The fear of running out of yarn has played a dominant role in many of my WIPs. It has been a treacherous backnoise in my sock knitting, until I was able to calculate how many yards I use in a regulation Etherknitter sock.
Nobody listens to me anymore. Mr. Etherknitter just smiles and nods knowingly. My knitter friends are perpetually in denial. They nod knowingly, and murmur what we soothingly say to all our knitter friends. "No, you won't. It'll be fine. There's more left there than you think."
So how does the story end?
Wool Peddler's shawl. I ran out of yarn with seventeen stitches left to bind off on the last row. I had Russian joined all skeins to minimize waste. There was not one spare inch to clip and use.
I emailed Judy. The yarn had been purchased two or three SPAs ago from her. She mailed me a yard of the silk/merino, in the same colorway, different dyelot. You can't tell the difference. (Thank you, Judy!)
The exciting fact about this FO: it is my first completed triangular shawl. Yippee!
Wow - you are lucky that she still has the same colorway! Great FO!
Posted by: Kris | Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 06:08 PM
You could have used just about any similar yarn and been fine. You were very patient to wait. The shawl is beautiful! Enjoy it and wear it often!
Posted by: margene | Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 07:46 PM
Oh, holy cow!! I'm really glad there was a happy ending for your lovely shawl.
Posted by: Chris | Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 07:49 PM
Wow, you mean there's actually something I've done before you? Looks lovely.
Posted by: Mel | Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 07:52 PM
It looks great. Now you can relax and enjoy wearing it.
Posted by: Judy | Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 07:57 PM
It looks very nice! I should dig out my half-knit Wool Peddler's Shawl...
Posted by: naomi | Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 08:15 PM
Glad you found that last bit. i should know better and still end up in that position. Luckily, Webs has a closeout on my most recent experience of chicken little being right. Beautiful Shawl.
Posted by: mary lou | Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 08:36 PM
Hooray! It is beautiful!
Posted by: Carole | Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 09:03 PM
Oh, it's so PRETTY! I love the colors, too! And thank heaven for the generosity of knitters....
Posted by: --Deb | Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 09:42 PM
Judy IS amazing. She saved my bacon similarly when I made a slightly more drastic miscalculation.
Posted by: juno | Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 09:43 PM
Judy to the rescue! I'm not surprised.
Posted by: claudia | Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 10:18 PM
Love it! Glad the yarn worked out....wear it joyfully!
Posted by: Marcia | Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 10:21 PM
Those colours are lovely. You got lucky with the yarn but I think you would have got away with using something else for such a short stretch.
The reason I accumulated so many odd balls over the years is that I always bought one ball more than the pattern said, just in case. You would think that I'd have learned something from the steadily growing pile of odd balls and stopped doing it but every now and again I'd go into that last ball because I'd had to add a bit extra to the sleeves.
Posted by: Caroline M | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 05:12 AM
Lovely! And done, even better!
Posted by: Lynn | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 07:02 AM
Look at you! Knitting lace shawls, overcoming that little block you had at the beginning! Hooray! It is lovely.
Margene SAYS you could have used about anything. I'd have waited for the yarn as well.
Posted by: Teresa C | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 07:54 AM
Lovely shawl! It is true, we should always listen to our inner chicken....she's probably right. :D
Posted by: Angie | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 07:54 AM
Ouch....thankfully Judy had some left. I think I had about 2 inches of the same yarn left when I did mine. I was holding my breath on those last few rows.
Beautiful job!
Posted by: Kim | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 08:34 AM
That is just beautiful! Great colors.
Posted by: Donna | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 09:14 AM
Glad there was a happy ending - your Wool
Peddlers Shawl is just beautiful!
(I have a partial triangular shawl hidden away in a basket - I've been trying to forget it, but now I've been reminded!)
Posted by: Pat | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 09:47 AM
It looks outstanding!
Posted by: Kathy | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 10:21 AM
What a lovely shawl. I had the same thing happen a few weeks ago on a baby sweater. Luckily, I had a ball of yarn in reserve (that I was hoping to return since I didn't think I'd need it). I guess I'll just have to knit a matching hat or something.
Posted by: Rosemary | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Chicken Little never owned such a gorgeous shawl.
Posted by: Lucia | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 12:14 PM
I love that shawl! Yours is gorgeous! I spent a good bit of time running to the scale this weekend, trying to make sure I didn't have the same experience.
Posted by: elizabeth | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 01:02 PM
And a beautiful shawl it is!
Posted by: Jan | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 01:40 PM
Brava! Looks stunning. Can't wait to make mine out of my Judy yarn!
Posted by: Manise | Monday, December 15, 2008 at 05:55 PM
Nice ending! I have a shawl in permanent WIP-limbo because of yarn shortage. I fancy that someday I will have time to handdye a matching sample. Your shawl looks beautiful!
Posted by: June | Wednesday, December 17, 2008 at 10:57 AM