Ditto on the Frustration

I'm with Deb in the frustration department. I have cast on and knit the first section of this shawl so many times now I could scream. My mother came home with a new froggy to decorate the deck for summer so I turned him ("Jeremiah" is the dubbed name of said froggy) into my Spring Things Frog Pond! I haven't liked the yarns, the needle size, the gauge, and most of all the 1st stitch pattern. Whew, there I said it! I confessed the truth. It looked great in Susan's pictures, but it's a stitch pattern I've battled with before. I just didn't realize that when I purchased the pattern. It's not difficult to knit, mind you, I just don't love how it looks up close >:-( (picky, picky, picky--that's me!)

So, what to do. Being a member of this KAL has motivated me to stick with it. The fact that I just finished my dissertation and completed my requirements for graduation just yesterday is a factor too. I'm so tired I look at *everything* cross-eyed right now. That's when tincture of time is the best therapy I suppose. Right now I have gone back to knitting the pattern as written (yes, I tinkered with that too) using some white Zephyr and Size 3.25mm needles. I'm up to 11 or of the 16 total repeats for chart A. I've decided to press on for now in the hopes that I will be happy with the next lace pattern. I really wanted a light weight white shawl to wear this summer, so I'm hanging in there along with Dab and any other lurkers who are finding unexpected challenges.