I am feeling weak again this morning. No other symptom – I don’t know about appetite yet. Just weak. We’re supposed to go to Strathardle on Thursday, to be joined by Greek Helen for two nights. Perfect weather – spring has happened at last. But just at the moment, I’m not strong enough.

Colorful Stitches has written to say that they don’t have any Pakokku after all. They recommend something called Frolicking Feet, new to me. I spent some time just now pursuing it on Ravelry – it does pool rather nicely. But I think I’ll add it to a mental list of Possible Future Socks rather than ordering some now. I want those vampires!

The Pakokku socks I’ve actually got, continue well. Soon comes the decision about the heel. What I don’t know about Strong-Fleegle is how well it wears, as compared to Old Faithful which has that flap strengthened with slipped stitches. When socks are returned-to-maker for darning, the holes are usually toe and sole, as I remember, not heel.

Suzanne commented a few days ago that my family seem to wear the things I knit for them. This was prompted by a picture of Rachel cutting the Easter cake while wearing her Adult Surprise, and not long ago we had Ketki in her pink gansey when the family came over to watch Scotland lose yet another match at Murrayfield.

I strongly suspect that the answer is, they know how much I like to see my knitting in action and they get the things out when they know I’m going to be around. They look awfully fresh. That’s why I like darning the socks – that’s for real. On the other hand, my husband has been wearing that madelinetosh sleeveless vest all winter, after specifically requesting it. It's also on view in the Easter picture. 

Alexander has outgrown his Calcutta Cup sweater, which was never very generous, size-wise. Perhaps it's time I knit him a gardening sweater.

I have nearly finished reading Kaffe’s autobiographical “Dreaming in Colour”. It is very interesting, although not great prose. I think it is true to say that he has never had a job. He worked for the Missoni's in Milan for a while, but even they paid him by the design rather than by the week. His background is genuinely bohemian, and for many years he lived on very little, keeping the wolf from the door (but never very far away) by selling his pictures and by modelling.

I fear it would have been harder for him, nowadays, to come to London and live like that. The vital stamp in one’s passport, “Given leave to remain in the United Kingdom for an indefinite period”, is not easy to come by, these days. It’s the equivalent of the famous, or infamous, American “green card”. Kaffe doesn’t mention that subject at all.