What's that swiping sound?

It's me, stealing the Yarn Harlot's copyright for self-effacing posts. I don't know if I have insomnia or "aging sleeping habits" *snort*- but I have to air my irritation w/ how the past four hours went.

First, I finished "The Book Thief." Shed a few tears, will think of these characters from time to time. Being Jewish, we have "Never Forget" flavored on our pacifiers, and that's just where Holocaust education begins. It's good to see a book like this (note: it is a fiction title), where never forget includes the precious souls that said Fuck You to Hitler And His Germany, regardless of the personal cost.

Back to knitting. Attempt #2 at the Mananita cast on. We left off with me spending three hours trying to figure out a way to invisible cast on, and then kind of getting the hang of it, w/ the realization that I need smoother joins on my circulars and in my brain. On a whim I ordered the needles and a Schoolhouse video for Mananita. They arrived, and it's a different Mananita, lo and behold, w/ a different (long tail) cast on method. After looking at that video, back to the web for video and written tutorials, back to the book, I've got 80 stitches of invisible cast on that are too damn tight. I'm just not getting how to do this w/out twisting the hell out of my waste yarn.

I decide to bag the invisible cast on, and use the long tail cast on. Who cares, right? Long tail cast on, I've used it for seven years. I NO LONGER REMEMBER HOW TO DO IT. Forgive the caps lock. But that's what happened in one evening of this try and try again. Do I make an albatross for myself, or look for some finger candy like finishing some sweater sleeves.

I picked this silk out w/ pure love and weak knees, and just may walk into the Yarn shop someday soon (anyone volunteering to take my kid?) and pay for a tutorial, something I've just not ever considered doing before. I love those ladies, hope it's true on the other end of help.