Math is Hard. Let's Go Shopping.

What you see here is two years and twenty minutes worth of handspun 2-ply laceweight, knitted into a shawl which is 5 rows short of finished.
 

Coincidentally, it's also 5 rows short of yarn.  That's right.  I managed to run out of yarn, in spite of having carefully calculated that I would come out with many yards to spare.

Yardage Fail.

I swear they will inscribe on my headstone "Never Once Calculated Yardage Accurately".  I measured 860 yards of laceweight.  The pattern calls for 760 yards.  Either the pattern is a liar, or I am.  Given my record, I'm pretty sure my pants are on fire.

So what to do, Gentle Readers? 

1.    I considered trying to frog the first part of the shawl, which is crescent-shaped stockinette, to retrieve enough to finish the last five rows.  But I lack sufficient courage to try.  The yarn is a mohair & silk blend, whose frogging potential is not attractive.  I think it would be only a little harder than winding a perfect center-pull ball from an SOS pad. 

2.    I thought about frogging back a couple of rows from the lower edge, and just binding off where I am.  But that seems SO anticlimactic: the lace pattern has all its really sexy action in the last few rows and the picot bindoff.  And you KNOW what a sucker I am for a picot bindoff.

3.    I could try spinning more yarn.  To that end, I looked up the suppliers of the original roving.  Not only do they no longer offer that fiber blend, they don't make that color in anything, AND they aren't even in business together anymore.  That's right:  I took apart two separate websites at a molecular shopping level, with no joy found.

4.    I could add another yarn.  Much as it pains me to say it, I'm going to have to go to my LYS with my unfinished project, and throw myself on their tender mercies.  They are good people, who I know will do their best to help.  But it's embarrassing:  "Oooh, look at the big fancy-pants designer who knows so much!  Can't even finish her shawl!"  Not that I think they would actually taunt me, but my inner critic is having a field day.  When simple arithmatic is your Kryptonite, it's easy to get defensive. 

On the other hand, there is precious little that some time in the yarn store won't fix, including a bad attitude.  Wish me luck finding the right yarn.  Repeat after me: "Be the Laceweight...Be the Laceweight...Be the Laceweight...".