Mostly, knitting soothes me. I find it relaxing and comforting to pick up my needles and just . . . knit.
But there’s one thing that undermines the benefits of knitting for me: Fear of running out of yarn!
Often when I’m knitting something “big” . . . like sweater-big . . . I cross over from the Exciting Beginning phase to the dreaded I Hope I Have Enough Yarn phase. (It’s one of those dreaded “hums” I was talking about last week. It just hangs around in the back of my mind, y’know?) And this happens even if I start out knowing I have enough yarn! Like . . . when I have exactly (or more than, even) the yardage called for in the pattern. Or when my gauge is spot on. I don’t know where this worry comes from. Even if I have run short (and I have on occasion), there’s always been something I’ve been able to do to salvage the project.
There must be something deep in my psyche . . . about not being able to finish what I started.
Anyway.
I’ve been churning along on my test knit pullover for designer Elizabeth Smith, and making good progress. But. Oh, my. I have been so worried about . . . running out of yarn!
Why? Who knows. I think I’m even more worried about it than usual . . . because (a) it’s a test knit for someone else, not just for me, and (b) I love the yarn and I’ve been saving it for over a decade and . . . I can’t get any more of it, should I run short. I keep reminding myself . . . that I have slightly more yarn than is called for in the pattern for my size AND I’m getting gauge (or . . . at least as far as I can tell, given the challenge of measuring gauge with a marled yarn that is “thick-and-thin”).
I’ve been trying to assuage my anxiety with some of my sweater-knitting fit strategies:
- After I finished the yoke of the sweater – and before I divided for the sleeves – I took the whole thing off the needles and blocked it. It was like a giant gauge swatch, actually, and helped me see/remember how much Shelter yarn blooms and grows.
- The body of the sweater (as expected) “eats” a lot of yarn, so I weighed and measured my test-knit sweater against a sweater-in-my-closet that has a similar fit (and even uses the same yarn) to what I’m going for with this sweater. That helped . . . but not as much as I’d hoped, really. (There are some fit options for the test-knit sweater, and I’ve been opting for slightly more oversized, which – of course – means slightly more yarn.)
- I kept asking myself (okay, I’ve been perseverating on the answer to the question of) . . . I wonder how much yarn the sleeves will take? . . . because I’d really like to add just a couple of extra inches to the length of the body (there are also length options for this test-knit), but I didn’t want to run short on the sleeves. So I decided to stop where I was on the body, leaving the stitches on the needle, and just . . . knit a sleeve to find out!
And that’s where I am right now. The body COULD be done at this point, although I’d prefer it to be a little longer. And I’ve got one sleeve almost finished. It’s a weird way to knit a sweater, I know. But guess what? I KNOW – for sure – that I’m going to have enough yarn now . . . to finish both sleeves AND knit the body of the sweater to the exact length I want!
Phew!
Now that the I Hope I Have Enough Yarn anxiety is abating, I’m back to that relaxing and comforting stage of knitting. And soon, I’m going to have a sweater I’ll love . . . that I know will fit me!
And I’m actually already thinking of knitting another one.
(I wonder if I’ll have enough yarn for THAT one???)
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Does this happen to anyone else? Or is this just . . . me?
I usually have so many other worries about my project – can I perform this upcoming technique to my satisfaction? will this sweater style suit me? how can I hide this minor defect that I don’t want to rip back to? – that enough yarn is not at the top of my list. Of course, test knitting is a completely different story. But, maybe, still: “it’s only knitting.” (Or rooting around in your mind for a coordinating yarn in your stash to act as a logical “border” for that last inch or two that might be needed (but most likely never will be.) Can’t wait to see this beauty!
Yes….I too worry about not enough yarn. Especially when knitting for my husband….those big man sweaters eat up the yarn at an astonishing pace. So I get more yarn then at the end I have all this extra yarn to figure out how to use it.
Hmm, I see you, like me, dream up reasons to be anxious. We both need to work on that, Kym. “What’s the worst thing that can happen?” This is my mantra at times like these. Usually the worst thing that can happen is really not that bad. So, you have to knit the ribbing on the sleeves a different color? It’s an opportunity to become creative, and we all know you excel at that. I’m glad you have resolved that anxiety so that you can go back to enjoying your knitting.
I’ve done exactly that when wanting to make a sweater longer, but worried then that I’ll run out of yarn for the sleeves! And it worked out just fine!
I always worry about having enough yarn, sweater wise. That is why I have two random balls of a bunch of stuff sitting around waiting for–???
Oh my gosh, Kym, this happens to me ALL THE TIME. I can have a full skein or two more than what’s required and still worry that I’ll run short. And I don’t think I ever have, so I’m not sure where it comes from, either! I think your mode of attack is a wise one, and I hope you will find you have plenty of yarn to lengthen your body.
Oh I’m sorry the very fun knitting project is making you anxious. OF COURSE I’ve struggled with that same issue (and nearly always had plenty of yarn). Sending all the good knitterly vibes that your sleeve test proves beyond a doubt you’ll have enough yarn … and that you’ll believe it and knit on without worry!
Not every time, but often. And the thing is, every once and a while, in spite of experience and carefulness, I *do* run out of yarn. I love how you found a way to have certainty at a spot that gave you the most flexibility to either do what you really wanted or account for not quite enough. Can’t wait to see it!
You’ve given many of the reasons that I have only knit a few sweaters! I almost always worry about running out of yarn, even on projects that don’t really have sizes, like Hitchhikers and scarves. I ordered yarn for Ryan’s scarf before I knew exactly how I was going to knit it since it had a long lead time to get it dyed. I ended up ordering 1400 yds which is just a bit much for a scarf, but I was so afraid of running out. To answer your question, it sounds like most knitters have this same fear. I’m glad you’ll have enough yarn and can return to relaxing knitting.
Whew is right! Now, I hope, you can enjoy knitting and finishing this sweater. I cannot wait to see it!
I look forward to seeing this sweater. I often worry about running out of yarn and so I buy one extra skein and then begin to worry about what I will do with these random skeins in my stash. As we say – it’s always something. Sometimes I think I just need something to worry me. Does it have to do with being an oldest child?
Oh, I do so hate nail biting knitting! I have had 2 times in my knitting life when I have not had enough yarn to finish “the thing” and it is so defeating. I now always buy a couple of extra skeins as a cushion… it helps with the nail biting worry. (Although, this means I have these odd skeins in my stash that are not enough to do anything with… so there’s that different problem! Ha!) I think that marled yarn is gorgeous, Kym… it will be a gorgeous sweater however it finishes! XO
Oh yes to all of this. And I’m relieved to hear that you now know you have enough yarn. I always overbuy when I’m purchasing for a project because I have this fear of running out.