gauge: my nemesis

So... EmDog emails me Thursday. She found a sweater on a knitting blog (yes, I know. She must have been really bored.) that she really likes. To my delight, she had stumbled upon gold. Behold a really cool sweater pattern.

I make a run to Windsor on my lunch break and find cool yarn. This was done while reading names of yarn and colorway number to EmDog over the phone. "Ok. Google Cascade Yarn. Good. Find colorways for Cascade 200 Superwash. Is there a dark gray? How do you like it?" Blah, blah, blah.

Attempt #1:
I swatched a bit. I say a bit because my gauge in the round is drastically different from flat. So, I attempted it people. I did. But I didn't give it a galliant effort. I got somewhere close, but I really couldn't tell. I'd have to start.

I cast on the sweater Thursday night. Messed up the first time. Twisted the stitches (read: mobius) and cast on 1 too few or 1 too many. Not concerned which it was at this point. It was wrong.

Attempt #2:
Cast on again Thursday night, racing to get something on the needles before it got too late. Too late is 10:30ish. Yeah... racing.

I knitted on this one during regular knitting time on Friday.

Attempt #3:
Sometime on Saturday morning, I realized I was get 20 stitches per 4". The gauge is 18 stitches = 4" Moved up to size 8 needles (i know. 1/2 stitch = one needle size. I know that NOW people.) Moved steadily on this attempt until Sunday morning. Dammit.

Attempt #4:
Getting 19-ish stitches per 4". Move on up to size 9 needles and get my ass over to Butterfly. Lovely Donna confirmed that with 9's my gauge is good. I sat there and knit a few more rows on the stockinette portion just to make sure. She measured again. PHEW!

Exhibit A: Size 7, Size 8, Size 9

Hopefully EmDog will now get a sweater that actually fits.