(It may be considered chapter 1 of "book two" of The Two Towers. I'm calling it chapter 12 based on my EPUB file names.)

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> ‘It’s good to be able to see again,’ said Frodo, breathing deep. ‘Do you know, I thought for a bit that I had lost my sight? From the lightning or something else worse. I could see nothing, nothing at all, until the grey rope came down. It seemed to shimmer somehow.’
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> ‘It does look sort of silver in the dark,’ said Sam. **‘Never noticed it before, though I can’t remember as I’ve ever had it out since I first stowed it.** But if you’re so set on climbing, Mr. Frodo, how are you going to use it? Thirty ells, or say, about eighteen fathom: that’s no more than your guess at the height of the cliff.’
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The "I can’t remember as I’ve ever had it out since I first stowed it." part confuses me a lot. I interpret it as:

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> I can’t remember whether or not I’ve ever had it out since I first stowed it.
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But even though it "felt" like a long time, they were basically just in Lorien where (as they were leaving) he got the rope. After that, they spent nearly all their time in the boat on Anduin, and only extremely little time after the group split up until the present time. How can Sam not remember whether he has taken out the rope before?

Am I completely misreading?