Amanda Knits

I'm currently trying to knit something that looks like this.

This pattern is from the Winter 1952/53 issue of McCall's Needlework.

I have changed the style from a box coat to a swing coat. I've obviously had to change the yarn and the gauge and the size because I am not built like a woman from the 50s. This is my first time doing all of those things at once. The pattern and the book Knit to Fit are great help, but this is, in many ways, a leap of faith.

One other problem...the yarn.

I originally started by using Austermann Barkarole, this lovely 70 merino/20 silk/10 cashmere blend yarn in a gorgeous eggplant color. However, after I knit up two balls I realized I was never going to have enough to finish the coat. I used yarn estimate charts. I did some loosey-goose head estimates. I did some more complicated pen-and-paper estimates. I pulled out pen and paper, sketched, figured out necessary yardage... Still, no dice. I was definitely going to be short.

So I dug around in my stash. I should mention that in November it will have been two years since I've bought any new yarn. I have a ton of really nice stuff in my stash, and my experience living abroad made me realize that I don't need (and don't want) any more yarn than I have. So my entire goal was to knit with stashed yarn only.

I found some Ren Ny Ull Superwash Sport in red. I bought this on closeout from Elann in August. August 2004. I had 19-20 balls. This has been partially knit into a long ago discarded sweater, so I pulled it out. I consulted numerous "how much yarn do I need charts" and decided that I might have just enough to finish the coat. As a backup, I searched around for any other sites I could buy the yarn from and didn't find any.

I'm currently converting a box coat pattern from the 1952/1953 issue of McCall's Needlework into a swing coat. It's going well so far, but I'm knitting from stash and a bit concerned about running out of yarn...