Something's Wrong...

The murky weather is back with it's cool mornings that evaporate into sudden hot stickiness, like someone peed in your kiddie-pool.

I've cast on the Beaded Diamond Fantasy Shawl three times now, but I keep losing proper stitch count around row 16. The first two times I thought I blew it somewhere, ripped, and merrily started over, figuring that, if I had to make a mistake, it was good to blow it after working on it for 30 minutes versus 30 days.

I am now on attempt #3 and, once again, I've got a funky stitch count in the same region as before. Either I am a bloody moron and can't seem to keep track of where I am in the chart (a clear possibility) or, what is emerging as my new hot theory, the chart may be wrong. Other folks have knit this pattern into stunning pieces of knitting art, so maybe it's just my chart (starting to sound unlikely again, isn't it)? This would not be the first time I've had this issue with a chart; it is usually something lost in the translation between the written instructions and the chart. Unfortunately, I can't seem to keep my lace straight from line-by-line instructions...

While I sort out this chart/knitter issue, I've been working on a quick little bag. I haven't bothered to take pictures yet, but it seemed some instant gratification was in order. Pictures next time, honest!