Progress? Not So Much

This yarn barf used to be a half of a sleeve, a full ball's worth plus a bit. I switched to working on the sleeve because I needed to make up some time since the front was going so slowly (when I was actually working on, which wasn't that much to be perfectly honest). I was having issues with the sleeve increases. The pattern lack direction as to whether or not the increases should be done in pattern, only that they should be carried out on either side of the k2. The problem is that the sleeves are knit in the round and how the heck are you supposed to make that look right with the Bleeping increases not looking completely out of place? I ripped and tried it several different ways within the first few inches of the sleeve, never quite happy. Then I decided to just stay in stocking stitch for the underarm as I increased. That didn't look quite right either but I kept going anyway. Then Tina came over and I asked her opinion. We hummed and hawed and didn't really come up with a satisfactory fix.
Tonight at knit night, we looked at it again, I ripped back to where the increases started, thinking I'd work the pattern into the centre of the increases. To end this tale of woe, let me say that didn't work (again) and feeling overly frustrated I ripped the remainder of the sleeve and now I have a yarn cake, ready to start over, this time on straight needles. I should have knit the bleeping sleeves flat in the first place. :(