Intimidation (or: Bring it, Lacey.)

Within the knitting community, lace seems to be one of those self-defining characteristics.  Kind of like (and seemingly opposing) socks.  These are the things that really intimidate some people, while coming quite easily to others.  I've known people that can p5tbl & make bobbles without blinking, but get a bit queasy when faced with a handful of double points.  Then there are the people that can burn out a pair of socks in a week but whose eyes glaze over at the sight of any single line with less than 5 simple knits in a row.

Over the past year or two, I've been working my way through understanding of socks & now feel comfortable with them.  At this point, I pretty much grok sock construction, from toe to gusset to heel to negative ease & incorporating stitch patterns.  I can do them toe-up or cuff down, and I can make heels with either short rows or a flap & gusset.  Lace?  Still don't really get it yet.

Basic points, I understand. 

• If you're working on something that stays the same size all the way up, then there should be a +1 for every -1.  So each YO should have a k2tog or ssk paired with it.  
• You have to block the finished product or you don't ever get to see the stitch definition.  (To this point I've only ever blocked three of the 80+ projects I've posted to Ravelry, only one actually using pins.  No joke.)
  
• The needle-to-yarn size ratio used in Lace is completely off from everything else I've done.  Bulky yarns use big needles, worsted yarns use medium needles, sock yarn uses small needles.  The needles for my Red Stockings of Awesome are four sizes smaller than those for the lace scarf (and it still kind of bothers me). 

It's just a matter of applying these principles.  I've only had to tink back an entire row once (knock on wood).  I've got lifelines cast at every pattern repeat.  And I have yet to lose/gain any extra stitches in the lace panel. 

But more than one row have ended up shifted left or right by one stitch because I couldn't figure out where I had miscounted.  I figure no one will notice, based on the Prancing Pony Postulate (if it can't be seen from a prancing pony, don't worry about it).

Two pattern repeats are completed at this point.  Black thread lifelines shown in the picture, as well as my rockin' Post-It note method of keeping track of where I am in the chart.

I can do this.  Just not when other people are in the room.  ^_^