Cutting It Too Close

Finishing a shawl last night, my heart was pounding. Will there be enough to finish the pattern as is? I had no way to figure this out as the edging needed to be calculated, but how? Row after row left me with enough yarn for another, but then the moment of truth: casting off.

I made it to the last 5 stitches and then there was no way to go on. What now? This was a one of a kind skein and this was all I had. No swatch I could borrow from, nothing. I could tink the last row, or I could try to do a tighter cast off or another edging. But I was sooooooooooo close. Shock made me stare at the shawl and had me wondering how I could create a few inches more with my mind. How could I force a few more inches? Where was that replicator that could give me just a little more? There had to be a way. I could not be stranded with 5 open stitches, could I now.

Then I  looked at the cast on tail. Not as long as my usual, but I saw 5 stitches. Never having spliced before I went for the spit method. Finished casting off and cut the yarn so that I would have enough to weave in ends. I have never had such little ends to weave in, but it just gotta work.

Love the shawl! It’s the Afternoon Tea one from Knitty. I might knit another at some point and will not knit as loose as I did or get more yarn to begin with and make more repeats.

For now though I give you the unblocked shawl. Notice the tiny ends. Talking about no waste.

I’m still working on the mystery KAL shawl and am less than one week behind. If you know me, yes, it’s a major accomplishment.

Next is a lace scarf from the book Victorian Lace Today. It’ll be a reward for catching up with the KAL. Already wound the yarn and eyeing and cuddling with it. Let’s see how far this willpower will get me today.

The shawl made me think that I knit very little that is meant to last. But that darn shawl better last longer than, let’s say, socks? Socks wear out, I get it. But shawls should be heirlooms. Am I getting a bit carried away here? It was late last night when these thoughts crossed my mind, 2 am, so perhaps it was the wee hours of the morning when I had this insight.

How will several generations later know who made this shawl? When we find old knitting, often no one knows who made it. Here is my idea then. Have you ever watched artists write microscopically on rice kernels? If they can do that, they should be able to write on little beads. And instead of a signature on a painting, we knit in a bead at the bottom of a project with our name.

Has that been done or suggested yet?