Not the Charm

After three times of trying to pick up stitches for the sleeve of my sweater, I decided to set it aside for the night.  The first clue that I was going to struggle with it this evening was when I couldn't find the pattern (the sweater was in a pouch in a larger knitting bag, and the pattern was in a pocket of that larger tote) until after I went and found a second copy of the pattern.  I mean, it's just fifty-four stitches on each side of the shoulder seam, and I can't seem to make it happen.  Yeah, when the idea of switching to picking up somewhere around 400 (I made changes and have not calculated how many more I will need) stitches for the front/neck/collar bit of this sweater seems more appealing than trying to work out these fifty-four, it is probably best to let it be until tomorrow.  The good news is that this sweater is endless photogenic.  

I have occasionally been putting on the body of the sweater, enjoying a little extra bit of warmth.  Of course, then I try to get up and do something around the house, and I get caught up on the ends I've left hanging.  I mean, I could weave in those ends, but really, finishing the sweater is the better option.  I would like to have it done before the end of the year, and that is possibly a doable goal, but I'm not hung up on it as a deadline.  I do have other things I want to knit, too, so this might not get my full attention.  I will say, once I get these stitches picked up, much of the knitting is pretty plain, and that can be a nice television companion, and I find that idea rather attractive.