Runescape

Does anybody play Runescape? Probably not. My grandson Alistair taught me while we were together last month, with the thought that his character and mine could meet sometimes, after he was back in Beijing. I have just spent an interesting 20 minutes walking with him from the Castle to Varroc. Isn't the third millennium remarkable?

Princess

I’m near the end of row 81. I’m keeping track of the rows with a Peg-It board. I enjoy the little ceremony at the end of each row, and the greater one at the end of a decade.

Knitting in Strathardle

Here is a picture of Alistair knitting, and one of his younger sister Rachel trying to teach the still-younger Kirsty, without much success. You can see that Alistair has finished his whole first ball of yarn, and introduced a second of his own choosing, in a rather alarming colour.





I tried to take a picture of Alistair’s knitting itself, to show how the number of stitches increased dramatically during the first few rows, as with most absolute beginners, and then straightened out as he got the hang of it. However, despite the opportunity for self-criticism offered by the digital camera, I seem to have succeeded in taking the picture without including the sides, so the point is lost.



And here’s the current state of the Malabrigo vest.



I tried the gansey on Ketki while she was with us. I’m not quite sure. It’s not tight-tight, but it’s got less ease than I was aiming at. On the other hand, ganseys aren’t meant to have much ease. The only sensible thing to do is to finish it and see what we think then. We have established, from an earlier trial, that it’ll fit Helen, so in the worst-case scenario, I knit Ketki another one.

But first, I’ll finish the vest. It’s easy, and it’s nice on the hands, and it won’t take much longer, especially as the huddle-by-the-fire weather is rapidly approaching. And I think it'll be rather a useful garment.