More Wallaby Fun (Madness)



Big & Boy Sportin' their Wallaby's 2011

So much for trip-knitting. So much for making life easy in the summer and just knitting small things that are completely portable, easy and fast! I've been sitting around not knitting much lately ~ thinking about it, but not actually doing it! I've thought
about what types of projects I could easily take on the metro, in the car, to the pool.... everywhere.  So..... why I decided to another big project is beyond me.  Not exactly portable.  Not exactly helpful for keeping cool in the 90+ degree and 90++ humidity we have here, but....
I'm knitting another sweater for Boy Wonder!
Go me.
Um yeah.
I've made some small things lately too, but... just how many washcloths will my family be happy to receive at Christmas?  I've made a cute birthday present for an adorable little girl who turns one next week (Butter's Birthday Sweater) but I can't come up with much else.  Even the lovely yarn that I bought for my fingerless gloves is sitting dejected in the knitting bag... it keeps winking at me to finish it.... but the pattern drives me insane.  I do have a few (don't laugh) projects started, but....one in particular I refuse to think about ! (Thanks V!)  So.... in order to keep my fingers flexible and mostly to protect the family.... I'm knitting a sweater!
*If I'm feeling crabby I knit.... thus protecting the family...*
Another Wonderful Wallaby Sweater is on the needles!  Once again Boy Wonder will be the recipient of a fabulous hand knitted sweater made with love (swearing too) by Mommy!! 
I plan on giving it to him for Christmas, so if I start now, I think I should have it done in time!  The first one I made only took several months~ almost a year. Only.  The second was just a couple of months and the third (for Big) was an even shorter length of time so I'm hopeful that this sweater will just have to sit in a box somewhere FINISHED for Christmas! Keeping my fingers crossed for that!

The Wonderful Wallaby - 'A Hooded Sweater for all ages', is a sweater pattern I bought a few years ago.... it's original copyright is from 1984... yeah... it's been around a while! 

BFF's hubby telling her how he would like it to be!

While it is a fairly simple pattern, it's not necessarily a beginner project, but if you can knit in the round you can totally make this sweater. 
Last year a BFF & I did the Wallaby as a knit-along! She added stripes to hers and I see it on her hubby all the time! He loves it! *I've been working on my friend Ruth (who is a hat machine!) to work on sweaters & this is something she could totally do!

Hopping along to the Wallaby.... (ha! Pun definitely intended)  I started last week and raced through the ribbing for the bottom (yep! In the round- starting at the bottom!) and quickly knitted up for 6 inches. Now it's time to start working on adding the pouch! It's not hard, it's just kind of a pain. I added a red thread through the second row of stitching after the ribbing - this is where I start fusing the pocket on. I thought it might be helpful to do it when I was knitting that area rather than going back to it later ~ jury is still out. I'll let you know. Now I'm picking up stitches with a crochet hook (pulling yarn through from the back) and once that's done I will be able to knit the pocket/pouch!
I'm using Cascade 220 Super wash in a nice tweed(y) color. My kid looks awesome in earthy colors!

It's kind of hard to see in the picture....
but I have to pick up 82 stitches across the front. I'm using a crochet hook to pick them up and then placing them on another set of needles. Once that's done I knit the pouch to meet the 6 inches of the sweater already done, fuse it together and then knit up to the neck!
Stay tuned for more Wallaby fun ~madness?