The Asheville Scarf from Friends & Fiberworks - Day 3

How do you know?

I’ve been clipping along at such a great pace that now I’ve got to answer an essential question: when to stop? 

Since the rows keep getting longer, I need a way to measure how many rows’ worth of yarn I’ve got left so I don’t start a final row only to run out in the middle.

How?  I employ the tried and true tactic of weight. 

Usually, weighing what you’ve done and what yarn remains helps ensure you have fiber enough for a second sock or mitten. Here, I conduct a few experiments to measure how many grams of yarn a row requires so I can evaluate how many rows are “in” my remaining ball.

I walk you through it step by step:

1) Weigh the remaining ball of yarn. This is most easily done on a food scale using grams (ounces are too big). While I don’t own one, I’m told a postal scale works well, too.
2) Knit one row.
3) Measure the ball again, noting how much lighter it is after the row. In my case, 2 grams.

4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 to confirm your findings—again, in my case 2 grams. I also unwind two grams off the scale and place a knot to test it by length as well as weight.
5) Since my ball after these steps weighs 22 grams, I now know I’ve got roughly 10 rows of yarn left. So I’ll plan on 8, ensuring I have sufficient yarn for the single-chain crochet bind-off the pattern calls for.

See? Math can be your friend, in life as well as in knitting. If a writer—a words person rather than a numbers gal—can befriend math, you can too!