You guys are always helpful, but you really excelled yourselves yesterday.

Theresa and Sarah, I have, in my day, done the provisional cast-on where you crochet the stitches directly on to the needle. And was interested, indeed, to read Sarah’s caveat about what happens when the following row is ribbing. I’ve also done the one where you make a cat’s cradle of the two yarns and dip the working needle first under one, then under the other. I’d need to get the books out again for that one, but it’s a lot of fun once you get going.

But since this is the year of challenges, maybe I should try to master the crochet chain. There must be a video of it, out there somewhere.

Eadaoine, I don’t think I had ever heard of the Eye of Partridge stitch, but I’ve looked it up and it’s easy (and memorable) and I will try to incorporate it in the Sweet Tomato Heel. Which I should reach today. I don’t think Cat’s video is much help, really – I looked at it again yesterday. I need things written down. The pattern is in the copy of Sockupied I’ve got on the iPad – I’ll work from that.

FiberQat, a broad rib sounds a good idea, for fit.

And Kristie, you have solved the sock-pattern problem. (Keep a plain vanilla pair always on the go – as I have for years; and classify anything fancier as KNITTING to be done in the time-slot available for knitting.) That’s it! I think the next pair of socks I knit after Ketki's will be for myself, with the yarn you gave me last summer, to practice some of these new ideas. 

Here’s one for you, in return: I have been suffering some losses and breakages lately, and needed some more of my beloved KnitPro needles. I ordered them from Meadow Yarn, new to me, and a site I will revisit. I ordered a set of the square ones, as well. It sounds an odd idea, but KnitPro must know what they’re doing.

Knitting

The vest is ready for blocking. I hope I’ll get that done this morning. And Ketki’s socks, as mentioned above, have nearly reached the heel. I love the way the Opal Van Gogh yarn is working out.

Non-Knit

Rachel and Ed are finding Lent a bit tedious, too. They spent an evening recently with their daughter Hellie and her lovely boyfriend Matt who were drinking white wine and beer, respectively, and found it difficult. (My peaceful life is largely devoid of such challenges.) Matt said that since we drank on Good Friday last year, it is now traditional to do so.

He is wrong. We only drink on Good Friday when the Rest and Be Thankful is closed. My husband and I had to make a 50-mile detour that day through Crianlarich and Tyndrum and Inverary, to reach Alexander and Ketki. Rachel and Ed, driving up from London, had to take the Dunoon ferry.

But Matt’s remark shows that he has learned to think like One Of Us.