The nice man at the post office didn't think I was crazy for weighing my sock and yarn until I whined about not having enough yarn. Though I see the benefit of buying a scale now.
Yarn remaining: 48 grams
Weight of sock: 67 grams less 4 needles at 1 gram each=63 grams
Not. even. close.
Insert string of explitives here.
Does a short row heel use less yarn than a heel flap one?
Anyone have 15 grams of STR in Moss Agate? (Now *that* really makes yarn sound like drugs).
Other solutions?
Yes. A short row heel should use less yarn than a heel flap but I couldn't tell you how much less.
I'm so sorry about your dilemma. That colorway it just beautiful.
Crazy for putting your sock on a post office scale? Hardly.
When our boys were born they were weighed in a little fabric sling hanging from a fisherman's scale.
We weren't very big on all those scheduled well-baby check ups, so they rarely were weighed at the doctor's office. Instead, I used to weigh them anywhere that I could find a scale: the post office, the grocery store, the health food store...
Yesterday I considered bringing a thrifted sweater into town to weigh it somewhere so I'd know the weight of the salvageable yarn. Maybe I'll head to the post office. The postmaster already thinks I'm a nut.
Doesn't sound weird to me at all. You're just a normal knitter. Or is that possible?
Good luck!
Posted by: Siri | January 19, 2006 at 04:38 PM
I'm doing my Jaywalkers toe up so I can use up every bit of exactly half my yarn. Doesn't help you now....
I agree that a short row heel will use less yarn so long as you aren't doing some sort of mutant version that still uses the heel stitch. It's the heel stitch that causes a flap heel sock to use the extra yarn.
Posted by: LaurieM | January 19, 2006 at 05:01 PM
Rip back a few inches and gift the pair to Emma?
Posted by: Lauren | January 19, 2006 at 05:08 PM
You have 111 grams of yarn total. Unravel 8 grams of the top of the first sock; add them to the ball of yarn you'll use for your second sock. In other words, do whatever you have to to make two 55-gram socks. Crazy? Why yes, I am.
If my yarn is limited, I'll separate it into two equal-weight balls and knit them toe-up.
You can get a food scale at a Target, grocery store, whatever. The cost is about the same as a ball of really nice sock yarn (like $20). I have one and I love it! You can weigh out equal balls of sock yarn, you can weigh something you made to see how much yarn it took, you can weigh a partial skein to see how much yarn is in it, you can weigh out equal portions of roving to spin into (hopefully) identical lengths of singles ... indispensible. Really.
Posted by: beth | January 19, 2006 at 05:13 PM
My suggestion would be to find yarn that looks nice with the yarn you've been using, and make the heel and toe on the second sock a contrasting color. They'd be fraternal socks, but when you wore them (in shoes), nobody but you (and us) would know.
Posted by: Rebekkah | January 19, 2006 at 05:14 PM
Um, but the the short row heel might be sort of tight with this pattern? Sorry, I'm not a short row heel person, but this is not the most elastic pattern, so anything that decreases the heel depth could be bad...
I'm thinking maybe I'll need to do contrasting heels and toes and cuffs on my STR?! Hmm.
Posted by: Chris | January 19, 2006 at 05:30 PM
Damn, now I want to weigh mine. I think I am going to leave it toeless for now. Once I get to the same point on the second one I'll see if I am running short. This way if I have to substitute I use it on both of them.
Posted by: Nancy | January 19, 2006 at 05:44 PM
1) Rip back the cuff to get what you need for the second cuff, re-knit upwards
2) (slightly less painful but maybe less aesthetic) do a lot of toe in a different color.
Posted by: mimsie | January 19, 2006 at 06:00 PM
Ok, so my vote is to undo the toe of sock one and reknit the toe in a contrasting color. Use the yarn from the unknit toe to finish sock #2 and then do the toe in the same contrasting color. What do you think?
Posted by: knittingnurse | January 19, 2006 at 07:02 PM
Two problems. Unravelling from the cast on edge is a royal PITA (don't ask how I know). Having one sock with a flap heel and one sock with a short row heel will look and feel weird.
I think you have 2 options: (1) rip back to before the heel, make the leg a bit shorter, do either a short row heel or a contrast heel and toe (or both) (2) rip back the whole thing, divide your yarn into two equal balls and start again (probably from the toe (with or without contrast heel and toe depending how long a leg you want).
Get a scale either way. Sorry, that is going to be a major demotivator...
Posted by: JoVE | January 19, 2006 at 08:14 PM
That's why I love our post office's new self-serve scale/postage dispenser. Available 24/7 and no stares, unless people are waiting behind you. Sorry about the dilemma, I will be of no help. But I'm sure you'll work it out!! :)
Posted by: Vicki | January 19, 2006 at 09:24 PM
My husband got a scale for weighing things he was shipping, and wondered what I was doing the first few times that I searched for it to measure yarn. The yarn/drug comment cracks me up!
Posted by: sarah b. | January 20, 2006 at 09:32 AM
Wow, so many people bringing things to the post office to weigh. I had never thought of that. I sure want to get a digital scale though - but more for my spinning than knitting.
Until then - the PO it is!
Posted by: Susan | January 20, 2006 at 09:37 AM
Throw the sock in time out and tell it to go on a diet.
Other commenters have all touched on all the solutions I can think of, unfortunately all take a lot of reworking to execute. I'll let you know if I dream up an effortless solution.
Posted by: anmiryam | January 20, 2006 at 09:40 AM
Can't help with the sock, but if you need it, I got a dime bag of Rowan Tweed in the Creeper colorway.
Posted by: KimP | January 20, 2006 at 09:41 AM
oi saw your comment on Claudia's bout the PO~ you might also try the pharmacists since they are used to crazy sick people. I go to the pharmacy myself...
Posted by: elka | January 20, 2006 at 09:49 AM
Oh no!!
Posted by: Samantha | January 20, 2006 at 10:47 AM
You are a complete sweetie Cara, but don't worry. I ripped them back to the heel this morning and I'm doing a short row heel. I'm even trying out Japanese short rows (so I'm learning something new).
It was disappointing yesterday, but after the sock spent some time in the time out corner we made friends and I'm fine. If I had finished the second sock, I wouldn't have been so cheery this morning!
Thanks again. I did like my finished sock and will like it again this time.
It's not like I ripped half an aran or something (which I've done).
Posted by: Steph | January 20, 2006 at 11:27 AM
My postal people really like me and have fun weighing yarn and socks! They make me show them what I'm sending before I seal the packages. "Is it socks this time?" Perhaps it's because I live in a small town?
Posted by: Sylvia | January 22, 2006 at 04:27 PM