Things sort of moved forward yesterday. At least we’re somewhat rested. My husband has a series of medical appointments this week, starting with teeth, this afternoon. I hope to catch up on dusting and ironing. Ironing can be combined with Wimbledon-watching, if it doesn't rain. Then, maybe, Strathardle.

The weather is unbelievably bad. See Susoolu's blog, for instance. St Swithin (July 15) is now our only hope. Perhaps a novena would be in order. We have been lucky in our Strathardle weather – I got the grass all cut on four successive days in early June, and we had that successful overnight visit at the end of the month. But now it’s time for some consistent summer weather.

The clever people who write newspapers are saying that all this rain is part of Global Warming, as is the sizzling heat in southern Europe. Sometimes it sounds like a circular argument: might as well put your faith in St. Swithin.

Back to knitting…

Here’s the present state of the melon stole, perhaps 2/3rds of the centre panel done. One of the many nicenesses of this pretty pattern is the fact that it’s dead easy to see when it’s time for the next pattern row. I’m the one who spends life in an agony of worry about whether or not this is the row for the cable cross.

Despite which, I see I’ve got it wrong once. Maybe I should fire up Photoshop Elements and try to draw a circle around the offending row. It will mean one loop too few to attach the edging to, but I dare say that can be fudged.

One very small point: if I understand the chart correctly, each row begins with a “slip 1 purlwise with yarn at the wrong side”. This is a st st pattern, so there is a clear wrong-side and right-side.
Blind Follower that I am, I did exactly that for the first few pattern repeats, and then had a look at what was happening. Answer, of course, one nice loopy selvedge for attaching an edging to, and one distinctly not.

I’ve known for years that the way to make such an edge is to slip the first stitch of every row purlwise with the yarn in front, and then pass it back between the needles.

I doubt if this even counts as a mistake, in the XRX scheme of things. I’m sure it’s their fault and not the brilliant Mrs Sowerby’s.

I continue full of enthusiasm for the Yarn Yard’s new lace yarn. Rachel admired it, in London.

Pictures from last week…

Rachel’s children win goldfish at the Games, and Rachel brings them to south London and takes good care of them. Here is the collection. Some of them are losing their colour. Is that what happens to goldfish in old age?






This is a picture I took at Margot’s funeral, when we were back at the house sipping chilled white wine and eating delicious sandwiches. The land slopes steeply, as in Drummond Place. The front door is somewhat downhill from the street, and the lovely garden further downhill from the ground floor. I am standing on a balcony off the kitchen, looking down on a group of Margot’s children.