Back to Real Life, the Princess, the Fall of Western Capitalism, the Vice-Presidential debate. I hope Biden can rein himself in sufficiently to let Mrs Palin self-destruct. We heard most of the first debate last week in our middle-of-the-night elderly-insomniac radio-listening, and found it, I am sorry to report, banal. Like a high-school debate. Both had mugged up their facts and figures, and spewed them forth. Neither seemed entirely to grasp that the sky was falling. I gather that if one actually saw it, McCain looked old.

The Princess

I have something so dreadful to report, I wish I could avoid mentioning it. I have been anxious about this for some days, but eyeballing seemed to reassure. Now – I knit half-a-row this morning before embarking on the day – I know it’s true. I offset the pattern when I started the seventh repeat.

There’s no life-line. I can’t take out 20 rows. It’ll have to stand. I think the thing to do is to proceed in the new mode, rather than reverting to the former one and leaving the seventh repeat off on its own. I’ll consider the question anew when the seventh repeat is finished. Perhaps revert after the ninth repeat? We shall see.

Cynthia, I would love to know the formula which would tell me how much more knitting I’ve got to go on the centre. I agree, that this is a project to be savoured for the experience, but still, it’s an intellectual question which I think I might have been able to solve myself when younger. Certainly not now.

I hope your border proceeds well. The border is more fun than anything, and you can measure your progress by the picture on the front cover of Heirloom Knitting, and that’s fun too.

I’m enjoying it as much as ever, despite the disaster just mentioned. I even considered taking her with me to London, but decided that that was too dangerous. Instead, I worked on the current travel-sock.

There hasn’t been much waiting-room or travel lately; it was good to get to grips with it. It’s an Araucania Multi with which I knit a sweater for one of Alexander’s sons; I thought it might amuse to use the same yarn for socks for Daddy. I’m doing a k6,p2 rib for the body of the sock – not as quick or as blissful to knit as round-and-round in st st, but it makes a neat sock.

Don’t miss – I’m sure no one ever does – Franklin’s recent essay on difficulta. (Speaking of difficulty, I don’t even know how to produce that accent on the “a”.) I’m going to order “Inspired to Knit” right away. I’d send for an edition of Statius’ “Thebaid” if Franklin told me to.