Handling the tricky parts

I've been working on my Kelmscott.  The back is done,  the sleeves are done - they're the plain mindless sections that I whipped out without much though.  The front is a fairly detailed chart with lace patterning on both sides, so it's much slower going, especially now that it's time to begin armhole and neckline shaping. Here they are up to the neckline and armhole shaping.

A section like that where I have to pay attention to how many rows and how many decreases is the kind of detail-oriented thing I just loathe.  It has to be done, and it has to be done right, but damn, I just hate it.   It's so tempting to just wad it all up and stick it into my knitting bag and move on to something else.  And I've done it plenty of times, trust me.

There in my bag, those slightly tricky bits grow menacing.  They aren't a big deal, but the longer I put them off, the worse I imagine them to be.  Not good.  I have to just do it, and I will, but I'll do it in the morning when I'm fresh and the light is good.  I'll write out the pattern and the decreases row by row and follow them through the tricky part.

I've been trying to remind myself that the tricky bits of life are best handled this way as well - don't leave them too long, make a plan, and handle them when you're well rested and have plenty of light.