Time for a bit of knitting.

I reached the heel flap of the 2^nd Mind the Gap sock, and hope to whiz around it this evening. Well on target to give the socks to Lizzie when I see her next month, for her to take to Kansas not much later.

There may then be time to finish the Pakokku socks for my sister, whom I’ll also see. But there are slips twixt cup and lip.

I had sort of hoped at one stage, to have Relax2 ready to go in mid-August for this birthday business. That’s less likely.

Jared has published a Men’s Collection as you probably know. His Look Books are wonderfully orchestrated. The passing of the summer solstice reminds one uncomfortably of Christmas and death – but there are consolations. Crisp September days, and winter knitting. They’re on their way. It is certainly a time of year when one gets a bit of a second wind. It is wise of the Jews, I always feel, to locate the New Year there.

And I found this – Ochos Locos, Crazy Eights – in Zite this morning, and have bought and printed. (That’s a Raverly link.)  Easy! Fun! Malabrigo! It will certainly appear on my Christmas list this year.

I have begun to realize that if I want to have a look at Be Inspired Fabrics, as I certainly do, I’m going to have to make an effort. We get about less and less these days, as feebleness increases. The endless need for meals at times inconvenient for the rest of the world, and for a nap in the afternoon, means that there are no substantial gaps in the day. My husband doesn’t mind being left with a sandwich lunch, however – I think I’d better do that, one day next week before the avalanche begins to descend.

I will certainly report on it when I get there, as on Allingham’s non-fiction about life in Essex in ’40-’41. I’m greatly looking forward to that. Another book from the same moment – and oh! what a treat if you haven’t read this one, but I’m sure you all have – is Evelyn Waugh’s “Put Out More Flags”. It was published in ’42,  I think, but written in those very dark days between Dunkirk and Pearl Harbor. It is surely his happiest book, and perhaps the funniest. [“That’s wonderful, darling,” she said, her heart sinking.]

I read something recently – Zite, again, I think – about what “craft blogs” need to do to be successful. I am sure there is no hope for me – we are stuck with each other, we few, we happy few, we band of brothers. One of the recommendations, however, was Lists and that reminded me of my favourite of all time, Franklin’s list of Stasher Movies.