Back to the coal-face for a moment.

I finished the little preemie jacket last night. I’ll send it off to an appropriate charity today, unblocked.

I then knit a row of Green Granite Blocks and felt an overwhelming lack of what I believe is called mojo. I retreated to Helen’s KF socks, which I had done enough work on over the exciting last few days to be able to try the first one on her before she left. It’s fine.

I think maybe this evening I’ll start her Amedro lace stole. It’s an edging-first design, like most or perhaps all of Amedro. I like it that way. A couple of days of that and I may be able to see my way forward with the GGB. My beloved Princess shawl took four years, all told. Most of its laying-asides were for specific reasons, including my broken arm in September ’06, but there was a whole year’s intermission for reasons unrecorded from September ’07 to September ’08. But as I remember it, each resumption was with enthusiasm. Maybe I'm just tired.

Back to Strathardle

Here are the preemie things on the table in the Home Industries Tent. Design-wise, my little jacket would have stood up all right. Knitting-wise, I don’t think so. And knitting is what is judged.

Here are the Knitted Toys:

That is the category I won with Sam the Ram in ’07. It seems a bit soon to have it again. The entries this year were terrific, I thought. Much better than Sam’s competition.

Both Fergus and Mungo started knitting this summer:

I had my husband’s sister, who was with us for the Games weekend, show Mungo how to knit continental (like EZ). My own technique is so clumsy that it is no use as a model for anyone. I thought he might as well acquire good habits from the beginning. Helen says that both boys knit their way home to Greece on Tuesday.

Wider world

Annie Modesitt has a sad, unspecific blog entry (August 27) about being bad-mouthed somewhere. The trouble with writing in such terms is that it awakens prurient curiosity in people like me who know nothing about it and who think of her with unbridled admiration. Can anyone tell me what’s going on, and where?

I’m hoping my copy of Sharon Miller’s new book will turn up today. She is a national treasure, that woman.

The other thing I’m panting for is the “new” EZ, “Knit One Knit All”. However, when I popped over there for the link just now, I found that publication has retreated from autumn to January.