My Worst Knitting Fears

There have been very few things since I started knitting that scare me.  As far as patterns go, I've pretty much operated on the naïve  assumption that I can do whatever I set my mind to, which has worked remarkably well for me so far.  I've made mistakes that required some long hours to fix, but I never really considered throwing a project out the window.  I once lost two days of work because of an interchangeable circular cable that became unscrewed from it's needle.  I didn't notice until the resulting hole was large enough to toss an orange through (hey, it could happen to you).  Even then, while I was aggravated, I was not reduced to tears.

There are, however, a couple of situations I can imagine that would certainly drive me to the edge of either terror or insanity.  One of them is coming home to find one of my smelly Dachshunds wrapped up in and chewing on my latest project.  This has not happened to date - a testimony to my vigilance in keeping my knitting stuffs up out of their possible reach.  It helps a lot that their legs are really short. 

There is also another situation I have previously envisioned that would cause me to quake in my fuzzy slippers; a situation which I have come face to face with this evening.  Tonight, I am peeking over the edge of the virtual knitting cliff of doom.  I am on the verge of a very serious knitting meltdown.  The gray clouds of disaster are moving to encase me as I type this (okay, maybe I'm being just a tad dramatic).  But here's the deal...

This evening, I am looking at my pretty top-down sweater on which I have made serious progress since my last post.  I finished the yoke, divided for the sleeves, and have been working madly on the body which is nearly half done.  Then it's just a quick no-fuss stockinette for the 3/4 sleeves and I can cross another Christmas project off my list.  I should be doing a happy dance right now, but I am most definitely not dancing.  In fact, as I gaze at what has consumed the better part of my last 48 hours, I am beginning to get a horrible knot in the pit of my stomach.  What could possibly be dire enough to create such anxiety?  A knitting problem of nightmarish proportions: 

I don't think I have enough yarn to finish. (insert "Psycho" shower scene music here)

How did this possibly happen?  The pattern stated the yards required outright, so I didn't even have to calculate it out (a good thing because math has never been my strongest subject).  I should have some to spare.  And yet, when I look at what remains to be done and then at the sad-looking little skein and a half of Sailor Blue #0007 Sublime Extra Fine Merino Wool DK, I am terrified at the thought that there's not enough left to finish.

"Oh, no problem, just get another skein.  It will be fine."  Sure, that would make sense.  But not only did I purchase the yarn on sale, I bought the last skeins my LYS had, and it turns out that this particular color has been discontinued - knowledge gained from a frantic online search. 

Well, of course it has...     (and the "Psycho" music continues)

At this point, if I do run out before the project is finished, my only hope is one single person on Ravelry who appears to have one single skein of color #0007 that she is willing to sell.  May her blessings be multiplied and may her stash increase. 

Now where did I put that Valium…

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Tell me about your worst knitting nightmare.