Between Class Knitting

I have been helping out at school a lot lately. So I haven't had much time to knit or crochet or anything like clean home, working on the last one today. I have been trying to teach myself lace in knitting and cables. I have only been doing this for a few days so not much progress. This is size 10 cotton thread on size one needles that I have been caring in my bag. I have a small book that has about 30 or so different designs for knitted stitches in it. I am making a sample so to speak.

I work in a pattern for either 1 to 2 repeats of the pattern or 14 rows which ever gives me the best idea of what the stitch will look like. Some one asked if I was making a spring scarf do to the weight of the thread and it being cotton and all. I said no I am making nothing just swatches but a spring scarf would be a cute use for this when it is done so it may become that or may not. If it does I will have to put an edging on it to straighten the edges out as different stitches pull differently and it looks like there are more then less stitches than 50 when actually it is a constant number. I cast on 50 stitches at the beginning. The patterns have different stitch counts I just make sure I always have 50 that means sometimes I have a few extra stitches that I divide between the two sides and add an extra knit or 2 or 3 to the ends to make it work correctly if there is such a thing as correct with this type of thing.