Thursday, January 03, 2019


Thank you for your kind messages. I’ve missed you, too.

Here’s a Calcutta Cup picture for you. James, on the right, is wearing his father’s new vest. Thomas, on the left – they’re both alarmingly tall – wears the ’06 sweater which his father has by now outgrown. 


There is also Kirsty Miles’ Christening shawl – James’ and Cathy’s daughter  -- into which a lacy Cup was incorporated in 2000. The match was a draw in 2010. I knit a hat with half the Cup on it, but it got lost. Alexander has a picture of it. I was surprised to see that it incorporated rather a good pom-pom. I’m generally rather anti pom-pom.

I’m getting on splendidly with the Stronachlachar. The yarn – Kate Davies’ Buachaille in Macallum – is perfect winter knitting, a warm, embracing, winey red. Despite her recent severe blog post, I simply cast on using the suggested needle sizes. It’s looking good.

The stitch qualifies, I think, as Bavarian travelling stitch, although not acknowledged as such. I did a class in that subject at Camp Stitches ’99 with Candace Strick – a very happy memory, although I never used the stitch until now.

I can’t remember how Candace had us doing the crosses (always one over one), although I’m pretty sure she didn’t use a cable needle. KD prescribes a cable needle, and I started off with one but soon tired of it. I found I had Donna Druchunas’ travelling stitch class in my Craftsy stash – she prefers to switch the stitches on the needle first, and then knit them. I have pretty well mastered that trick by now. The yarn is rather gently plyed and splitting a stitch is something of a danger, but otherwise all is going well. I’ve finished two of seven skeins, and have done two of goodness-knows-how-many pattern repeats.

I’ll try to take a picture tomorrow.

Non-knit

I have an appt tomorrow morning to have bloods taken, and am in a proper old-lady stew about it. Can I find a parking place? Do I have enough change for a parking meter? Can I master paying-by-telephone, if not? I must face up to the modern world.

Tom Lehrer’s “Werner von Braun” is not really relevant to today’s news, but it amused me, nevertheless, to listen to it again.

8 comments:

  1. No need to get in a stew. Take a taxi! I'm adopting the same policy tomorrow when I have to attend an early session at the diabetes clinic.

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  2. I seem to think that the last time we saw those boys they were about seven or eight! What a great picture - and a really wonderful sweater on the left.

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  3. My Ex, who has just turned 80, has the same problems about appointments as you. I gave him a credit card & trained him to call a taxi - that way he's safe going door to door without all the hassle.
    James looks pretty good in his father's vest!!

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  4. I must put Kate Davies's blog on my blog roll.
    I'm using some worsted Rowan I bought on a trip home to Washington and it's so nice, a joy to work with.
    I hope your parking is easy tomorrow. I worry about parking, too.

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  5. Anonymous12:34 AM

    Lovely photo!
    Lisa RR
    (I agree on considering the taxi - or asking someone to drop you off and collect you? Maybe in future amazing Helen can find subsidized ride sharing for distinguished elders? We have that option in Toronto, with monthly billing. Can be used for non-medical appointments as well.)

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  6. The sweaters are magnificent as are the grandchildren, of course. Do you have Uber or a similar ride service? I have come to love them. Simple to use, relatively inexpensive, returns a person’s peace of mind and independence.

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  7. Welcome back and best wishes for strong and healthy 2019. I love that someone asked if you were from Shetland, what a compliment! Go with the Uber/Taxi/Lyft idea. I have friends here in St. Paul that do that rather than search for and pay for parking, it works out to be about the same cost.

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  8. I hope everyone clicked on the photo to enlarge it so as to properly (or as properly as one can in a photo) admire the knitting! Magnificent indeed!

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