i don't wear it and it has been on my list of things to consider because i love it. i love everything about it but the length. and apparently it's my own fault. i followed the directions too closely for the finished measurements, not considering my own preferences yet i couldn't be bothered to check my gauge.

what folly this knitting thing.

i leave you with this. it's a new fall bag for me. it's way bigger than i usually carry, but i think i can stuff it full of my (ill-sized) knitting.