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And another strenuous day. I misread my own handwriting, and got my husband to the Western Infirmary at 11:30 for what turned out to be a 1:30 appt. Getting him anywhere on time is very hard work – twice in a day was almost too much. But we did it, with a lunch break in between, and he found the physiotherapy for his rheumatic right hand hopeful.

And I started applying i-cord to the periphery of Rams & Yowes. I agree, it's going to make a nice finish. If you've never done it, I would encourage you not to shrink from the ordeal. It sounds excruciatingly fiddly, but in practice is not that bad. And I hate fiddly.

I think, though, that I am going to pick up a lot of stitches today in God's own daylight. “Pick up” in the simplest sense – slide a needle through. Black on black, even under the strongest electric light we can muster, is not entirely easy.

I did about half of one side last night, therefore about 1/8^th of the job, therefore a week should see it done, if I keep at it. I dreamt about that wedding last night – there wasn't enough seating for everybody and I hadn't made any arrangements about flowers for the church. It's on the 1^st of November, so things are getting serious. Baby Ted's 1^st birthday (and Archie's 18^th) fall on the 28^th of this month, and will be celebrated at the wedding venue or thereabouts. That's my target.

Archie's sweater

I've just ordered 12 skeins (all they had – somebody must have bought one since last week) of madelinetosh DK in Composition Book Grey from Eat Sleep Knit. I thought the name sounded familiar: I must have ordered from them before, because I turned out to have an account there. I put some parameters through Jimmy Bean's calculator last week, and it came out showing that I needed 13 skeins. But that was at 5.5 stitches per inch, whereas 5 is more likely; and that was for a 2XL size, 56” circumference, whereas I put a tape measure around the boy on Sunday, over a snug-fitting sweater, and the measurement was only 48” – so 52” should be enough.

So 12 skeins will probably suffice, and if not the bottom ribbing will have to be slightly different.

The pattern he likes is a top-downer, a new experience for me, so it will be possible to try it on for size before I have gone too disastrously far.

I was very grateful for your offers to go down to the shop and buy it for me, Mary and Melfina. And for your warning about the colour, Barbara. As you see, I decided to go ahead. My husband was wearing his madelinetosh sleeveless vest (as he often does) at the weekend, so I was able to point it out to Archie to give some idea of the surface quality of the yarn. So he knows it'll be grey, but not exactly.