Yarn Hubris

So: my eggplant scarf was sheer bliss to knit and sheer excitement to mail off. It received rave reviews from its recipient.

I started the Orchid Thief Shawlette with the same high hopes. A beautiful design from one of my favorite designers...a springy sparkly yarn...size 6 needles (one of my top three sizes to knit with) and LOTS of charts. (I love charts.)

All was going well and, because I get a tad obsessy, I was on pace to finish the whole thing in less than a week.

Hubris.

Yarn hubris, to be more specific.

The pattern calls for a 440-yard skein of Malabrigo sock. My skein of Dream in Color Starry had 450 yards. The pattern did say that the sample shawl was finished with only yards to spare, and that the careful knitter might buy an extra skein to be safe.

Balderdash!

First: I didn't decide to make the shawlette until after I'd bought the yarn.
Second: my LYS only HAD one skein.
Third: I am on a limited yarn budget. I could not justify buying a second skein of $28-a-skein yarn Just In Case.
Fourth: my yarn already had 10 extra yards compared to the Malabrigo sock.

I think you know how this story ends.

OH yes.

I'm knitting happily along...each row getting subsequently and seemingly exponentially longer...pulling the yarn out of its huge yarn cake in my project bag...humming a merry tune and mentally devising fictional formal events at which to wear my sparkly midnight blue shawlette...and then...

Boom baby. On row 112 of 114, I pulled the yarn out to check on it and, poof, where had it gone? I did the trick where you tie a slip knot at the halfway point to see how you're doing and...I barely made it one more row. Yes, two yards from the finish line (114 is also the bindoff row) I was Out Of Yarn.

And the yarn is discontinued.

And one person has it for sale or trade in his Ravelry stash. One Person in all the world. He's willing to sell it...but only the whole skein.

March 1, when the fun money budget resets, that skein is coming my way. And I Will Finish.

And then I will have 90+ percent of a skein of Dream in Color Starry left over.

At least I'll know one project it's NOT enough yarn for.