As so often in life, the Big Day came and went with no change. The dr came and decided that things can go on as they are, with a bit of additional input from the current carers. The trouble is, it’s our niece who needs the “respite”. It is she who is dealing with her mother’s depression and fear, as well as cleaning and shopping and cooking. And she has a job and a house of her own.

I got the tax done and filed on-line. It was great, waking up this morning and hearing the radio tell me the date, and not thinking, oh-my-God, so-much-of-January-gone-already.

We were promised a nice rebate, which figures, because income from savings-and-investments was markedly down in 2009-10. I spoke to Alexander later in the morning – he says he hasn’t done their tax yet, and always leaves it until now. “There’s nothing else to do in January.” I have never been able to persuade him, or Rachel’s husband Ed, either, come to that, of the delights of spending January with the seed catalogues. Both grow much better vegetables than I do.

Maybe that rebate, when it arrives, should be the occasion for buying the yarn for the stitch-pattern-something which keeps bubbling on a mental back burner. But first I need to settle on a pattern and be filled with enthusiasm. I did a search on “Bavarian travelling stitch” on Ravelry just now, and found some nice things – but they’re all socks. My new self-rule on yarn is that I can buy as much as I want, whenever – but only when I know what I want to do with it, and am pretty well ready to cast on.

Meg's approach in "Knitting" must be the way to proceed -- choose a shape first, and a yarn, then decorate with stitches.

Meanwhile the cowl progresses – two more sessions should finish it off, slightly delayed by the need to wind another skein of Koigu. It is extraordinary how rarely I have actually finished off a ball of yarn during this whole virtuous 14 months of nibbling at the stash.

And better yet, perhaps, I like the Round-the-Bend jacket better and better as I see it out of the corner of the eye, lying neglected. The stripey sleeves are still a bit much, but they’ll probably do.

My niece sent me these pictures of the gnomes yesterday:



I don't know what that thing is with the bricks.