Better to Wear Out Than Rust Out

Yes, it's the same photo as yesterday - except yesterday I didn't notice that pink thing. I have no idea what that is and as I am sitting right next to that spot at this moment and there is nothing pink on it, I have no idea what it was and I have decided not to worry about it.

It's the same photo because I'm not sure there's been much progress. I mean, I've attached a new ball of yarn but I don't think I've gotten much further. And now I'm worried that the three balls of yarn I have will not be enough to finish it. (I hear you, it's not an excuse to go yarn shopping.) Because the one ball I've already used makes it about 1/5 done so my math brain says if 1 ball makes it 1/5 done then I need 5 balls to make it 5/5 done and I have only three balls. (Don't even start, my mind went straight to the gutter already.)

Because this is an off the cuff shawl, there are no directions to tell me how much yarn I need. Something in my mind is saying since for a shawl with a thicker weight I would need three skeins, I should take that yardage and double it. I will spare you the calculation process and just tell you that comes to about 1100 yards. And I have a little over 600. And even as I say this, I'm not sure that will even work. So now I am a conundrum: do I go an purchase say three more skeins in the hopes that will be enough? Is there another calculation I could use? Don't ask me to measure the gauge so far - I can hardly see the stitches as it is. I have no idea what I'm doing.

This could get ugly.