Playing Yarn Chicken

After I passed the half-way point of knitting the Celtic design on the shawl, I was pretty certain I would not have enough of my handspun yarn to finish it. So certain was I, that I ordered some dyes to start experimenting with to match the color. It looked like was going to have to spin up some white wool--which would not match the mohair/wool/alpaca blend the yarn contains--and dye it, getting as close as possible to the color of the yarn.

But to my great surprise, my handspun lasted up to the last 5 rows! Could not believe it.

I had saved the very first sample I made when trying to figure out how to spin this wool. It would be the right blend of fibers, the exact same colors, but it was 2-ply. (My original idea was to spin the whole thing 2-ply. It was only after some sampling that I decided 3-ply was better.) I cannot remember if this sample was spun long-draw or short-draw, neither of which produced a yarn I was happy with. (I finally went with modified long-draw.) It's not a pretty yarn, and it's thinner, but containing the right fibers and the right colors, I decided to use it to finish off the shawl. Saving my samplings was a good idea!

It saved the day!

The knitting is done! The last 5 rows of the edging in the upper left corner of the shawl contains the 2-ply. Can't tell!! Someone would have to know to look for it and would then need to find it. Made it by the skin of my teeth!

A few loose ends need weaving in and it needs to be washed and blocked. I'll post a photo when it is completely finished.