The Curse Lives

I should have known it was too good to be true.  You remember how excited I was to start knitting myself the Eyelet Cardigan, how pleased I am with the pattern, how much I enjoy the yarn.  I should have known right then that I would get smacked, and smacked down hard.  The Curse could never allow me to simply knit myself a sweater!  This just can not be!

You saw all my progress, right?  I finished the back, knit the fronts, and moved on to the sleeves.  It was just as I was about to finish the first sleeve that I had a nasty thought.  I said to myself, "Self, you don't seem to have much yarn left!  What's that all about?"  I took a closer look.  Nope, I was right.  Not much yarn left.  I had a look at the pattern.  I still have the neckband and button bands to knit, and they are fairly wide and ribbed.  Wide and ribbed says to me that a whole lot of yarn is going to be needed.  Definitely more than the 70 or so yards I would have after finishing the second sleeve. 

You should know this - I have never run out of yarn.  I admit, I'm a little obsessive, usually, about ordering an extra ball or skein of whatever I'm using just in case.  And I almost always have two balls or skeins left over at the end.  I can not explain this, it just is.  I do tend to knit a little loose, but other than that, I have no explanation, until now.  Apparently, I was being set up for a major smackdown further along the road.  This is the first time I have ever bought a kit for knitting, and it didn't even occur to me to order an extra skein.  This is a kit, right?  They obviously know how much yarn I'm going to need!  Hahahahahaha. 

In a panic, I ripped out the first sleeve, and modified it slightly, eliminating the turn-back cuff, and shortening it a pattern repeat.  "Maybe this will do the trick," I told myself hopefully.

Nope.  I can not trick The Curse.  The Curse knows these little tricks.  All the little tricks.  Time to move on to the big tricks.  I hopped over to Kpixie to order myself another skein of the Blue Sky Cotton.  "It will all be okay, Self,"  I told myself.  Then I went to check out.  Did you know that the flat rate shipping to Canada is $15.00?  $15.00!  For one skein of yarn!  I shut it all down, close to tears.  I told Stuart my dilemma, and my plan to rip out the whole thing, and re-knit in the smaller size.  No, no, Stuart tells me.  Order the yarn I need, and to make the shipping costs worthwhile, order some other yarn, too!  You gotta love thinking like this, right?  So, a parcel is slowing grinding along the border winging it's way here, with a single skein of Blue Sky Cotton in Stone (please pray with me that the dye lot is not too drastically different), along with some "extra yarn", just to make the shipping costs worthwhile. 

At least we know every cloud has it's silver lining, right?  Or Tofutsie lining, as the case may be.

    

Comments

[Knittypants]

Hmmm... these seems like it will end up being good news :-)

How frustrating about the yarn shortage though, I nearly ran out of yarn on one of the Blue Sky patterns I knit as well.

You have on smart hubbie, though definitely a keeper.

[Ruth]

Ooooh - I hate running out of yarn. I have to admit - "making the shipping worthwhile" has contributed rather sizeably to my own stash!

[Ruth]

What a drag - I hate running out of yarn. I have to admit, "making the shipping worthwhile" has contributed rather sizeably to my stash, too!

[peg]

I feel for you. I could not believe the $15.00 shipping charge. On my Pi Shawl, I finally ended up exchanging yarn with another blogger, and it did not cost me $15.00 to ship her the yarn we exchanged. I hope you let Blue Sky know that it was not enough yarn.

[marianne]

Oh Charity,...how frustrating!....have you tried on what you've knit so far?
Please remember for future reference, you can always write me when you run up against such 'fat' shipping costs, perhaps shipping to me and me sending it on to you...and hey, I'd ship it to you for...'just because', you know? Seriously. Anytime.
I will say that in this case...(what a good and sweet husband Stuart is)...that it worked out well, I have everything that can crossed for luck on colour matching well!

[erin]

Glad you're having a happy ending, the eyelet cardi is such a pretty design.

[Kristeen]

I am having the same problem with my little guy's sweater. SO frustrating!
But hey, what a wonderful man you are married too. Definitely a keeper!!!! :-)

[Julie]

What a smart hubby you've got there!

[Barbp]

Oh Charity when I read the amount for flat shipping I thought - no - have them ship it to me and I'll send it on to you. I see that Marianne has also offered. Keep us in mind. I can't wait to see the "extra yarn". Your husband, he's a keeper, eh?

[Tammy]

I see a couple of people have already offered, but please feel free to check with me too. I can always check one of the LYSs around here and then just ship it straight to you. Really.

But I do like your hubby's attitude!

[Jo at Celtic Memory Yarns]

Yep, I love supportive people like Stuart who solve the problem and encourage more stash enhancement at the same time! I have this shipping problem all the time - even when it's just a tiny circular needle that could go in an ordinary letter envelope. And now I depend on good friends at the other side of the Atlantic who are happy to trade for something from here.

I hope the new yarn is the same shade. If not, wash the lot furiously and that usually sorts it. If not, add a teaspoon of black tea to the washing water. It gives it all a sort of covering shade. On second thoughts, ignore that last bit of advice. It might go horribly wrong, and then you'd have to hike all the way down from the far North and jump a ship to come over and attack me!

On third thoughts...that might be fun!

[Sue]

What a beautiful boy your hubby is to suggest ordering more yarn to justify the postage. Can I borrow him for a while?
I'm sure the extra yarn will be just right, you can't let a little thing like a curse beat you, right??

[Carrie K]

That is MY kind of thinking! Go, Stuart!

[Jennifer]

That is such a bummer. I like the silver lining though!

[Judy G.]

Stuart is either very supportive or a enabler. Wait- he's both! Hang on to him, and good luck with the dyelot. Isn't getting stuff in the mail great? It's like Christmas, except that you mostly have to pay for your own present.

[Lorette]

You just gotta love a man that thinks that way. I hope the dye lot is close enough.

[Colleen]

$15 for shipping? bleh! you definately had to order more to make it worthwhile! Good for Stuart.

I hate kits- especially knitting ones. I've gotten burned on them too, just one skein short! my gauge was good and could not figure out WHY.

good luck getting a close dye lot!

[Miss Scarlett]

Oh my goodness - what dreadful shipping costs! Ridiculous.

You know Stuart is one in a million right? Does he like handknits? What did you order to make the shipping charges less dear?

I'll be crossing my fingers for your dyelot!!

[marti]

how incredibly frustrating, but what a sweetheart stuart is! gotta love husbands who get the importance of the fiber thing!

[Hasbu]

Go Stuart! That was so sweet of him! That shipping rate is ridiculous.

[Jo]

So pleased the story has a silver lining, can't wait to see the finished cardi and extra yarn!

[Wanda J]

OUCH! Unbelievable. I've been pleasantly surprised how reasonable it costs to mail things to Canada.

The running low on yarn has happened with my Red Sweater. I'm only about an inch to go on the last cuff and then the finish work around the neck. I do not need, or want, a whole skein of yarn, plus it was from a hand dyed batch from about a year ago and what's the odds that she still has any? sigh The RS is buried, at least until the house is finished.

Have a wonderful vacation! Hope the weather is agreeable.