A Set Back

I finished the first chart repeat for the Superskunk Vest. But what I had knit so far just didn't look right. It didn't look like the size was right for a 4 year old. So I measured my gauge. It was way off! And I had swatched, and I was positive I hadn't changed my tension. I had a horrible thought--was I knitting with a size 3 needle? I did a quick check with my needle gauge and, uh oh, I was knitting with a size 2 needle! Somewhere between binding off the gauge swatch and casting on for the vest, I set down the size 3 and picked up the size 2. I have no idea how this could have happened. I but I did it. Unless it was a Brownie playing tricks. (We had a Brownie in our house when I was growing up, who was always blamed for mischief when none of us children would admit to whatever wrongdoing my mother was questioning us about. "Who got into the paint cans in the garage? It must have been the Brownie!") So it looks like I'm starting over with the vest. The trouble is, I am going to need more yarn. Every time a color change is made at the center steek, I broke the yarn and joined the new color. So if I frog what I have knit so far, I'll have a bunch of short lengths of yarn, none of which will be long enough to knit the same number of stitches in the round with a needle a size bigger. I may not have to buy yarn in all the colors. Their were at least a couple colors that were used for only a few rounds. Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift isn't stocked by my LYS, so that means an internet purchase. I did a little preliminary checking, and depending on who has what colors in stock, it's going to cost me between $4 - $5 a skein, plus shipping. I really cannot afford to buy anymore yarn this month, what with the holiday expenses. So it will have to wait until January. I could start over using the yarn I have left, but if the dye lots vary significantly, the new yarn might not match the yarn I have well enough. I'm not going to start over a third time if that happens, so I'll just have to wait until the new yarn is purchased and arrives at my house in January. So. Now what?

The Lucy Neatby Camelot sock has been retrieved from the unfinished project basket. It ended up in the basket when I tried it on and could not get it over my heel. What needed to happen (and I did it last evening), was to frog back to the cuff and change to a size bigger needle. So this project is back on track, and I'm still doing some colorwork. I think it will go fairly quickly. Famous last words. And I plan to finish the Forbes Forest Scarf before Christmas. It's not a gift, I just want the satisfaction of a finished project.
That's it for today, folks.