Frustration

I have cast on like 5 or 6 times for a new pair of socks, and things just are not going well!  I started with Selbudeath last night and cast on the recommended amount (100 stitches).  I used size 1 instead of 1.5 because I don't have 1.5.  I started knitting and thought that seemed like too many stitches.  The Neptune High socks had about 70-ish on size 1's and then increased up into the 90's after the ribbed cuff.  That cuff still turned out kind of baggy for me, so I thought 100 stitches wasn't going to cut it.  Ripped out and cast on 70.  I started that and then realized I did not like these colors (green and blue) for that pattern. 

I decided to knit Durstrang.  That pattern has the cuff, for some unknown reason, knit on size 4 needles at 100 stitches, which is ridiculous.  I am not knitting the cuff on needles that big.  (It does, however, recommend knitting-in elastic, which I don't have.  That might make a huge difference in the cuff, I guess.)  So I decided on size 2's which is what I'm using for the main sock, even though I still think 100 stitches on size 2's is going to be too big.  Also the cuff is knit stranded with alternating main and contrast colors.

Okay, so take 1, I started knitting in K1P1 with knit stitches in MC and purl in CC.  It was nearly impossible for me to knit the purl stitches with my left hand.  As I struggled with that, I finally realized that I was supposed to be knitting in K2P2 anyway, so I had to rip again.

Take 2:  Knitting K2P2 with knit in MC and purl in CC.  I finally decided that regardless of the fact that I learned on my last stranded sock to hold the CC in the left hand, I was not going to be able to purl lefty for 20 rounds of the cuff.  It was just taking forever, and I had no patience.  I switched which hand I was knitting each color in, and it went a little more quickly.  I did not like the look of the fabric though.  The purl stitches bulge out for some reason, maybe because of the stranded knitting, maybe because I had the yarn switched.  I didn't know.  I just got annoyed and ripped it again.

Take 3:  I planned to knit the cuff solid, but this morning I went back and looked at more project pictures on Ravelry and decided it was worth it to give the stranded cuff another shot.  Cast on again and did the same as take 2, K2P2, knit MC, purl CC, colors in wrong hands.  It still did not look great, but I figured I'd knit more than 2 rows and hope it flattened out or something as I went.  Then I re-read the directions and discovered that I should be knitting the CC and purling the MC.  AAAAAAHHHHHH.  I ripped again and have yet to cast back on.  I think (hope) that it will actually turn out a lot better with the colors according to the pattern and not according to my misreading/misunderstanding.  (Also I can hold each color in the proper hand which is comforting!)  The purl stitches seem to pop out for some reason, and it will hopefully look better if it's the main color in purl.  If not, I will put the whole thing in time-out and start something else for a while because 6 false starts in two days is extremely frustrating.  I still think the cuff is going to be too big though with 100 stitches on size 2's.  I really should get some knitting elastic for knee sock cuffs.  I can always get some and thread it through later, though, so I won't worry about it now.

And here's a random picture of my cat collection, just so this isn't all text/boring.