Where To Begin?

Blogger threatened its old trick just now, of removing a photograph when I try to surroud it with text, so I shall leave today's one un-implanted. That's Thomas the Younger, as the caption indeed asserts, and he is as aimiable a baby as the photograph suggests.

We had a grand time with Alexander and Ketki and their sons in Argyll. More photographs will follow.

Just as we were leaving here on Wednesday -- in a state of some nervous tension, as there is effectively only one bus a day, and the taxi was late -- the mail came with no fewer than three knit items: the alpaca yarn my sister had imported, a Patternworks catalogue, and the new Knitters' , only six weeks after the arrival of the last one.

Except for the yarn, the excitement is less than it sounds. I hadn't seen a Patternworks catalogue since the great move from Ploughkeepsie. Is it somewhat less wonderful than it once was? Or has the Internet made me blase? And nothing siezes me by the throat in the magazine, either.

A few days ago I posted a picture of Ketki wearing a colourful alpaca sweater, store-boughten in NY. I only once knit a sweater in alpaca, deliciousness itself to do, but the thing immediately stretched to knee-length. I abandoned it before it reached my ankles. But it occurred to me, after posting that picture, that maybe the Fair Isle technique would solidify the yarn. There is nothing in the Patternworks catalogue (which runs too heavily to Bulky and Super=Bulky for my taste) which might do, but I am about to explore Elann alpaca-and-silk on-line.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I am whizzing along with the first sleeve of the Fair Isle jacket. I didn't get much done last night, after our return, but I did manage the arithmetic for the decreases (I hope I did). My current plan is to finish the first sleeve before I interrupt things to knit the newly-arrived alpaca into a skinny scarf.