Tuesday, September 16, 2014

I've now reached the penultimate stripe, gaulmogot, on the inward side of the border of Rams & Yowes. This will one day end. Some knitters have run out of some colours on the inward journey, but I think I'm going to be all right, due, no doubt, to having picked up slightly fewer stitches for the border than the pattern specifies.

Here's what it looked like from the inside a couple of days ago, showing how the mitered corners are folding neatly inwards.

I am now fully engaged in worrying about the wedding on November 1. I think, at the worst, someone will be able to take Rams & Yowes and the wedding present down in a car while I go by train, shivering without a coat.

I am being plagued anew this morning by Potentially Unwanted Program Blocked pop-ups from McAfee – a different PUP, this time, alternating with something whose name begins “Artemis”. The interruptions are absolutely constant, toughening my resolve to go over to a Mac. Archie will be here this weekend and I hope we can go shopping.

It's difficult to think about anything except the Referendum, and I don't think I have anything new to say about that. Half the population of Scotland will be pretty miserable on Friday morning, and it's all Mr Salmond's fault. I think we No's will be more miserable, if we lose – fearing an uncertain future in an impoverished and exsanguinated nation. Whereas the defeated Yes's will have something resembling the status quo, plus a lot more power for the Scottish parliament, to look forward to. That sounds to me more bearable. The turnout is going to be the highest in the history of elections.

Zite produces an account of knitted television -- from a Dutch artist, almost needless to say. And the news that Kristin Nicholas has done a line of sock yarns with Regia which produce an ikat effect.  A somewhat ikat effect, but I'd like to try.

Reading


I've finished Middlemarch and moved on to the new Ian McEwan, The Children Act. It's very readable, as he always is, but I was surprised to realise the other day how ill-equipped I would be to talk about McEwan, although I've read a lot of him. It sort of slips out of the mind. I've got lots more Jane Gardam to look forward to – these interruptions were just to avoid OD'ing on her.

4 comments:

  1. I find with McEwan that I can't put down some of his books (like Chesil Beach), but can't get anywhere with others (like Atonement). My attitude is also coloured by having to do his book "Enduring Love" for our modern novel at A-S level English. I quit English after that year, found the texts in Latin and Greek much more satisfying. Who can stand up to Homer after all?

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  2. I just finished The Man with the Wooden Hat. I am not sure I like it as well as I liked Old Filth, but I may plow ahead with the third of the trilogy after a brief rest.

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  3. Anonymous1:32 AM

    Yes, I'm looking forward to the Old Filth trilogy. McEwan - loved Saturday, but Solar not so much, and Amsterdam left so little impression that both a sister and I started to read it a 2nd time, not for a while realizing we'd read it before. Bumper year for novels this fall - big excitement in my household is the new David Mitchell, also a new Sarah Waters, McEwan's, and our Margaret Atwood has a new one - short stories, I think. Jean, many in Canada will be waiting with bated breath for Thursday's vote. Have to say in all the articles in our national "paper of record" this last weekend, a couple of the articles made me see some points on the Yes side - not the leader, which was a definite plea for "no". What a bunch of Canadians think is unlikely to be of much interest there, but I will be thinking of you yourself.
    - Beth in Toronto

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  4. Anonymous2:00 AM

    Old Filth is the best - the rest pale in comparison! The Economist had a good analysis, as did the New York Times, on this issue. Discussed the pros and cons with my university class today - and we resolved that it ultimately (as always) depends on who shows up to vote. Enjoy following your knitting and discussion of the issues firsthand!

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