When working on any form of craft work, I normally concentrate on one project at a time. I may well be planning the next one in my head as I finish off the mundane and tedious elements of the task in hand. In the past year or two I have noticed a difference. At one stage there were three projects on the go at one time.

Up until yesterday I had three crochet projects unfinished. Running out of yarn is not to be recommended!

This basket weave jacket was working well but it was a yarn guzzler. I had the back & two fronts complete, but it looked like I would run out of yarn before I had the second sleeve, never mind the front border and collar completed. I found this aran wool in Dublin last year, when out with my sister. She is an avid knitter, but does crochet too.

Sister is sensible. She sticks to a pattern. I seldom do. I like to add my own touch to a garment. Most of the time it works.

My sister offered to consult her outlet for the yarn, to see if it was still in stock. It was, but a different dye number. I decided (long distance) to let her get it for me and hold it until I was next in Dublin. I planned to use it for the two sleeves and the front band and collar using a different stitch. If there was a slight difference, it would look intentional.

A couple of falls resulting in very painful ribs last autumn, put paid to my travel plans for a few months.

In the meantime, I decided to use some raspberry coloured Aran wool called lipstick, that I had in my wool stash for over a year, to make a long cardigan/jacket. I had 10 X 100g balls, more than enough, says I to myself over confidently! Ha Ha!

Again, I used a yarn guzzling stitch. This time waffle stitch. I finished the back, two fronts, two sleeves and two front border/collar sections. I used every last inch! I had no Lipstick yarn to sew the pieces together!

Unfortunately the shop where I had bought the yarn had gone out of business. Thankfully there was a website address on the ball-band so I was able to find stockists in Northern Ireland. Four or five phone calls and I found it. Well almost!

The colour lipstick was available in either double knitting, or chunky varieties, but not Aran. Since it was only to stitch the garment together with the stitches unseen on the outside, I went along with the double knitting.

It worked, so I decided to use the remainder of the 100g ball to make a belt. That is what you saw yesterday.

Sailing close to the wind… the photo above shows how little yarn I have left at the end of the project!

I learned a couple of new tricks with this project.

1. A new way to join the yarn leaving no unsightly tails to be worked into the finished garment.
2. A new way – for me – to work the base line instead of starting with a long chain.

If you would like me to share them with you, let me know in the comments, and I will do so next week.

Click on any of the photos to enlarge them for greater detail.