I've been knitting on Starsky Jr. for 5 days straight now and have only a meager 2 inches to show for it. I somehow continue to screw up the damn banana leaves pattern!!!! The killer part is I'm done with the armhole shaping, so I'm just knitting straight with the last 60 sts to the neck. I have approximately 14 rows left until bind off and still can't manage to make it through 3 rows without noticing some huge error I've made 3 rows down. Its gotten so bad I'm saying the pattern aloud as I knit it, then closely examine the sts after I knit them. This is taking FOR-E-VEERRRRR. I'm praying to God that the fronts will go more smoothly and that I can move on! I'm trying not to think about how on the fronts, the sleeve and neck shaping takes place together and how much that might confuse me!
I've cast on the Halloween Mystery Shawl about eleventeen hundred times. I got my red beads in the mail, but still haven't decided if I'm going to use them. I'm really wanting to see Renee's finished shawl, or someone who used black yarn with red beads. In the mean time, I also got these.

They've been my consolation so far. I've only learned about 5 steps into the form, but handling these things is new and awkward and is enough of a challenge on its own. I'm learning section 2 of the form tonight.