For Want of A Little

This blanket might be the death of me. Yesterday I was so full of hope, I even imagined (briefly) knitting other things.  Maybe a sweater, finish some socks.  I bought the latest knitting magazines and the world of possibility stretched before me.  I might knit something red I thought.  Or blue.  Or Green – anything except for the eternal white that’s stretched out for so long.  I felt sure that it was all going to work out.  I’d have enough yarn, I’d apply myself, maybe stay up all night and just get it done.

I’m not done.  I knit the snot out of it and it’s still not done, and I think I can say with confidence now that there’s not going to be enough yarn.  I weighed the ball and it was 19g.  Then I worked one repeat, and weighed again.  16g – so that tells me that each repeat takes about 3 grams. Then I counted the repeats left – which was a rather heartbreaking 16.  If each repeat takes three grams, then I need 48 grams, not  16 – and that means it’s back to the store for me. 
Just to be sure, I actually weighed my swatches, thinking maybe I could ravel them and get the extra yardage there. No dice.

Even if I use the swatches, I still need 19 grams, and as I realized I was going to be going to the store for so little, I was suddenly demoralized.  I can’t go to the store today because I have to drive aways, and while I’m driving I won’t be knitting or yarn shopping, and so that means that even though tonight is prime knitting time and I could finish this bad boy? I won’t be able to. 

I was sitting here trying to fetch the yarn with the power of my mind when the phone rang.  It was the lovely and charming Rachel H, on her way to the yarn shop close to her work, and she asked me if I wanted her to score a ball, and maybe drop it in my mailbox so it would be there when I got home?

I almost fell over.  It was a miracle.  It was actually like I was sitting there just wishing the yarn would appear today, and there’s Rachel H solving the whole problem.  I gratefully accepted, and made a mental note get her a little present, or kiss her full on the mouth or something.  Relieved, I started packing up to leave, thinking about how happy I am, and about how great it is that that little problem evaporated totally, and about how tomorrow I’ll knit something that isn’t white while the blanket blocks.  Rachel H is totally the kind of person who texts you pictures of yarn from the store, so a minute later when my phone went off, I expected a picture of the yarn and a very Rachel-esque text message like "VICTORY IS MINE" or "SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES!!" Instead?

"They don’t have it."

This, clearly is a crushing defeat.  That store was my whole backup plan. That’s where I was going to go in the morning, and now they don’t have it and I’m going to have to start calling around, and I’m absolutely sure I’ll find some,  for the love of wool, I’m sure one of you has 19 grams of it, but whatever I do now, it’s going to take me a bit to get it, and that brings me to my next great idea.

We should be able to fax yarn. At least small quantities.  No reason humanity can’t work that out.

(PS. Because you’re all going to ask now, the yarn is Lanett superwash baby yarn, in colour 1001, lot number 713636, although I don’t think lot matters much. If you see a ball of it somewhere near Toronto, let me know. I’ll go get it until we have the fax thing worked out.)

114 thoughts on “For Want of A Little

  1. THIS is why we have friends! I have no doubt that you will have a ball of that yarn in your hand by later today! Head up…breathe in… Total faith in you and your buds.

  2. I’m so sorry. I’m not going to say “I feel your pain” because I don’t. You know when you’ve scoured half of two countries for that elusive ball than within half an hour of starting it you’ll find the missing one somewhere in the house where you’ve already looked for it.
    Next baby – maybe a hat/coat/sweater set?

  3. I totally thought RachelH would come through for you. Drat! Not living in Canada much less Toronto I doubt I’d be able to score the yarn for you even if I could fax that puppy. Sorry. Hope the weekend improves, white blanket becomes a done deal and Luis (and his mom) is a happy camper.

  4. Poor Luis, he’s going to hear about this for the rest of his life ; ) But he’s worth it… right?
    I can’t wait to see how colourful your next project is after this puppy is finished.

  5. I’m of the opinion that if women had had more to do with science and technology for the last century that we wou;d be able to email cups of tea and chocolate bars to each other – in fact that would be the main purpose of the internet!

  6. Nevermind faxing. Replicators! (The kind from Star Trek, not Stargate. Unless we can figure out how to edit their base code to make them our servants rather than kill us all. Although I would rather like to be rescued by Richard Dean Anderson.)

  7. Matter transporters, we really should be working on those to solve these problems.

  8. fax yarn, tea, chocolate, and beer
    or spin the fluffy white stuff coming down in Iowa into the right yarn…

  9. Welcome to my world. This is what every project is to me. Even one sock. The curse of slow knitting, in my case. Purchased yarn greatly outweighs fo.
    Nancy P

  10. All hail the power of the blog! (I thought a few good wishes from us acolytes might blow you a good wind and the right yarn)

  11. This happens to me all of the time….the yarn fairy has to have her sacrificial skeins at least once or twice a year to keep her happy!

  12. the upside is there should totally be enough yarn left to make a really awesome bonnet of matching yarn! i’m struggling between finishing the shawl i had planned to knit for lent (a complicated lace shawlette i would wear on easter as a kerchief) and abandoning it in favor of a lace gown or overlay for my daughter, who we decided to have baptized. i’m thinking about just doing a bonnet when i finish the shawl, since i can do bonnets in like, one day. win win! and triple win, since my MIL who loves to sew can sew DD a christening gown, so handmades, all around! though i really did have a beautiful christening gown in knit lace in mind.. lol!

  13. I’m waiting for these amazing 3-D printers to be able to print yarn. If they can print houses, they should be able to print yarn, darnit!!

  14. Knit the snot out of it….i LOVE THAT statement.
    Know exactly how you feel and totally feel your pain about knitting it all in that one color and so being ready for it to be over. Sorry to hear that they were out of the one last skein you needed. Will keep it crossed you are able to find quickly. Good luck!

  15. I just posted on yesterday’s thread – and realized that I am a day out of whack. Anyway, my suggestion was – did you look at Luis’ house??? You did take the blanket with you when you were helping them out – even if you didn’t get much of a chance to knit. Maybe we Luis snagged a ball so that his auntie would come visit him again really soon????

  16. 1)Rachel H. is an Angel. 2)Transporters, Teleporters and the ability to bend the space/time continuum is looooong overdue. Hope your yarn finds you soon!

  17. I’m so terrified of just this thing, that I always, always buy more yarn than the pattern or LYS keeper tells me I really need. That and the fact everything I’ve ever knitted has needed more than the pattern and LYS keeper told me. Don’t know why, that’s just the way my knitting rolls.

  18. Faxing yarn is a brilliant idea. Have to say I love the Ravelry posts for pattern assistance — for instance, “I’m on vacation & misplaced page 3. How many stitches do I bind off for the neck?”
    So. Faxing yarn. Airport kiosks with yarn & needles. What else when we take over the world?

  19. So sorry about your yarn issue. However, i have a question about these blankets. They are drop-dead beautiful, and I would have loved to have one for each of my now teens. But, why are they so big? Couldn’t you make them smaller since what you want to wrap in them is so small? Just wondering…..

  20. I think that faxing pizzas would be really useful, too. 🙂
    So sorry to hear about the yarn, Stephanie. I was sure yesterday that you were going to pull it off.

  21. faxing useful stuff… I love it… yarn, beer chocolate, wine, ahh when we finally take over the world it will be a MUCH better place.

  22. Oh how I wish we could fax yarn or any of the other lovely ideas! This would solve my late night need as well as my early morning (havent showered, dont want to bget out of my PJs) days!
    Good Luck finding the yarn!

  23. I so wish I had the yarn for you. There is one person on Ravelry with that dye lot in her stash (she is in Sweden!)

  24. I sure do hope you find that yarn! I have a feeling you have enough knitters on your side that you will be able to find that yarn and finish this blanket!!

  25. I want to go back to the whole mitten thing for a minute. I looked through your posts and tried to find the color names or numbers on all that cascade 220 you bought but had no luck. I really thought you posted it but can’t find it. I want to buy the colors you bought because yours are so pretty and I don’t like the colors I pick out. I want to go with a sure thing.
    Can you help me out?
    Plus, I haven’t been nagging you for a picture of your catkin lately. That should lease you, though I still want to see yours.

  26. I want to go back to the whole mitten thing for a minute. I looked through your posts and tried to find the color names or numbers on all that cascade 220 you bought but had no luck. I really thought you posted it but can’t find it. I want to buy the colors you bought because yours are so pretty and I don’t like the colors I pick out. I want to go with a sure thing.
    Can you help me out?
    Plus, I haven’t been nagging you for a picture of your catkin lately. That should please you, though I still want to see yours.

  27. There is a person on Ravelry called Audrey in Toronto (handle: punka-cowgirl) who has a skien of the yarn in question.
    I just sent her a message on ravelry and sent her a copy of the link to this blog post and your (Stephanie’s) email address that is listed on the blog.
    Hope this helps!
    Simone 🙂

  28. I usually don’t take the time to read the comments but couldn’t resist this time as I needed to know the outcome and there it was! Less than 30 minutes after you posted, there was, not only the yarn you needed but the dye lot you needed and, where was it? Right next door!! I hooted with glee for you and the relief you must feel. Yeah for the blog and your readers.

  29. Tove carries Lanett Baby wool – if Sarah doesn’t pan out (and I’m truly hoping she does), I can check Tove’s and we can meet somewhere between our homes and I can toss it in your car. Let me know.

  30. Oh, If I had any Lanett superwash baby yarn, it would totally go to you. Minnesota is not that far…

  31. As a granny with distant grandchildren, I am hoping for a day when their parents can just fax them to us for babysitting when the need arises–again, just while they’re small…it’s the logical next step after faxing yarn!

  32. You sound defeated. Know how I can tell? “I don’t think lot matters much.” honey, really? It’ll be OK!

  33. There’s no flat space in your house that’s going to be large enough to block this thing. It’ll have to be the rooftop.
    Anyone have one of those spy-drone thingies? Aerial photos are a must in this situation.

  34. Wow two folks in Toronto with the missing yarn? Toronto seems the centre of the knitting universe today. The weekend is looking up.

  35. CURSE YOU BLANKIE!!!!!
    Sorry. But I would light a bonfire and be done with it. Then I’d go buy some size 15 needles and some god-awfully big yarn and whip out a floor mat in plain old stockinette. There. Done.
    ps. I suppose that yarn wouldn’t burn well, so on second thought, maybe you should just hunker down and get the job done. I’ll pray for you.

  36. First of all, I’d love an update AFTER the blankie is done about where the last of the yarn came from. Good luck!
    I have a co-worker who has been crocheting a lace table cloth from white thread for her daughter’s wedding. For 3 years, she’s been crocheting with white thread. I’m a crocheter, but that would drive me stark raving mad. (PS. The wedding is in June. In July, she’s going to make colorful socks.)

  37. I am feeling your pain over the yarn shortfall. But i couldn’t help but chuckle at your reference to that quaint tech – the fax machine. How 1999 of you.
    I think most would find a mythical yarn tech based on texting or mobile phones much more helpful. Nowadays it’s actually a bit of a scramble to even find a fax machine. And who would accept that level of quality????
    Now a yarn PDF, that would work…

  38. It is going to be *so* beautiful. Now please don’t hit me, but isn’t this getting to be a pattern? Maybe you really should plan out the next shawl and then size it down by 50%,or 75% at least. Then buy the amount of yarn you need for the 100% shawl. Also perhaps put the used yarn sleeves in a drawer so you can keep track of what amount is gone and what is left. This is just in the interest of keeping your stress levels lower. On the other hand, your current method results in lots of gorgeous wooliness and an interesting blog. Good luck!

  39. Hey YH! This is Lynn from Mary’s Yarns in Unionville. We totally have that yarn (and lots of it!) just not that lot… While I know that Unionville isn’t exactly around the corner, I will be eating dinner in the Bloor/Lansdowne area tonight. I have thrown a ball in my purse and if you want to meet for a yarn hand off, I’m there. Just message and say the word.

  40. Who. Sorry for the psychotic number of times I posted my comment…. You can’t always trust an iphone

  41. Yarn faxing technology sounds like the first step towards my dream – wireless yarn. It’s got to be possible.

  42. The rest of my Friday evening will be completely taken up with checking the YH blog to see how this turned out….
    I need to get out more.

  43. Who needs a fax machine with this fabulous network of knitters coming up with a fix in almost no time! I hope you get that yarn tonight Steph!

  44. I’m holding out for the transport beam technology. I know we’ve got to be close with it because I saw it work on “Eureka” when the evil therapist escaped her due fate. Beaming yarn is totally a better use of that technology.

  45. I’m amazed at the knitterly folks who have found you some of the yarn (hopefully the right dye lot will show up!)
    It’s not a crushing defeat!!! It’s a roadblock! Luis will be fine for another week without your (well, his) gorgeous blanket.
    and just think how much you’ll enjoy colorful socks that are soon to be in your future!

  46. My sci-fi knitting technology wishlist, in order of I-want-it-ness:
    1. Replicator
    2. Transporter
    3. Fax
    Reasoning: Replicator could me it, even if it doesn’t exist. I just don’t trust fax machines. Transporter technology is just somewhere in between the two.
    May the blankie-yarn be with you.

  47. Have you noticed that in your picture the little ball of yarn seems to be sticking out its tongue at you?

  48. Hooray for all the yarn heros out there!
    @ Raindigger LOL! love your post!
    Ditto the comments that I can’t wait to see how this turns out!

  49. Oh my, what a story!
    I’m really grateful for the internet community – it makes knitting so much easier! I had a similar problem once and got a skein from the UK 🙂
    Anyways, good luck with finishing your blanket!!!

  50. OMG -OMG – OMG – Stephanie please tell us the yarn part before you get to this point. I have 6 skeins in my stash of this exact yarn and color. I use it for baby items all the time. I feel like I’ve let this whole project down – like I sent some bad juju through the internet and it landed on you. Seriously, I feel absolutely awful!!! Honestly, I send yarn all over this world of ours, South Africa, The Netherlands, and trust me Toronto is much closer to Chicago.
    You’ve had such a hard time with this blanket – there’s just something not right here – burn a little sage or something before you hand it over to the new mama.
    Peace and joy…
    Diana
    The Green Girl

  51. Hope the blog does come thru as it seems to be doing. DO want the full story at some point of how the yarn arrives. You should write it down. It could be part of a new book and it will be a special part of Luis’s blanket for the rest of his life. Do give him a hard copy of the story signed by the participants(yarn hunters et all) if possible. Enjoy the next knit.

  52. You do realise that now you’re going to get fifteen balls of this wool arriving over the next six months, by various transport methods? I totally expect one to be dropped on your doorstep by an owl. XD

  53. Um, is the blanky too big? Can you back out a couple of repeats and use that yarn for the border?

  54. http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/sandnes-garn-lanett
    is this the yarn? Ive got a whole ball somewhere in the yarn cabinet that didn’t turn into a hat for me a few years ago. Cant check the ball band at the moment as I am nursing the baby to sleep. Send a message if you need it, and I will dig it out. I am in the States though and that might mean more of a delay than you would like.

  55. Stephanie, I almost fell off my chair when you mentioned faxing yarn. I was just talking to my nerdy engineer son the other day and he told me that 3D fax abilities are already possible but nobody is selling it yet—-YET!!!!! Do you know what that means—it means that you will be able to fax yarn!!!!! Almost like a transporter. I didn’t think it was possible but he assured me it is!!!! Wow. I want one.

  56. I love knitters…do let us know how the yarn actually arrives in your hands.

  57. Is it just me, or has our beloved Harlot just opened herself up for some yarn-bombing? If you have 19g of anything white and baby, she could sure use some! That’s less than an ounce for my US and UK friends. Is it coincidence that the UK international letter rate is for a 20g letter?

  58. Heh. Faxing yarn. Brings to mind two instances recently of as yet unavailable services:
    I suggested to my (very busy) daughter that she could come and work for me, payment in chocolate cake. We agreed that there just aren’t enough contracts out there prepared to pay in cake. We want to start a trend!
    and
    Another friend in need asked for cinnamon rolls to be ported to her via USB. I think this idea is right up there with faxed wool.
    Good luck, Steph.

  59. Is Newfoundland close enough to Toronto? A LYS here has the Lanette…I could mail you a ball.

  60. Oh Steph, look at all the help and support. It is completely amazing. How could you possibly spend one moment worrying about a silly ball of yarn with all these friends?

  61. My first thought was, “Yay, Rachel H scored!”
    Quickly followed by, “Oh, noooooo!”
    And finally, “Ruh-Roh, she’s going to wind up with enough yarn shipped to her to make another blanket.”

  62. Ravelry came through for me a couple of years ago. And it came with a bonus. I’m almost done with my pay it forward. The universe was a bit slower with that.
    Faxing yarn is brilliant.
    Perhaps you could get a case of this yarn, enough for three or four… of course you’d actually have to have a good estimate of how much one of these humongous blankets actually uses. Or maybe you’ll be yarn bombed by enough for at least a couple.
    Awaiting the end of the story blog.

  63. Oh I so remember going through this same thing. I started knitting a pretty yellow baby blanket for a newborn baby…by the time I finished the rounds, I had lost track of the number of balls of yarn that I had bought and the baby blanket was the size of my queen size bed.
    It was simply gorgeous and the baby’s mom was overwhelmed with my generosity, little knowing my true feelings towards this blanket.
    It took a long time before I knitted anything in yellow again and I never knitted another baby blanket.

  64. I know this is a moot point – by now you know where your last ball is coming from – but if you count your joins you may find that you have already used the “extra” ball you thought you had waiting. That is if you know how many balls you had in the first place. Curious to know how this is resolved and can’t wait to see the blanket, finished and in all its glory, wrapping Luis.

  65. Magic, it’s simply wonderful magic that brings this community together like this. I wish I could say I had the coveted balls of yarn to finish the blankie, but I don’t. Nevertheless I have so thoroughly enjoyed reading the out pour of generosity from the far corners of the globe. WOW!

  66. To Karen in Kansas, Faxing pizzas works. At least here in California. I fax my order and 30 minutes later it is on my doorstep.

  67. Oh. My. This blanket just doesn’t want to exist!!! I feel your pain. I’ve run out of yarn on several projects. You’d think I’d learn to buy extras, but no….I buy all they have in the store with the positive attitude that it will work itself out! UGH!

  68. Hi,
    Congrats! Did you find the missing ball of yarn or find one to buy? Looking good and I haven’t seen it blocked yet.
    What will you knit now?
    Julie in San Diego

  69. Well I don’t really think I will be anywhere near Toronto any time soon but I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

  70. Judging from some of the earlier posts, it looks as though your problem may be solved. Yay!
    Now waiting to see how big this blankie really is once you get it off the needle. 😉

  71. Etobicoke is a borough of Toronto. It’s obijway for “where the alders grow”. Hope you scored a ball Stephanie! Good luck!

  72. Holy Smokes! You knit faster than the speed of light. This baby blanket has to cover an Olympic sized pool.
    Next time, have someone else who you listen to cast on a normal sized baby blanket for you.
    Otherwise you’ll be burned out when your girls want real bedspreads!
    B

  73. It just seems proper that the blanket has a hard time getting here, just like its recipient. He’s beautiful. Although the blanket is lovely, I’m sure, everything pales in comparison that brand new baby.

  74. Good grief! I sure wish I could help but I’m thousands of miles away. Maybe you could try the internet and have them express mail the yarn to you. I hope you find more yarn soon.

  75. They have it at Wool-Tyme in Ottawa. http://www.wool-tyme.com/catalog82_0.html
    I live overseas and have to ship everything. EVERYTHING! So running out of yarn fills me with such fear that I overorder every single time. My stash is enormous, consequently. There is yarn where I live, but most of it makes my skin crawl. When a label proclaims a product to be “Wool”, but has only 10% wool and 80% acrylic, do they really think I’m not going to notice? Yuck.

  76. One word: FedEx
    From anywhere to you overnight . Check the internet
    Good luck!!!!
    michele

  77. Hmmm- Have you been practicing safe yarn?????? I predict an avalanche of lovely wooly white yarn from well meaning bloggers somewhere over TO in the next 24 hours………………………..

  78. I knitted a prayer shawl just like this (Anacapa from Kristi Porter’s “Knitting in the Sun, 32 Projects for Warm Weather”, it’s the one on the cover). After working on it for 6 months I realized I needed to set a goal and the goal was Christmas. So, just like you, I mapped out the number of repeats remaining, how long it took me to do a row and how much knitting I would need to do each day to have it done by December 15, time for blocking and mailing to Seattle. All of this pre-planning was done in September and I am proud to say that they actually RECEIVED it on the 15th!…course, I had enough yarn 🙂

  79. I hope you have the yarn by now and the blanket is blocking peacefully, and you are knitting some riotous socks.
    If you don’t have the yarn, try contacting the distributor for this yarn (a nice yarn shop owner who carries this will be able to accommodate you, maybe even call the distributor for you) – or the manufacturer. Somehow through all these paths you should be able to find out where this yarn was shipped in what quantities and dyelots. And who las some in stock.
    Don’t despair!!!

  80. @Sally at 8:17 am Mar 3: you mean she’ll get *almost* enough yarn for another blanket!
    LOL at the comments. What a wonderful group knitters are!

  81. Luis enveloped in woolie blanket goodness looks totally relaxed. Great timing with the blanket delivery.

  82. I’m confident you have the yarn by now and have finished the blanket. I’m extremely curious to see how big it turns out to be. Good luck!

  83. Alright, already!!! Don’t keep us in suspense. Did you get the yarn, finish the project? Please! another blog post STAT! :-O

  84. Hi: I am still hoping and praying that you will write up the pattern for this blanket. It is beautiful. YOu have a very big heart to knit such an ambitious project and I really admire you for this. It is too bad you had such drama at the end about the supply of yarn. However, you will then never forgot knitting this particular blanket . congratulations again.

  85. LOL…this was turning into a draft for another book….a Harlot suspense drama!! It warms my heart to feel the LUV of THE BLOG!!! Nitey-nite all…I’ll tune in later…for pictures!!!(:

  86. I feel your pain ( i live in rural maine). I know you will be able find that elusive 19 grams of yarn. While you work on that maybe a quick hat will take the edge off.

  87. Cliffhanger……… Did Stephanie get the yarn to complete the blanket? Did she not? Does she now have enough to start a new blanket? Stay tuned. I have to know!!!!!!!!

  88. If you go to Stephanies Twitter feed, which is on the right of her blog, you see she did finish the blanket and posted a Twit pic of the dear baby wrapped in it— Heres hoping she updates her admiring hoards over here who are waiting breathlessly…

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