Getting Gauge

The one thing I hate most about ripping something out, is that when I go back to it, I can almost never get gauge again. I don't know why this is. It doesn't happen with all projects, just some. It's very frusrating.

I'm working on a sweater for my mom. I finished one sleeve, only to hold it up and realise it was about 4 inches too short!! How did I miss that?! I guess the trouble was, I'd left off knitting it to finish the front, and when I went back to it I never really looked at how long it was, I was just following the pattern. This is never a good sign in my world. So I had to rip out the whole sleeve cap to add more to the arm part of the sleeve.

So far I've had to rip back three times!! I just cannot get gauge! Too tight. Rip it. Try again. Still too tight. Rip it. Try again. Now it's too bloody loose! I can't win for loosing!

The really weird part is, it seems to look just fine on TWO of the 4 double pointed needles! The other half I can see a line, a perceptable stitch change and it's bugging the hell out of me. I don't know if I can leave it.

But I just don't get why one half is messed and not the other! When you knit with double pointed needles you switch them up. It's not like I can blame one or even two of the needles for being bigger. What the hell am I doing wrong!?

I hate this. It's making me crazy.