One true man

An other sleepless night. The heat and other things keep me awake. Since the sock yarn I want to use for P. still haven't arrived I decided to get ahead with the kid-cardi. I checked the pattern again, calculated the necessary stitches and cast on. Knit one row, it didn't came out as it should. Frogged, did it again. Putting the stitches with one to the right. Still not, OK. Frog again. Actually I frogged about seven times, then I took the pattern in my hand. I can't use the pattern, only the lace stitch in it. I checked the the chart. It says a pattern repeat is eight stitches. Checked the pattern it says: "The repeats are the multiplies of eight Cast on 58 stitches (seven repeats plus two for the edges)". OK, I only use the lace stitch, not the pattern, but a repeat of eight stitches is a repeat of eight stitches, right? I cast on 84 stitches. That is ten repeats, two edge and two for right after and before the edges (would be much easier to sew it together), right? I knit again. two rows of garter stitch and two rows of pattern. WRONG AGAIN. By then I was ready to throw the whole thing out of the balcony. frog, knit. WRONG. Frog.
Then something is getting suspicious. I remembered when knitting the swatch I had problems with the edges, because the pattern was drawn out one column more, which gave me one extra yarnover in every fourth row, and I realized that I have to stop and turn one column sooner. I count the little boxes on the chart... I count again. I count one repeat, and I count a second one. Thea are SEVEN stitches. Darn it. Why didn't I realized that when I was knitting the swatch???

Ok, an other calculation 77 stitches plus four, I cast on 81. * Knit the garter, knit the first row. It still didn't end the right way. I go back, unknitting stitch by stitch. About halfway I realize a mistake I made a wrongly placed yarn over trew the whole thing off. Knit again. Still didn't ended the right way. Unknit back, now only third way of the row, i find a mistake. Knit. Hurray it ends with the stitch it supposed to. Purl back. Knit the pattern again. knit six more rows of the pattern.* Measure realizing it would be too small. Frog cast on 88 stitches, and repeat from*. I find an other mistake in row eight so take it off the needles frog, but thinking it would be wise to measure it off the needles. Too big. Frog, cast on, and repeat from *.
Why is it that the simplest the pattern the more I have to frog it until I get the first four or so rows right?
Anyway, I fighted and won. The cardi is on its way. have about ten centimeters of the lace.

In the meanwhile the TV was on. After some medical shows and news came on a movie about Giorgio Perlasca... Mankind never cease to make me wonder, and sometimes just stand in awe. Of course it goes for the negative as well, but sometimes one can run into a positive story. I did heard about him before, but this film put the whole story together. The man was brave. And/or crazy. He did things without thinking. Acquiring a list of "protected persons" dragging them off the train, and asking more and more names from them pretending the names being on the list. And when the Spanish ambassador left, he pretended to be the Spanish consul and issuing counterfeit safe passes to thousands... According to legend at any given time there are 36 true men live on earth. He must have been one of them.