It's a Numbers Game

Knitting is all about math. 5 st per inch times 36"equals 180 st. 100 m per 50 g ball times 6 balls equals 600 m. And when it comes to Auburn Mist, 34 g divided by 2 equals 17 g.

After I finished the body I had 34 g of yarn left over from my original 100g. This meant that each sleeve could take no more than 17 g of yarn to complete. The plan was that I would knit one sleeve, determine how much yarn I had left over, then decide on my course of action. Well, after finally finishing the first sleeve this afternoon, I weighed the remaining yarn and discovered that I have a total of 18 g, divided into two skeins.















Or at least I did, until I weighed it again and came up with 17 g. When I weighed the balls separately I got a total of 17 g...then 16 g.

The point is that 1 g of yarn is going to determine whether or not I will be wearing Auburn Mist this Christmas. I have already checked all the yarn shops in a 100 km radius and there is no red Madil Kid Seta to be found. The way I see it, I have three choices:

1. Walk. Away. From. The. Sweater. Put Auburn Mist into hibernation, order a new ball of yarn, and complete the sweater in time for next Christmas. This would relieve a lot of pressure, freeing up oodles of time to wrap presents and clean my house. Imagine approaching the coming holiday with a feeling of peace and relaxation!

2. Rip back sleeve number one and knit two short sleeves. Surely that wouldn't take too long. I could easily finish the sweater by Christmas Eve, not to mention complete the rest of my Christmas jobs. Okay, I'd feel a little stressed but it would all be worth it when I slip my new sweater on over my head.

3. Knit sleeve number two, crossing fingers and toes, hoping and praying that I have enough yarn to not only finish a second sleeve, but also to sew both sleeves into the body. This would practically ensure that every moment between now and when the yarn runs out will be filled with anxiety and anticipation. Will I have enough yarn? Will I have enough time? Will it all end with a shout of triumph or a wail of disappointment? Surely no sane person would put themselves through all that just for a chance at wearing a new sweater...

Yeah, you guessed it--call me crazy.

In the meantime, I'd like you to meet Aggie, more formally known as Agate, a one-of-a-kind 1200 yd-skein of laceweight merino and tussah silk, dyed by my friend Lori of Oceanwind Knits. It is shown here with my new hummingbird ornament, an early Christmas gift from Cameron.

I've been eyeing this yarn for a while now and when I received some Christmas money a couple of weeks ago I decided to go for it. I just wish the photography could accurately reflect the subtle colour changes and sheen.

I don't usually buy yarn without a specific project in mind but this is an exception. I look forward to finding the perfect shawl pattern to showcase this beautiful yarn.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a sleeve to cast on. I can't believe I'm getting my butt kicked by one measly gram of yarn!