Mourning Shawl

Row 76 of the center done. That’s near enough the middle of 190 rows that I must chart “2011” today – obviously, I have to start the box well before the middle row, in order to centre it. No creativity is called for – I’m using the letters “O” and “I”, and I did a perfectly satisfactory “2” when I was signing and dating the Princess shawl, so it’s just a matter of copying.

I’ve reached the second instance of the 12-row passage I found so difficult the first time, and it’s going a bit better, despite jeanfromcornwall’s eloquent and much-enjoyed description of Murphy’s law last Thursday. This time, I have sort of analyzed what is going on instead of trying to learn it row-by-row. And EZ’s most useful advice – “Look at your knitting” – has come into play.

I had some trouble yesterday of a sort which has been mercifully absent up until now, when a whole row somehow got thrown out by a stitch or two. The result is that a lozenge-shape made up of a stack of big holes – k2tog, yo, yo, k2tog – doesn’t quite stack properly. I’m not a perfectionist, and it doesn’t bother me much, but I’ll be more careful the next time those big holes come around. Big holes are a bit tricky to align because they involve an even number of stitches.

Vegetables

Yesterday’s big news is that Kitchen Garden magazine is going to print a little piece by me about Good King Henry in the December issue. You’ve read it all here already. It’s just a last-page piece which they invite readers to contribute, and the reward is only a £20 voucher for a firm which may not have anything I want. (Perhaps some fleece?) Still, it’s publication.

I used to do occasional bits of journalism, in the days before my husband retired and I had to start cooking all day long. The last thing I did was Gladys Amedro’s obituary for the Scotsman. No payment at all for that, and I had to pay a Shetland photographer myself for the picture they used. I google’d it yesterday and was embarrassed to find how often I have boasted of it here, but the obituary itself is also on-line, to my pleasure.

Miscellaneous

Knitlass, thank you for the link to Purl Bee (comment yesterday). She’s got some good things, but my heart is already committed to Jared, scarf-wise.

I get the feeling from Beijing that James doesn’t think I am making sufficient use of my beloved iPad, as I sit here peacefully reading “The Turn of the Screw”. The Telegraph was giving away free e-copies of “The Tenderness of Wolves” yesterday, so I helped myself to one of them, but I don’t think that’s what he means.

I don’t really think I want Goodreader – I prefer to print patterns and write comments in the margins with old-fashioned writing implements. No need to catalogue stash for reference in a yarn shop. Don’t want to risk gravy-splashes by cooking from it. I must snatch some time today with the iPad lovers on Ravelry, and perhaps the App chapter in “iPad for Dummies.”