I Got This Idea

And it didn't work. Let's state that right up front. But when has that ever stopped me from writing?

After I posted Friday, I sat and looked at the project so far, with those 21 cast-on stitches and 20 picked-up stitches and I began to wonder. There had to be a way to knit this the way I wanted to. Some way that would that keep my diagonal pointing in the right direction and keep the top of my knitting consistent.

Question #1:What if, after I cast on and picked up the stitches from the top of square #8, what if I kept going and picked up the stitches I need to join the new square to square #3?

Answer: Think about it. If I cast on and then pick up stitches across the two adjacent squares, where will my yarn end up? That's right. At the top of square # 3, 20 stitches away from where I need to start knitting.

Question #2: Okay Fine. What if I pick up stitches down square #3 and across square #7 and then cast on. Huh? What about that? Could I then knit on the 41 right-most stitches - that is, the cast on stitches and the picked-up stitches from square #7 -- and knit the last stitch together with the picked-up stitch from square #3?

Answer: Oh honestly. Think about it. All the decreases -- and thus the pattern -- would end up on the wrong side of the work instead of the right side.

I'd like to tell you I figured this all out in my head and therefore held fast to the recognition that Erin really meant me to pick up one leg of the last stitch in each row to join the sides of squares #3 and #8. I'd be lying.

I'll be good now, though. I promise. This whole thinking thing is over-rated.

(Oh, and before anyone asks. Yes, I picked up the wrong leg for the first two rows. No. I don't intend to go back and fix it. I've knit those 8 rows so many times the yarn is starting to turn back into roving. Enough is enough.)