This lace may be the death of me

Exhibit A: What it looks like when things are going well

I know this may not look like lace per se, but lace knitting really just refers to knitting with holes in it (doesn't sound nearly as nice as lace, does it?).  The holes are created by doing a "yarn over" to create a pattern of empty space in the work.  When it goes well, an organized pattern emerges, like the diagonal rows forming in gray at the top of this picture. 

Now we'll take a look at what it looks like when things are going less well...Exhibit B:

Something's happening there, but it's hard to say just what.  The yarn overs are certainly not forming the nice little rows that they are on the other side. Sigh.

You count and you count and you count, and then somehow, things still end up off-kilter. 

I am beginning to crave a nice, sturdy project made of chunky yarn with not a yarn over in sight.  It is becoming increasingly clear that lace is not for me...