Speeding along

 Well I took a bit of a road trip to Mittagong and see where the Handmade in the Highlands stuff is being sold from. Maybe not a good idea to get shocked with the amount that had sold and the amount of work ahead but I will do my best to get stuck in and conquer.

 I also have a side order for a baby Blanket to knit so I have chosen the Estonian Lullaby Blanket and only have a few weeks to get it finished.

But my day out at the Easter show as it was quiet very early and there was no line or anyone I thought I would try out the Police Bike. I do love Motorcycles just don't actually ride one or normally get this close. So a bit of fun really to look like I was on the open road. Maybe the Police will get me if I don't get my orders done.

My so called holidays

Well I am supposed to use 2 weeks leave to get a balance of work done but again I got the urgent stock call. It all started before my leave when Crookwell Emailed and then rang with a list and a half of things to get done. then I just thought I could settle in for a serious weekend ahead and get some of the things done for them when I get a call from Moss Vale telling me the stock has all sold yet again. So I had my Easter weekend already changed due to my car being broken into and a 1/4 panel needed to be replaced but couldnt be done before the weekend was over so I was grounded and managed to get a pile made.

Now I will go back to work and still need to get stock for both places and try my best to cope with what is going to happen this winter long before it has happened. I don't know if I can cope but the bank balance may be a little better off from it all if I can get serious about getting into a routine and schedule my load a little more.

Heres hoping no more side orders either as I had one more arranged yet again by parents who forget I can barely cope now and need more time to get things made than they often give me.

Hopefully I get one more beanie added tonight for tomorrows drop off.

A pink thing that made too much fuzz

Well I was asked earlier on in the year if I could knit a cotton cardigan for a lady who I know and is now in a nursing home. I said yes so that was mistake #1. So now literally 2 months later we have a size 16 BWM cotton cardigan done and can be delivered to her older sister tomorrow at church.

BWM cotton is lovely and soft but leaves layers of fluffy fuzz on me and my hands were caked in it as well as a  thick coating all over me every time I knitted. Now I swap it to be caked in alpaca stray fluff that isn't as bad.

2 weeks leave and 2 weeks hard work ahead.

1 off the booked list

Very late last night or early today I finished the dolly jacket and dressed her. So today she was returned to a very thankful owner and now its the next task.

A pink size 16 ladies cotton cardigan is next and thankfully closing in on finishing as well so its the sleeves to get tackled and then the bands and finishing.

Slowly I get these side orders finished so the concentration can go onto the real work.

Which side is right

 Last year at camp a workshop called "knit a double sided leaf" was advertised and a very large group turned up to knit a leaf with green wool. The real workshop was for a double sided leaf scarf. So after all this the group at Kiama wanted to have a go. So I get the pattern today before the meeting and with about 30 mins to learn, get a decent grip on the graph and have some idea to instruct this workshop we managed this by the end of it. Not too bad once you got your head around it and hopefully there will be a scarf completed by next months meeting.

For now its try and get a dolly jacket done in a night and then tomorrow try and wrap the pink cardigan up as much as possible.

Nearly done

 So trying to get all the orders done and having emergency ones as well never helps to get things cleared off. So back to Dolly and tonight she got her bootees and the bonnet is on the way.

I had to go into madness mode for close to 2 weeks when stock had run out with one of the 2 shops. So madly I got about 2 weeks of stock knitted and now I hope to clear the 2 side orders of Dolly and a Ladies cardigan so I can focus back on the regular work again.

A rose by any other name would be Irish

Well today was Guild and the workshop was this rose that becomes a brooch. So I start by teaching a friend to crochet. She mastered double crochet very quickly. Another lesson we will do a basic flower instead. then I set off on mine and before I know it I have caught up and showing others where to go next on it. so all done crochet the square backing and I just had to sew up.

Next month we have a double sided leaf scarf pattern so they can learn to read a graph. I will get the graph the week before to learn so I can teach the next week. Hopefully this wont happen every month. I have my helpers doing the samples as a learn for the July workshop already.

For now its back to the ever growing list before it gets any bigger.