I had a plan

I had a plan for my little contest, and that should have been a source of worry by itself. My plans do not work. Ever. Period. If I do not put much thought into something, it usually works. If I do not follow the plan, everything goes well. Try to plan something out and follow through? This happens:



My plan? My plan was to reveal the pattern once I have knit enough of it to make it evident. So, I ripped that darn thing about 5 times in 3 days.
For honesty's sake I need to admit that much rippage had occurred even before this latest bout of it, so I probably should have given up earlier, and that the yarn was right, it is not meant to be this pattern.
Redford Phyl was right, it is Cat Bordhi's Clematis Vine, and it had driven me crazy from day one.
First, do I need it to say? gauge. It needs a gauge of 8.5, I got 11. On Us #1. So off the window goes the plan to get gauge reducing the needles size (not that I did not try.)
Well, let's look at Chapter 10 - Freedom of Number and get the right numbers from the tables. Nice plan. The tables go up to gauge 9.5 - did I mention that I got 11?
Study the master plan for the Riverbed architecture and calculate my own numbers.
Figure out pretty soon that this is not your standard Riverbed architecture so the standard numbers do not work. Recalculate the numbers (and hope that I got the logic right.)
Imagine several rip back due between all these steps and you got the picture. Pretty much the one above.

I officially give up. This yarn is not going to be the Clematis Vine, it is pretty clear even to me now that it does not want to. And no, it cannot change its mind now.

So, it is October 10, and these socks, that are a pair for Gryffondor socks for the Hogwart Sock Swap (I do hope that my partner is not reading this, and if you are, just have faith), are due on October 31st. New plan? No, plans do not work. I'll just wing it.

Contest winners: Redford Phyl because she was right and Caroline because Paperino picked her name from the hat. Please email me.

Disaster

Picture taken by Principessa while I was sobbing.

Yeah, I know, the picture is blurry. Do you really want to know? Ok, look here (sit first):



That is the yarn I have left, and I have to make the whole toe of the sock. The whole toe, and no yarn left. Of the second sock of the Sockapalooza 4 socks (yes, they were due a week ago, we won't talk about that.) The yarn? Cherry Tree Hill Supersock with no ball band (I got this yarn in a swap-bot exchange, one of those "send yarn from your stash exchange".)
Hollis told me that she thinks it's a potluck colorway, so I am dead in the water, no chance whatsoever to find another one (and even if it were not a potluck skein, CTH colorways are so variable that I would be dead anyway.)

I started to notice that something was wrong (read: I do not think that I have enough yarn) yesterday morning, but I kept knitting hoping that the ball would get bigger. Reality set in when a customer of my store looked at my socks and said, "Nice yarn, Koigu? You do not have enough." When a random knitter passing by comments that you do not have enough yarn, usually you do not have enough yarn.

In the vain attempt to make my yarn last longer, I screw up several times so I had to rip back and keep knitting, but eventually I had to face reality: I do not have enough yarn.

I am going to cry some more now.