Andy Murray

I've been enjoying Wimbledon since the teen-aged sensation of the year was named John McInroe. Yesterday was a good day, although it's disconcerting to find the current hero appreciably younger than one of my grandchildren. Thomas-the-Elder will be 21 this summer, Andy Murray is only 18.

The Princess Shawl

...is coming along very nicely. No disasters yesterday, and I did the better part of two whole repeats. At that rate, I could actually finish the edging this year! I'll dress and photograph it tomorrow. The cataract surgery isn't until the afternoon, so I should have plenty of time to do that and to get a picture up.

I wouldn't quite say I am on top of the pattern, but I'm definately coming along side it. In most cases, now, I can look at the chart before I start the row, and then sit back and knit right across without further peering. That speeds things up, and makes it much pleasanter.

I was astonished (and so were other lace knitters) to learn, when Sharon's wonderful book came out, that when you're knitting garter stitch with fine yarn, it doesn't matter which direction decreases lean in. In other words, the symbols / and \ in the chart can both be treated as k2tog. (Or SSK) That helps a lot, too. On the whole, I'm doing directional decreases out of habit, but sometimes when it's hard to get hold of the two stitches, I switch for convenience to whichever one works. And she's right, of course -- the appearance of the fabric isn't affected at all.

My sister suggested in an email yesterday that when her son Theo gets married, perhaps his bride could wear this shawl. That's an exciting thought (assuming he doesn't intend to take a wife this year or next) -- I might actually get to see it in action.

Striped Koigu

I made reasonable progress with the ribbing, too, until the tennis got to be so exciting that I couldn't do even that. I get to stay in the BUPA hospital overnight after my eye is done, so I'll take it along (rather than the current sock).