There is a great little pattern I found on Ravelry called 198 Yards of Heaven. It was designed specifically to use one skein of worsted yarn and still end up with something. Especially nice for luxury yarns that are too expensive to buy in quantity. I was in luck because I owned one such skein: ArtYarns Silk Rhapsody in Cappucino. Lovely yarn consisting of handpainted silk held with a Kidsilk Haze mohair. It is the same yarn that Sally and I used for Sally’s Topsy Turvy Moebius. It is bunny-belly soft. I was very confident that I had enough yarn, because each skein has 260 yards and the pattern is called “198 Yards of Heaven” for a reason!
I had one yard left (?!?).
I made no adjustments to the pattern and my finished shawlette was the exact same size as the pattern stated: 44 x 21 inches. What gives? Where’s my 61 yards? Don’t know. I even weighed my finished shawlette to see if I was short sheeted, but it was 100 grams.
It is lovely.
The knitting gods/godesses realized that you would have no use for 61 yards leftover, so they worked their magic to ensure that you used every last bit of that luscious yarn – isn’t knitting wonderful?
Comment by Anne — January 28, 2011 @ 11:22 am
Dear Susan,
This is why another well-known blogger and knitting author often states: “Swatches lie!” Sometimes they lie on our side and sometimes they don’t! It sounds like you’ve had it both ways. Just like Anne in comment 1 says, you had enough for the shawlette (beautiful!) and no pesky leftovers! (Unless you were planning a finger puppet.)
Comment by Chloe — January 28, 2011 @ 11:50 am
Gorgeous. Just be glad you had enough! LOL The knitting gods were smiling at you.
Comment by Ruth — January 28, 2011 @ 11:52 am
It’s really pretty.
Comment by surly — January 28, 2011 @ 12:09 pm
lovely!
Comment by jess — January 28, 2011 @ 1:10 pm
That’s beautiful! Gorgeous yarn.
Comment by Cheryl S. — January 28, 2011 @ 1:26 pm
I could feel the loveliness on my skin thru the computer screen. Happy dance that you had enuf to finish it!
Comment by Robin F. — January 28, 2011 @ 1:27 pm
I have that pattern in a bag with 2 skeins of Manos Silk Blend-total of 300 yds. Good to know I may use most of it! Yours is lovely!! and matches the fabric below it perfectly.
Comment by pattie — January 28, 2011 @ 5:50 pm
Your shawl is lovely and I like it when I don’t have little bits leftover.
Comment by Beverly — January 28, 2011 @ 7:08 pm
OMGosh that’s gorgeous.
Comment by Tiny Tyrant — January 28, 2011 @ 8:16 pm
That is just perfectly gorgeous!! Beautiful color and beautiful pattern!
Comment by Barb — January 28, 2011 @ 9:24 pm
It couldn’t be lovelier…it’s absolutely beautiful! Enjoy!
Comment by Maureen — January 28, 2011 @ 9:57 pm
That is a stunner. But I don’t know where your yarn went. Maybe with my husband’s missing socks?
Comment by twinsetellen — January 28, 2011 @ 10:34 pm
A thing of beauty it is. I had to do some digging earlier today to find the perfect skein for that pattern. Now I better go check and see what kind of yardage is there.
Comment by 2muchfun — January 28, 2011 @ 11:11 pm
Ah, the mysteries of gauge…
Comment by mary lou — January 29, 2011 @ 10:08 am
It is beautiful!
Comment by Michelle — January 29, 2011 @ 1:59 pm
It IS lovely1 So very, very lovely!
Comment by Kym — January 29, 2011 @ 5:40 pm
OK. So I’m late to the party, but “better late than never”. I did a little stash diving and found that I did, indeed, have two skeins of Silk Rhapsody, so printed out the pattern and will knit it. Thank you so much. I really enjoy this blog. You both are full of wonderful info.
Comment by Nancy — January 29, 2011 @ 6:52 pm
That is gorgeous. “Whenever you have the choice of good planning or luck, choose the latter.”
Comment by kmkat — January 30, 2011 @ 4:38 pm
FWIW, not only do gauges lie, but so do ball bands when it comes to yardages! I’ve measured a number of 100& wool yarns (just for consistency’s sake) on a McMorran balance and come up with quite different numbers of yards than the ball band says. And sure enough, I either ran out of fiber or ended up with inches to spare. Feh! So now I order 1 extra skein no matter what I’m making.
Lovely shawl!
Comment by judith — January 30, 2011 @ 10:42 pm
You’re to blame for supplying the inspiration for me to make this scarf. I’ve already printed the pattern and know what yarn I’m going to use to make it.
Comment by Nik — February 1, 2011 @ 3:44 pm
It’s just 259 Yards of Heaven! You got a great deal!
Thanks be that it was +1 yard left over and not -1….
Comment by Cathy-Cate — February 26, 2011 @ 8:48 pm