The last time (for a while) that I’ll start a blog entry by remarking that it’s Primary Day. I hope the rally this evening works; it sounds ambitious. Kathyinjuneau, that’s a wonderful comment you left on Sunday’s blog. I am absolutely sure, from the efficiency with which Obama’s campaign has been run, that he’ll be a great administrator. As for the rest…

The dinosaur sweater has finally started. I realised as I was casting on that I have plunged into this with a reckless lack of preparation, so I changed my mind in mid-cast and started with a sleeve. That has the additional advantage that I can feel my way back into intarsia. The judges – this is to be my Games entry this year – will certainly look inside, but they may not turn the sleeves inside out.

The simple little pattern which you see emerging, is hellish, because there are three colours in a row. Somewhere I’ve got a ring-gadget I can wear with channels for various yarns to go through. I’ve used it on the rare occasions I’ve done Scandinavian knitting, which occasionally strays into three colours, and I’ll need it when I repeat this wretched pattern on the body of the sweater.

Perhaps today I’ll reach the feet of an actual dinosaur. I seem to remember from my previous acquaintance with this pattern that the sleeves are too long if you just follow the instructions as written. Did I leave out an entire dinosaur? Needless to say, the notes I kept are inadequate. I feel strongly, as I’ve said before, that children’s sleeves mustn’t be too long.

Once this thing is well underway, I hope to revert to weekend scarf-knitting. The one I have just dispatched to Denver for Mrs Obama was knit in Manos Silk Blend, and it is heaven on the neck. Plain-vanilla Manos is pretty silky, and the addition of 30% actual silk transports it onto another plane. I’ve got more than a skein left. It would be a shame not to carry on.

I’ve been back through “Knitting New Scarves”. I want a single-colour scarf. I’m still scared of “Drifting Pleats” which “requires your undivided attention”. I haven’t got any undivided attention. I’ve already knit and enjoyed “Linked Rib” which eliminates that one and several similar. I think it comes down to “Shag” “Tilted Blocks” or “Tricorner”.

Comment

Laure makes a good point about the distance of Lake Van from Trebizond. If we stay overnight, we wouldn’t want to be too ostentatiously luxurious in that part of the world. The very first thing we will have to do is hire someone to arrange all this – find and charter the yacht, hire the crew including just the right sort of top-flight chef – I wonder if Skye Gyngell would do it – and make the arrangements with various ports. Our stay at Lake Van will be but one of her problems.