knit the knits and purl the purls

I hate when knitting patterns say this. I mean, really, is it so hard just write out the actual pattern so people don't get confused? Oh, and I just love, "keep one stitch on each side in stockinette." Please, just put the "k1" or "p1" in the pattern! Otherwise, you know I'm going to start the row with whatever the first stitch written is and then wind up with "extra" stitches at the end, crumple my yarn into a tangled ball and heave it across the room in a rage . . .
Complaints courtesy of Brea Bag, which, obviously, is making me a little grumpy. When I get to the "knit the knits and purl the purls," I sometimes have trouble telling which is which--sometimes you have what looks like a purl bump, but it's actually from the row below, so I purl when I should really knit. So, sadly, my bag isn't looking quite right so far (I'm only about 5 rows in). I don't think I'm going to frog, though, probably just use this side as the back--knitting with two strands is painful enough without trying to keep the strands untangled while ripping. Incidentally, my method to deal with the 'knit the knits and purl and purls" is to read the previous row backward--a bit tedious, but better than my previous method: just guess and hope for the best.
I got my swap assignment for my next swap! I will be knitting for the swap organizer, so I guess it's not so anonymous in my case. ;o) Now, to come up with a project. I really like the idea of knitting a book-inspired object and sending it along with said inspirational book . . . but what if we don't like the same kind of books? I guess I can ponder this idea while I'm stuck here at work. Not only do I hate my job, but I'm stuck here working late (and on Saturday!!) for the next two weeks while we have a big pointless meeting. Hurrah! (I wish there was a font specifically designated for sarcasm.)