Swatching, math, and memory

Cords & Cables Crochet Cardigan - swatching .

So much for swatching. After creating 3 swatches, measuring, counting, washing, measuring, and counting again, I chained-on (someone tell me, is that the crochet equivalent to cast-on?) for the Cords & Cables Cardigan. A few inches into into the pattern and I find the center front is 1-1/2" too long. Grrr.

Maybe it's because I don't crochet that often and my tension isn't consistent. Or perhaps it's because the piece is 4x wider than the swatch. Regardless I grabbed another ball of yarn and started again with a smaller hook. I'm going to have to watch the gauge on this project. It's worked side-to-side so it'll be bad if I end with a different gauge than I started with.

On a completely different topic, if I were to ask you how old you are, would you be able to answer without thinking or would you do some quick math to figure it out? I'm halfway between 40 & 50 today (gosh, I can't believe it, where did the time go?) and lately I've been doing the math. What I don't know is if it is because

1. I don't feel as old as I am and can't relate to "45".
2. There are too many years to count. Math is easier.
3. Memory is one of the first things to go.

In my mind, it's mostly #1 with a little of #2 & #3 thrown in for good measure.

What year is it again? Darn. Add a little more #3 to the mix.