A Challenge

Now that I can do a simple top-down triangle shawl without thinking very hard about it, I've decided, for some reason, that I need to do a half-circle shawl with a 20-row-repeat lace edging from the bottom up (because I really don't like picking up edging and this particular one works from the bottom up).

I'm working on my third attempt after casting on about six times (6x300+ stitches = mental meltdown). I did have a stunning aha! moment yesterday when I realized that my life would be much easier if I put stitch markers at every pattern repeat so that I only have to rip out twenty stitches at a time. But that didn't stop me from screwing up row 7 so badly that I unraveled (the shawl and myself) and cast on again.

And I still haven't figured out why I have to do this: it's as if there's a big knitting exam coming up and I have get an A. I'm alternating between being pleased that I've tackled this and thinking what the hell is wrong with me?