Get Back To The Yarn

At The 2009 TTC Knitalong I treated myself to some beautiful cotton and linen from Americo.  It was enough to knit their Rose Sweater and came with the pattern.  I immediately bought all the required needles, at a fair expense, and cast on.  The body went along like wild fire until it got to the shaping.  It was odd.  So I left it alone and I cast on a sleeve on the prescribed needle, a short circular for knitting a tube shaped sleeve in the round.  It was awkward.  I was fighting the needle.  None of the measurements or yarn requirements were working out either.  Slowly, it dawned on me that this was a very badly written pattern. Bad math combined with awkward techniques equals unsatisfying knitting experience.  In frustration the whole project got tossed in a bag and onto the closet floor where it has languished ever since.
Guilt drove me to pull it out last week.  I studied it for quite a while and knit a bit more.  No good.
Then I remembered the reason I bought the stuff in the first place.  It's the yarn.  I love the feel, the colour and the drape of these two types of cotton.  I love the way they play off each other.  I want a droopy sweater made from this fibre.  I needed to get back to the yarn.
Basically, this is just a stocking stitch pullover with a round neck.  I've knit one or two in my day so why was I becoming a slave to the pattern?   I ripped back to the armhole shaping and started doing my own math.  I added length and then shaped the armholes the way I like them.  I dislike shoulder shaping so I just didn't do it.  The body and neckline are now done.  The stupid, ill fitting sleeve has been ripped out and I've cast on sleeves the way I prefer to knit them - two at a time on straight needles, top down.  When I run out of yarn, the sleeves will be done.  Then I can insert them flat and seam.  See?  Simple.
Funny how just looking at a project differently turns it around completely.  I'm enjoying this project again because I remembered that ultimately it's about the knitting.  And the yarn.