Halfway through repeat no. 18 – slightly less than two full repeats yesterday. It was my once-a-week cider-drinking day (now that Lent is over) and I found that I really didn’t like losing that slight edge from my razor-sharp mind. Maybe next week I’ll skip it.

I can now look at the chart and master the next two rows without further consultation.

Maureen, I too think the circle of references that brought Fleegle to comment on this very blog, is – as I think the expression might be – way cool. I have had a nice time this morning wandering around the yarn shops in her sidebar. Artist’s Palette even seems to be British – i.e., no anxiety about whether Customs & Excise are going to levy a large impost on one’s modest package, and then charge a lot more for their trouble. Once I finish the Princess, everything will be possible – a sock a day, a jacket in a week.

I continue to read with interest the comments in the Yahoo Heirloom Knitting group about lace grafting. I am much inclined to feel, however, that I’m not going to fuss about it all that much when I get there. Of course I’ll try, but I am inclined to think that the most modest effort will suffice. Hell, I could join the ends with a backstitch and no one would notice much.

That’s the thing about the sheer sweep of the Princess – she can carry dozens of little mistakes along with her, whereas something like the mitts on the cover of VK -- it happens to be lying on the desk beside me -- demands perfection.

I don’t mean I’m utterly sloppy – I often unpick five or ten stitches. At some point – years ago, now – in the initial edging-knitting I managed to go straight from halfway up the slope of a point, to halfway down, without getting on up to the peak. I ripped that one right back. But often, too, when I find I’ve got a stitch too many or too few, and the mistake is not readily to be found, I just fudge it.

Non-knit

Greek Helen had set herself the challenge of dressing for The Wedding for £15 from eBay. She’s finding it difficult, and has retreated to the East website, an old favourite of hers, newly discovered by me. We are conferring, lest we turn up in CT looking like a comedy turn. Delighted with my kurta (for the Rehearsal Dinner), I am thinking of going back to see how an embroidered long linen jacket would look over the old dress I am planning to wear to the wedding itself.

This is fun – shoes and hat and handbag will be less so. I normally don’t carry a bag – they get so messy. Just a Filofax stuffed with everything. At least I can usually find things in there.

Weather continues calm. Worse is forecast for next week. Decisions, decisions.