A tough day – without a stitch of knitting, some measure of its toughness. Not all grim: I went to the exhibition of women artists at the Gallery of Modern Art with a friend and enjoyed it, although I would quarrel with its premise. Those people were artists, and needed to be seen in a context which defined them as such. It was a bit like seeing an exhibition devoted to people who painted with their left hand. (Might be interesting, actually.)

Alternatively, if it had to be restricted to women, I would have preferred more works by fewer artists, so that I could have learned something. There were something like 45 artists there, in a small show – one or at most two pictures from each. I recognized a few familiar names, but the many others flashed by in a blur. Wilhelmina Barns-Graham came out strong.

Knitting

Yesterday was a good day with Gudrun’s hap. I should have finished the centre easily today, had I done any knitting. I ordered longer needles in Symfonie wood. The gauge is 5mm, larger than my usual, which is probably why I don’t have the usual choice of luxurious needles in various lengths. I have been working so far with a 24-inch-er. I think EZ says somewhere that that is the only size one ever really needs, but I suspect Gudrun is right that greater length will be required here.

I have decided – reinforced by the re-watching of her Craftsy lesson – to pick up those YO’s from the front so as to produce the cross-legged effect. And I don’t see why I shouldn’t do that with a smaller-gauge needle, to make it a bit easier. That round isn’t knit at all: it’s pure picking-up. I'll let you know.

Non-knit

Thank you for your cat comments – I am very glad to learn that Perdita is not unique in her neck-nuzzling, and marvel anew, from your reports, at the variety of personality in those furry people.

Perdita was seven weeks old when she came here: in My Day, six weeks was regarded as quite old enough for a kitten to begin a new life. I am sorry that I didn’t meet her mother Esther. I don’t know why she wasn’t about that afternoon – perhaps her human family felt that the separation would be too painful for her. There were a couple of raucous ginger brothers.