The sweater of Sisyphus

Having completed St. Brigid, I am now embarking on a couple of new projects. Or trying to, anyway. Full of enthusiasm and hubris from the completion of an involved Aran sweater, I jumped headlong into this:

This is a child's pullover designed by Dale of Norway and published in the Spring 1997 issue of Interweave Knits, which is of course sold out, so I purchased it for too much money on eBay because Claire loved it. As a sort of compensation, I decided to knit the sweater in Patons Astra rather than in a Dale yarn or a similarly expensive natural fiber. After all, Claire is going to get it absolutely filthy and I'll want to machine wash it, right??

So off I go. I made a lovely swatch in the round using all the colours Claire requested (she is into blue these days):

Well, the first three times I started it, I twisted the join. Yes, I laid it down and checked to see if it was twisted before I joined it. But, uh, not on the floor.

So I restarted a fourth time. I laid it down on the floor and joined it properly, and it was 100% untwisted. Well, I got home from adjudicating a recital on Saturday night, and opened my bag to knit, and ... it was gone. Gone, I tell you! After I bought an indestructible Tom Bihn bag in ballistic nylon with the world's biggest snap buckle so nothing would ever fall out. So yes, it's gone ... along with the 2.5mm Inox Express circular I was using for it.

GAHH!! So I gave up for a few days and started a simple self-patterning sock for B. in shades of grey:

Then today I finally managed to start again. It is joined correctly, and it is never leaving the house except if Claire is wearing it!!

After the moth-eaten saga of St. Brigid, sometimes I wonder if the universe is telling me not to knit. Well, pthhhhh Universe, I'm not listening!