Do it until You go Blind

I've taken on a couple of projects that really require a 50 foot table & an industrial stapler. I suppose I should feel lucky that I have only two years to sort for the first project. And four years for the second with some of it sorted into same year, same thing in zip locks. It's still a horrendous job, sorting, batching, adding them up, adding up the GST, writing the type of expense, year & percentage on the tape before trying to get the stapler to punch through it all. I have multiple batches for Materials & Supplies, fuel, Small Tools etc & then they have to be added up before they're fed into the tax forms. Sigh .   .   .   I'd rather be knitting.

I've even relearned the joys of the Slow Cooker while I've been so busy. Chicken & yams  with Mushroom soup. Pork sirloin with potatoes & carrots. And creme of Mushroom soup. LOL  How did we live before creme of Mushroom soup??? I just don't have the time or energy to stand around in the kitchen chopping or mixing. Into the crock pot with it!!!!

And the first Wallaby is finished. Done. The hood was bound off last evening before I fell asleep in my chair in front of the tube. Haven't seen much of that tube in the last week or so because I fall asleep if I'm not knitting, eating, adding or stapling. But, the first sweater is done & in the Gift Box. Now, onto #2. Size 4 long, in acrylic in rainbow colors so his mom can find him in a crowd when he runs - cause that's the only speed he has until he falls down into bed. And I'd give you a picture except that the damned camera needs to be recharged .   .   .   .

Wonderful Wallaby Time

I'd forgotten how much fun it is to knit a kid's size Wonderful Wallaby!!! They knit up so fast. And it's fun to find & use up all the leftovers. I found 4 balls of gold, a ball of brown/tan variegated, half a ball of blue variegated, a navy ball & a bit of red. So it's all going into the same sweater I think. I wish it was all in bright colors but it's the last of the donated Pittsburgh yarn & it doesn't go with anything else. It's soft & 40% wool & can't be combined with the harder acrylic so it is what it is .   .    .    . It was going to go to one of my dirty little boys but it has too much wool in it to be washed daily. But, there's a kid out there who will love it. I have enough red for one stripe in the yoke & I put blue on one arm for fun.

The next Wallaby is for the Kid Who Destroys Clothes. He's almost 4 & doesn't stop moving. If energy could conquer the world, he would own it all. And he's also a dirt magnet. This is the kid that gets undressed in front on the washer because nothing can be worn twice. His mom sometimes undresses him twice a day in front of the washer .  .  .  Until I can find yarn that sheds dirt, he gets acrylic because it will be washed constantly. I think I'll make the body one solid color & stripe the sleeves & yoke. Kids love lots of color even when some moms would prefer black or dirty brown. This time around I'm going to be smarter too, I'm knitting TWO Wallabies for him so he doesn't have to wait in front of the dryer for his sweater before he can go outside.

I successfully finished my 'Snakes and Ladders socks' test knit. Although I was only required to knit one sock, I knit them both so I'd have a pair to pass on to someone with cold feet. They're not large enough for my feet but I know someone will love them. I have enough yarn left over to make some matching wrist warmers as well. I think the pattern will look great on wrist warmers where you can actually SEE it. The pattern is easy to knit, the written directions are clear & the chart is easy to follow. The best part is that the pattern is up on Ravelry & it's FREE.

So what's up next??? Well, my poor fingers are feeling the change in the weather & I've been spending DAYS sorting paper into bunches & adding them up for a client, so I'm ready for a simple knit or two. Especially since I have 5 more boxes of paperwork to sort & add. So I've cast-on for a child's size 4 Wonderful Wallaby. I like the Wallaby. I've knit many of them for charity over the years & will probably knit many more before I'm done. Although I prefer to use a wool yarn, moms of small, dirty boys want acrylic yarns that can be washed over & over again. The two dirty little boys I'm currently knitting for are really hard on their clothes - especially the 4 year old. His mom says she undresses him in front of the washer every day before bed - clothes into the wash, kid into the bath. She claims he attracts dirt while he sleeps. So acrylic for him. She'd probably be happiest if I knit grey, brown or black for him but I think a rainbow - all the leftovers - is the way to go - I want him to wear the darned thing!!!  So, the sleeves are done & I'm working on the body of the first Wallaby in size 4.

When they're finished, I will finish my top down, V-neck, lace frock from the Cabin Fever book, 'Need a Plus Cardigan?'. I started it eons ago & life got in the way. I thought it would be really fun to make some winter lace that was practical. And I wanted a cardigan with something a little different too. I'll be making plain sleeves because I need extra warmth for my wrists & hands. The wool is a rustic worsted weight spun at Briggs & Little mills. And while I wanted a lovely RED yarn, the best I could do locally was Mullberry. Oh well. The sweater is started & I'm to the bottom of the V-neck.