Most of yesterday's knitting time was devoted instead to counting and measuring and thinking -- not activities I enjoy much. But the neck steek is started. I've now got to try to decrease one stitch on either side of it -- three stitches in -- every other row 10 times. Slightly confusing, while changing colours and keeping the pattern straight.

I've heard from Candace Strick (mentioned yesterday). Her beautiful Merging Colors yarn (a new venture) is dyed in color-lengths specific to the project, so I can't just buy it and hope to make a jumper. I was afraid of that. More patterns are planned, she says, including a jumper (=pullover), and I think my wisest course is to try to wait. It's not as if I didn't have plenty to knit.

The London crowd (daughter and some of family) are arriving this evening. I muist spend the day making beds and tidying away enough of the yarn which festoons the sitting room to make it feasible for everyone to sit down.

I got a leaflet yesterday from Knitter's -- they can move things swiftly through the post when it's in their interest -- about the Irish holiday they are running soon. I've nothing against Ireland, which I have seen too little of, and which I am sure is beautiful and interesting. But the Knitter's tour seems remarkably short on knitting.