Here we are, and all’s well.

Laser eye treatment is not fun, but not so painful that one would be forced to blurt out the codes, if one were a spy being tortured. I was determined to tell the dr about my improved cholesterol, whether he was interested or not. I needn’t have worried – he cast but a glance at my papers and said, “What about the cholesterol?” in the tone of a man asking, “When am I going to see that essay?” So the new, satisfactory level and the fact that it was achieved with “diet” have been recorded.

When I left he said that I wasn’t to read or watch television for the rest of the day. I extrapolated from that, “…or turn the computer on, or knit.” What was I supposed to do? Housework? I spent the day in bed, drifting in and out of sleep and listening to blessed Radio 4 and sustaining myself with sips of cider. In the evening when the effect of the drops had worn off I allowed myself to work on the Child’s Cardigan. The ribbing is finished, and the rib-to-body increases, and I can do it pretty well with my eyes shut.

I am delighted with its progress, and with the feel of the yarn and the fabric. This is the back and fronts being done together. I have included a seam stitch on either side. I think the line of one of them can just be discerned, on the left. The result is going to be pretty colourful:



On Monday, before all this happened, I went ahead and ordered yarn for an Adult Surprise for myself, from Angelika. She seems to specialise in Lorna’s Laces, and her website inspires confidence. Some of them don’t.

There didn’t seem to be any of Franklin’s Panopticon in sport weight, and only one skein in sock weight. So I got that: and some Amy’s Vintage Office – that’s the Curmudgeon’s yarn; I love the look of it, and the idea. And some Roadside Gerry – that’s Annie’s, of course. I keep remembering it as "Gerry's Roadkill" and have to look up its real name every time. And single skeins of several others – Envy, to pick up the yellowy-green element in Franklin’s yarn; Mother Lode and Tuscany and Andersonville; and some Charcoal to hold them all together. Far too much. It should be waiting for me in CT next month.

A sock-weight garter stitch jacket will be a good weight, and will take a lot of knitting. I will certainly centre the decreases.

I pressed on the with Princess yesterday, with my recovered eyes. I have finished edging the centre, and ended at a point in the edging pattern not at all where I had calculated I should end. Did I get it backwards, and increase the rate of picking up stitches where I should have slowed down? Whatever, I got it wrong, and the footwork to make things come out even will now have to be done on the second border edge. An informal assessment suggests that I’ll have to skip over four pick-ups, somewhere or other. That should be manageable.

The car got its certificate needing only new wiper blades. Last year and the year before were far more painful.

There are some interesting questions in recent comments about my vegetable-growing : tomorrow.