All done

I’ve mentioned Project Stashbust a couple of times. Recently, when taking a dip in my bin of leftover yarn, I came up with this:

It is Tess’ Designer Yarns Superwash Merino, and it is OLD. I bought this at Maryland in 2003, intending to make a soft, washable sweater for my beautiful baby boy. And so I did. It barely fit over his ginormous head so this is the only photo I have. This mother learned her lesson early: never knit crewneck sweaters for small people. V necks or cardigans are the way to go!

I have also learned a thing or two about buying yarn since 2003. Then, I really had no idea how much to buy. This Tess yarn comes in giant, 8 oz skeins, and the seller urged me to err on the side of “more” since it would be impossible to match dye lots later. That is true… but really, how much yarn can one use for a baby sweater? I honestly don’t remember how many skeins I bought, but it was probably three or four. This yarn predates Ravelry, so I don’t have the same kind of record I would have if I bought the yarn today.

Next, I made a tiny baby hat for a Loopy Ewe quarterly challenge back in the day. This picture is from 2007, so the leftover yarn marinated quite a while before this happened:

I didn’t let the leftovers sit for quite so long after that summer hat. Near Christmas 2007, I got a hankering to make a scarf. I finished it when my mom was in town. She liked it, so I gave it to her:

The next year, when it was time to make a hat to donate as part of my Knitters’ Day Out registration fee, I thought of this yarn again. Here is a child-sized hat made in 2008 (that climbing apparatus is LONG gone from our lives now!):

And then the yarn sat in the box, probably drifting further and further toward the bottom, until Kris and I started talking about renewing efforts to reduce stash in 2015.

I recalled Susan B. Anderson’s series of Yowza Weigh It Shawls, which are designed to use every bit of an 8 ounce skein of Miss Babs hand dyed Yowza yarn. I decided that I could use up the rest of my Tess yarn with a Weigh It pattern (this is #4 in the series). 8 ounces is 227 grams, and I had 259 grams… but I used my old friend, Math, to cross divide and convert the pattern so I could use all my yarn. I knew I needed to knit the first section until 84 grams remained, and then begin the edging. Here is what I got:

BUT. While this pattern was easy and enjoyable, it did NOT use up all my yarn. I actually had 53 grams left! ARGH!

Determined not to let this skein get the best of me, I cast on for a small hat – only 80 stitches around. This should fit a toddler or small child, and it can be my KDO donation next year. I managed to use every last inch of yarn on the pom pom. So FINALLY, this yarn has been exhausted. It took 6 projects and 12 years, but it is finished!