Downton Pullover weekend update

“Houston, we have a problem.”

Knitting Trials

I’ve been trying to finish sleeve #2 this weekend.  I thought for sure I could have it done by this evening.

But then this…

Do you see the problem? Notice the taupe yarn.  Yeah.  That’s all that’s left.  Except for the yarn I used to swatch with.

I guess you could say I’ve hit a speed bump.

Before I began this project, I made sure to purchase an EXTRA SKEIN of each color!!!!  I had read a review on Ravelry saying that they needed more than the recommend amount. So I followed that suggestion knowing I needed to swatch anyways.

Having a little extra was just plain smart.

Good thing. Or I’d have run out with only half this sleeve complete instead of being very nearly finished with it.

I will be leaving notes on my Ravelry project about this for sure!!!

So the lesson of the day is: ALWAYS BUY MORE YARN THAN THE PATTERN RECOMMENDS. 

(For larger projects like sweaters at least–you do NOT want to run out!)

On a side note:  Did you see my new yarn bowl in the photo?!?!  I bought it from my dear friend, Patty. (The same potter friend who gave me my first yarn bowl.)  I just HAD to have this one too!  The kitties are simply adorable, aren’t they?!

The Fix

As mentioned above, I had my swatch. As every good knitter knows, you don’t start a sweater without knitting, washing, and blocking a swatch first. (Some knitters would say you should swatch for any project, but I don’t usually swatch for small ones.)  For the Downton Pullover, my swatch was about 4.5″ by 7″ using the honeycomb pattern.  Within my swatch I had tested three different needle sizes using the method I learned from reading this post on Ann Budd’s blog.

(And of course I didn’t think to take a picture of my swatch until I had it ripped out. It would have been nice to show you. Oh well. )

Anyways, I sat down and, with the help of my very sweet and kind husband (who has had to put up with a rather cranky wife this afternoon-evening), I got the swatch ripped out and wound into two little balls of yarn–one teal and one with the taupe yarn I desperately need in order to finish my sleeve!

I then tried a steam iron method to relax the kinks from the yarn, but it just wasn’t enough. In fact, I couldn’t see much difference at all.

So I got my yarn ready for the soak method.

I wound it into a small skein on my yarn swift and tied it in two places with scrap yarn.

Using some cool–but not cold–water in my bathroom sink, I soaked the yarn for about 15 minutes.

At the moment it is hung on a clothes hanger and is drip-drying in our shower.

I hope it’s dry by tomorrow.

I really want to get this sleeve done!!

My new rule of thumb: If in doubt, buy more yarn! (The hubby’s gonna love that one!)

Before you go, answer this:  Have you ever ran out of materials mid-project? Tell me all about it in the comments. We shall commiserate!