Girl Pending: Let the Knitting Commence. Or not.

We have known for a few weeks what the sex of the baby is, and yes, she’s a girl, which really set up my knitting plan for the next several years probably. Now, I just need to decide on a nursery theme, because really? I have an aunt who is very impatient about our indecision in the matter.

Though I have yet to sew the sleeves on my unisex baby sweater, I immediately cast on Daphne’s Baby Cape in a red merino blend yarn from my stash. According to the pattern, there should have been just enough yarn between the three skeins I had to get the job done for a nice little red riding hooded cape.

Inevitable last words: I have just enough yarn.

Because it will never end up being enough yarn.

By the third decrease row it was pretty clear I did not have just enough yarn. In fact, I didn’t have nearly enough yarn. I had only a skein left and probably half of the cape still left to knit. Also, the yarn? Discontinued. I hopped online and sure enough, one of the issues people have with this pattern is its tendency to use up more yarn than indicated. By a hundred yards or more.

In desperation, for the first time ever, I used the function on Ravelry that searches other people’s stashes for yarn. There were six people willing to sell or trade the yarn I need in the colorway I needed it in (that would be Country Caron in the Claret colorway). Two of them had multiple skeins: a lady in Texas that happened to even have my same dye lot and a woman in Australia. I sent messages out to both and hoped for the best. That same night, I heard back from the Australian. Shipping over $10 but the yarn was mine if I wanted it. I held out a day, waiting for the Texan, who never messaged back. Then, I sent word to the Australian. I was in. The yarn arrived in the mail yesterday and it’s just what I need to get this cape finished.

I turned 30 on Tuesday, so I guess you could call this 30 some odd dollar purchase my present to myself. Even though it goes against my whole attempt at destashing.

And at some point soon, I promise to sew those sweater sleeves on. Really, I have until October. There's still plenty of time.