Monday, July 21, 2014

Today was meant to be just a plain vanilla Day – but my husband has a podiatry appt tomorrow, so that means a Foot Wash today. Not as bad as a bath, but not trivial. Then, on Wednesday, Strathardle.

How did life get to be so difficult? Gilbert and Sullivan again, this time the Pirates:

Frederick: Your face is lined, your hair is grey.
       Ruth: It's gradually got so.

Rachel phoned last night, looking forward rather gloomily to the Games [the Strathardle Highland Gathering, on the fourth Saturday in August]. Gloomy because of all the driving – she and Ed are older than they used to be, just like us – and wondering how we can possibly manage without Helen. The Greeks are all going back to Athens in early August this year. The Lord will provide (five successive meals for a dozen people or so), I said. She thought Helen would have been a better bet.

Knitting continues to move forward. Three-rounds-a-day, for Rams and Yowes, is proving an excellent idea. I knit them with alacrity, keen to finish my stint. And with yarn this heavy – it's only DK, but that seems heavy to a lace knitter – the pattern moves forward at a satisfactory pace. The third rank of yowes now has faces. A new background colour appears on the scene today.

Kristie sent me this valuable Ravelry link to someone who sort of gave up on the border. It's good to have that idea up my sleeve. I am assuming, as I march onwards, that the border will be easier and pleasanter knitting. I won't have to struggle to push the stitches about, once I've only got one colour on the needles. I don't mind a million stitches and tedium, as long as the knitting is easy. We shall see.

Apart from other considerations, Edinburgh has been warm enough these last few days – believe it or not – that Rams & Yowes is uncomfortable on that account.

And the border of the Unst Bridal Shawl moves forward. The yarn in the sixth ball is still not extinguished. There was a tantalising post to the HeirloomKnitting group in Yahoo this morning, from someone in exactly my position – she's been doing it since January, she's knitting the edging. But I can't remember how to get into the Yahoo Groups files – I get the posts as emails – so I have written to her.


And actually, I must be a wee bit ahead. a) because I've already knit the edging,and then discarded it – that doesn't really count; and b) because I'm ¼ of the way around, knitting the edging on, whereas she has just started. She probably has far fewer mistakes and I keenly look forward to seeing her pictures and corresponding with her. Isn't the internet wonderful?

6 comments:

  1. I continue to enjoy hearing about your knitting progress. The shawl is getting so close to being finished! I do find it a little funny that the current ball is still hanging on. I usually have the opposite problem. I think I have enough yarn left but then it gets eaten up more quickly than I expect.

    I am taking a page from your book. I am getting to my Rams and Yowes each day, but I am not abandoning other projects. I can only hope my two-handed stranded colourwork skills improve. My current knitting speed is Embarrassingly Slow.

    Best wishes for a good week. It's bound to zip by with all you've got planned. I don't envy the planning required to keep your crew fed during the games. Meal planning has to be one of the most difficult of domestic tasks.

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  2. Anonymous12:52 PM

    Thought you might enjoy this link:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/21/opinion/church-of-england-female-bishops.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=c-column-top-span-region&region=c-column-top-span-region&WT.nav=c-column-top-span-region&_r=0
    Erin in PA

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  3. Go to yahoo.com. Login. Look for the item Groups. Open it and you will see all of your groups.

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  4. Re: meals for the Games - surely you have provided enough meals in the past that others can feed you now. Set up a rota for the younger people - Lizzie can do breakfast, Hellie & Matt can cover lunch, etc. With enough encouragement, they may become a little competitive and try to out-do each other. Even the little Boys can help as sous chefs.

    Rachael can coordinate, and you can watch benevolently as you knit.

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  5. re meals. Recently we had my husband's extended family gathering, an annual event, at our house. There were twenty to feed, for two meals, and the actual cooking was as nothing compared to thinking through the capacity of the fridge on a hot day.
    I think I'd allow M&S Food to supply as many of the loaves and fishes as possible.

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  6. Gerri4:08 AM

    Lou has it straight. A friend does Thanksgiving for 30. They all know that the first thing to do is go to the kitchen and sign up. If you get them prepping your meals, next year they can plan them. Email and ask two people to submit ideas for each meal. I do think the tough part is the planning. I speak from experience with frequent dinners for 15 in the middle of three weeks of 3 house guests. Also years if cabin weeks for six. I save my menus and recycle some things.

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