for the want of an abacus

Math is not my strong suit. This is well known. It’s not even that math is not a strength of mine. It’s more like a total weakness. I see numbers and I might as well be looking at a make believe language used in an L. Ron Hubbard novel. Well, that could be overstating it. It’s more like Spanish. Some of it looks familiar, but for the most part I don’t know what to do with it. I know a few things. Addition, subtraction, some simple division and multiplication are kind of like "hola" (hello),"gracias" (thank you),"bano" (bathroom), and "lechuga" (lettuce).My issues with numbers can spill over into my knitting and interpretation of patterns. A recent example-I am not using the yarn in the weight called for in the pattern for Derby’s dog bed. Instead I’m doubling a lighter weight yarn. And in doing so I underestimated the total amount I needed to order. So, when LYLASarah asked if I needed anything from Knitpicks I said, “Yes please!” and we got free shipping by combining our orders. I closed my eyes, ordered 10 more (to be safe) balls of Swish Superwash in Baby Blue, and hoped for the same dye lot. Sarah delivered my portion of our order today and guess what? Lot #4269! Same as before.The lunch tote I ordered on-line arrived yesterday It’s very cute and much larger than I had anticipated. Note vintage Sarah Fisher 1/64th die-cast car used to show relative size. The lime-ish green LL Bean “lunchbox” I’ve been using for several years has seen better days. Plus, it’s a little too small to be practical. And really, the amount of green that I carry into the office daily has gotten out of hand between my tote bag, purse, and travel mug. I think I’ll take my chances and try throwing the LL Bean lunchbox into the washer and give it a good clean. If it fairs well perhaps I can use it for storing knitting notions. And a calculator.