Saturday, February 09, 2013


I had a good time with Archie yesterday – all too brief, as I had to hurry back for lunch. He seemed in good health and spirits. He had a long day ahead – first, quite a while in Edinburgh Airport, since Archie like his father and maternal grandmother (me) likes to check in well ahead of take-off time. The Mileses prefer to skid in at the last moment. Later, a three-hour lay-over in London.

I haven’t heard from Athens yet. I trust he’s safely there.

Nor have I heard from my sister, about how she and her husband are faring in the CT snow.

I got round the Fleegle-Strong heel of that sock. The foot-length looks plausible this time. It’s now in a state where I can snatch it up in an emergency and knit on up the leg. So today I will lay it aside and start swatching for the tee-shirt.

Much energetic behind-scenes action has been going on lately concerned with my 80th birthday in August. Everybody will be there, in Kirkmichael: we’ll skip the Games, later in the month. The knitting assignments are horrible this year, anyway. The same cast assembled in 2007 for our Golden Wedding Games, except for the notable absence, this time, of my husband’s sister, who died two years ago.

That was a glorious day. I won the Glenisla Shield for Sam the Ram, and our children gave us a golden Scots Pine (pinus sylvestris aurea) which later got eaten by a neighbour’s horse.

This time, it all seems a bit much. We will sit there in the middle of it grinning foolishly like those centenarians photographed with their Loved Ones on their 100th birthdays. So does one insensibly decline, day by day, week by week.

Just to cheer you up.

Nothing much to report on the knitting front, apart from the above. A blog-review turned up on Zite this morning about the new Cooperative Press book about “Borgello Knitting” which I mentioned a few days ago.

Turns out, it’s a matter of dividing space-dyed yarns into little balls and knitting them as intarsia. No thanks. For intarsia, I’ll stick to Kaffe. And for space-dyed yarns, I still hanker after – no, the word has deserted me. The effect you get when you lay out the skein and determine the length of the repeat and knit accordingly. Somewhere, I’ve kept a link. And sometime today, I’ll think of the elusive word.

But no, to Bargello.

Thank you for your comments about spinning. The Sirens! Through the Looking-Glass! I haven't done anything about it yet, but will at least consider the issue today. I wasn't just kidding when I wondered whether I was strong enough to get to the Edinburgh Wool Festival. It takes a measure of organisation at this end, as well as the actual getting-there. Craftsy is a most attractive option.: I am grateful for the suggestion.

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:11 PM

    For years my statement about spinning was: "No, thank you. I DO NOT NEED ANOTHER FIBER ADDICTION!" Knitting, weaving sewing and occasionally quilting seemed like plenty and resulted in not just one, but multiple stashes!

    But this December I bought the spinning wheel and will begin taking classes soon. In the meantime, my daughter has custody of the wheel and loves it. This is good.....if I can manage to control my addictive personality and learn to spin without becoming an addict, I know the wheel will have a good and loving home with her.

    I'm with you on this, Jean......I'd like to understand how my yarn works but I don't feel the need to make it myself. There is only so much time, and I think I would prefer to spend it knitting. And I don' really have the space or the cash for another fiber stash!

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  2. Anonymous12:12 PM

    Forgot to add my name.....Barbara M in NH

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  3. Pooling? The Pooled Knits group on Ravelry has lots of helpful tips. And there are some amazing pooled Wollmeise Lacegarn (available at Loop) stoles - check out the project pages of wenat and Gia. It's a fun thing to do, I think you'd enjoy the challenge.

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  4. rosesmama1:32 PM

    The pooled scarf that keeps calling me is Sweetspot on Knitty. It doesn't look on ravelry that many have taken the challenge, so it might be just the thing for you.

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  5. I just say no thank you to intarsia at all. I like the flow and rhythm of knitting. Intarsia (and entrelac) takes that away for me. I have considered a drop spindle class as well. Just for the fun of the learning. Like many who have commented, I just don't have time or room for one more time consuming activity. ( I was going to say hobby, but that sounds silly.)

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  6. I remember Sam the Ram, which means I have been a follower for at least five years! The days go slow, but the years go fast. It is hard to believe you are approaching 80, I know I could never keep up with you, and I am nearing 67.

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  7. if you feel down about your age, why don't you read this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Hundred-Year-Old-Climbed-Window-Disappeared/dp/1843913720/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360421375&sr=8-1

    I like the idea of just getting away from it all on your own terms:)

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  8. I'm in the Boston area and (9:30 a.m.) it's still coming down. Early Thursday prediction was that Massachusetts, esp. east, central and south were going to get the brunt of it. By mid-day Thursday forecast they'd moved the 12 - 24" band of color down to include a good portion of CT.

    MA imposed a non-essential travel ban starting at 4 p.m.; CT didn't declare a ban until mid-evening Friday.

    Overnight, it's reported CT got much more than predicted. Hartford airport reporting 24 inches so far, hearing other places at 30", but Boston news stations aren't big on CT details (sorry!).

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  9. Allison3:15 PM

    I think maybe ikat is the term you're trying to remember.

    As to the 'foolishly grinning centenarians' grinning & declining amongst the loved ones -- it's the having of those loved ones that makes it all worth while (as I know you know).

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