the trouble with cones...

there are so many different sizes and weights! I only save the cones that narrow to a point because they work with my Silver Needles Electric Winder https://knitwords.blogspot.com/2016/11/disaster-averted.html
and I mark the weight (mostly 22 to 26g) on the cone so when doing socks, I know exactly where I am. I never really thought about it but the other cones that have the bigger opening at the top – like Panama is wound on, are 40 to 44g! No wonder I was thinking I’d have enough yarn!

So, not enough yarn, or hardly any…what to do? Just need to finish the armholes and neckline. I definitely do not have enough of the purple to make the doubled stockinette bands that I’ve been using on most of the tank tops. My first thought was to use the ivory Panama, but I would hate that. The denim colour Panama might go but I’d hate that too. To me, it would scream, ‘she ran out of yarn!’
I do have a mostly-cotton sock yarn that has some purple shades in it, along with gray, navy and black but you know with sock yarn, can’t really tell what it will look like until you knit it and I haven't used this one yet. I could stop and knit a pair of socks just to see, or, I could make an armband, attach it and see if it goes okay. If it doesn't go, taking it off would be no big deal because you’re adding it to the selvedge edge so removing it won’t cause any grief or lost stitches and you’d be able to tell before getting into the neckline/open stitches whether to use it or not.
But then, I remembered those nice little crochet-look edges that I used for the armholes on the mother/daughter olive garden tops http://knitwords.blogspot.com/2020/05/saving-grace.html.

I might be lucky and have enough to do that for all three edgings.
Did you know that basically 3 times the width of the needles in work will be the amount used to knit one row of those stitches? The armband takes 60-0-60 stitches. You need to use the yarn triple stranded for the ewrap so I measure out that much (3X 60-0-60 ns, times 3) then another 3 times the width for the actual knitted row and then another 3 times plus a bit for the loose, cast-off row. I pulled this off carefully, folding it over on itself so it doesn’t get tangled and make a knotted mess. Don’t break the yarn, but clip one of those little clothes pin thingys on to mark the length. Do the same again to measure out for the second armhole and by now you should be able to see if you’ll have enough for the neckline which will be a slight bit more. It worked! This is so cute, if it wasn’t purple, I’d probably keep it!