Where to begin, for sheer excitement?

Helen writes from Athens, a propos the prospect of looking after her father for a couple of days next summer while I gallivant about: “No prob at all. Anything for Franklin.” So as soon as booking opens for the KnitCamp, I’ll try to book my chosen classes – better to lose the money, if it turns out I can’t go, than to risk losing the chance.

And did you see that Donna Druchunas herself posted a comment here on Saturday? I feel greatly honoured. I know a teeny tiny bit about Japanese knitting (which she is going to teach at KnitCamp) because I went to a class at K1 Yarns not all that long ago with Mrs Habu herself. But I haven’t done anything about it, so the basic ideas need to be refreshed, and there is lots I want to know about what’s going on in Japan, not restricted to Habu.

Meanwhile I’m greatly enjoying Donna’s blog.

Here, I move forward with the Griswold. I may even reach the half-way point today, and cast on the second half. You can see what I mean about the diminishing size of the panels of repeats, and how hard it would be to add a section to increase the length. Unless one did it at the beginning. As it is, it will I think block to the designer’s specified size, 15” by 60”. It doesn’t look nearly as lacy as the prototype, but I think blocking will take care of that.

The yarn for the February Lady Sweater arrived just now. It’s plumier than I expected. (And fancy the spelling checker which so often annoys me, accepting “plumier”.) I submit pictures taken with and without the flash. Will pluminess suit me? It looks wonderful, whatever, and a nice warming colour for the dark days looming ahead.

Non-knit

Here’s my tomato crop on the doorstep. I have never grown tomatoes before, thinking them beyond my capabilities. It’s interesting the way the fruit hangs on the plant for weeks and weeks and then, suddenly, decides to turn red and does it within a few days.

I am told I can ripen the ones which clearly won’t make it, by putting them in a bowl with an overripe banana. I’ll try that, and I’ve got a recipe for a sugarless green tomato chutney/salsa, which I will also try.

The Fishwife herself, who gave me the young plants, says that her own crop failed – the tomatoes caught blight from the potatoes in her allotment and had to be ripped up and thrown away. I think blight is getting worse, year by year. And a sodden summer like this one doesn’t help.