We had a good time in Glasgow. Here we are in/on the Necropolis – that’s the family stone we were looking for, far right.

Karen, I was amazed to hear that Glasgow, our part of Glasgow, Glasgow W2 as it used to be called, is your territory too, that you once worked in the University library! Alexander and Ketki live within easy walking distance of the flat where he was born. There are the streets, much changed, along which I pushed him in his pram 49 years ago. We kept driving past the spot, 244 Great Western Road, to be precise, where my husband and I met, nearly 53 years ago.

I loved it dearly once, but now prefer the crisper east.

I knit as industriously as I hoped to do, and finished the second bedsock. Here it is.

I then resumed the current travel-and-waiting-room sock, finished the first one, and discovered why it’s taking so long, why it went all the way to Connecticut and back and made so little progress. The yarn is softer than the sock wool I usually use, prone to splitting, less crisp, less fun to knit. Lang Jawoll Silk, it’s called; it’s got some silk in it.

So I think I had better devote a day or two a week to it, and get it done. My husband tried on the first one and while it trembles on the edge of being too big, it’ll do.

But what I did last night was cast on the Adult Surprise Jacket, which is to be done in all those wonderful Famous Blogger colors of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock. I started with Charcoal, to form a border, although I don’t really think the beginning is an edge. I’ve knit more Baby Surprises than I can count, and it surprises me every time. I only have one skein of Franklin’s Panopticon, so I must try to work out what will be a prominent place, and use it there.

Although this is going to be a Long Day’s Journey into Garter Stitch, as Meg says somewhere, the yarn is lovely on the hand, and I’m hugely looking forward to all the colours. I am centering the decreases this time, and purling that stitch on the other side, and even in Charcoal I can see a nice firm line already.

I haven’t forgotten the Grandson Sweater, and will think hard about it today – thank you for the help on ordering Finullgarn from Sweden, Catriona.

But today’s news is Japanese. “Flat-Style of the New Sense” turned up, and it’s what we’ve been waiting for:

I can’t even tell you the designer’s name. There’s a picture of what I take to be him, and he’s rather sweet, young, with spectacles.

What the English-speaking world needs is a Japanese knitting book in which half a dozen Japanese designers offer three or four patterns each, not interpreted, not re-interpreted, just translated, re-knit with accessible yarn and intelligible needles (Japanese needle sizes are neither English, American, nor metric), and re-photographed.

It writes itself. If Mrs Miles of Drummond Place can think of this, surely they had the idea at Interweave a couple of years ago. It must be nearly ready for publication by now.