I have been struggling with a research assignment for my husband – to figure out exactly which member of the Torlonia family was Duke of Bracciano in 1832 – and the effort has eaten rather severely into blogging time. The Italian Wikipedia finally cracked it – I should have thought of them sooner. My husband doesn’t use the Internet, but appreciates it, and has assignments for me which seem to multiply by the day.

However, there’s not much to report here anyway. I joined in a 5th ball of yarn to the Grandson Sweater yesterday, and decided that the percentages in the Progress Bar were altogether too cautious. I bought 15 balls of white, and started off by assuming I’d use all of them. I now think ten will be plenty, and have adjusted accordingly.

I think I’ll take today off and wind yarn and maybe cast on for Rachel-the-Younger’s ear-flap hat. The pattern begins with a couple of inches which get folded under to make a hem – that’s where I got in trouble last time, trying to pick up stitches from the cast-on edge to knit the hem in place on the fly, so to speak.

My idea this time is to knit the inside portion in a bright colour which will peep out. I can’t find a true red, but I’ve got a nearly-red which should do the trick. The main body of the hat will be in a browny Araucania Multi. As for the hem, we’ll see.

Non-knit

Shandy (comment yesterday), I like the idea of objects to encapsulate history a lot, although I have an innate prejudice against archaeology in favour of the written word. We heard only one of Neil Macgregor’s broadcasts last week, the hand-axe, and it was good. I find I can record the programmes on our television set, and I thought we could listen to them after we have watched “Neighbours” and the news, but my husband prefers something visual. I’ll have to listen here in the morning on my computer, while composing my prose.

Today is Greek Helen's birthday. She avoided coinciding with The Poet by a mere half-hour.