If we were in Greece, Lent would start tomorrow. The Orthodox don’t count Good Friday and Holy Saturday as part of Lent (reasonably enough), so they have to add two days at the beginning to make up the total of 40 days. This year, I am told, the two Easters coincide.

I have had a pleasant time thinking about Fair Isle vests, and have made a little pile consisting of Sheila McGregor’s Fair Isle book, Alice Starmore’s one, the Feral Knitter’s “Joy of Color” and – except, just at the moment, I can’t find this one – Knitsonic’s stranded colourwork source book. There is a picture on an early page of that (I had it, earlier today) showing Felicity in very much the sort of thing I’d like to aim at – a Fair Isle sweater with every band differently patterned and the whole thing held together by colour.

Should I attempt corrugated rib? I did, once. It’s rather tedious to knit, and I didn’t know then that it’s not supposed to pull in like ordinary ribbing, so I thought I was doing something wrong. At least it lies flat. I’ve looked at KD’s “Machrihanish” pattern, and the one Meg published in Knitter’s a few years ago. There’s also the DVD Meg offers of (I think) a somewhat different pattern. Plenty to think about.

The next thing is to delve into my archives and find my primitive two-colour rendition of the cup, and add it to the pile. The idea would be to have a band, 8 or 10 rows high, just above the ribbing, with the cup and the date.

This is all very presumptuous. We won’t win. The last time Scotland won the cup in London was in 1980-something, before any member of the present team was born. All the Calcutta Cup victories which I have commemorated in knitting since 2000, have happened in Edinburgh in even-numbered years.

But the great thing about yesterday’s victory is that the team will approach the match with a spring in their step. That in itself is unusual. Even stranger things could happen. Alexander says he is predicting a substantial English victory and he’s sticking by that – especially, he says, since all his predictions to date have been wrong.

As for real life, the penultimate repeat of the centre pattern of Mrs Hunter’s shawl is well advanced.

Jared has posted to the “Exhibitors are bringing…” thread of the EYF group on Ravelry, to say that he’s bringing lots and lots of all of his yarns, plus some sample garments. Perhaps even the Nila? He doesn’t exactly say that he’s coming himself, but surely… This is so exciting.

Comment, Anonymous, two days ago. Thank you for the advice about exercise. I will pursue it.