The $3.50 Sweater - Maybe

Now that the second Sock Madness socks are finished, I thought I'd start to work on something I've been eager to cast on:

This is the beginning of a "Hey, Teach!" sweater. I'm trying to plan ahead for wedding-related activities, when I might be expected to dress nicely. So delicate, feminine, and warm seems like a great combination.

And if all goes well, this sweater will be a great bargain. The yarn - Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Violet - was a gift from Debbie, who was destashing at New Year's. I picked up the buttons at the Fiber Event - $0.50 each in a bargain bin. (We will overlook the fact that I am certain that I bought identical buttons two years ago, but can't find them.) So if all goes well, I'll have a nice sweater for a total outlay of $3.50 - that's hard to beat!

And so far, it's going well. I cast on Saturday night, and I've already finished most of the back. It's true that I've been knitting when I should be doing other things, but progress is so seductive. Now I know why people like worsted weight yarn for sweaters - it's great to see the inches just fly off my needles!

BUT, there may be a problem. For some reason, I thought I had seven balls of this yarn, which would give me enough. Halfway through the back I started the yarn roundup, and it looks like I only have six. Oops. This is two balls' worth, so I'm not optimistic that I'll get the whole sweater out of six balls.

The color, of course, has been discontinued. So for right now, I'm knitting and hoping. Hoping that I was right about having 7 balls, and the missing one will turn up without too much canine damage. Hoping that I'll find someone on Ravelry willing to part with a ball or two. Hoping that, somehow, I'll be able to finish this sweater. I certainly don't want to think of frogging now!