Medical

“Little C”, the equestrian, is still in hospital, still in very considerable pain, still on morphine, but so far, as of late yesterday, no broken bone or damaged organ has been found responsible.

My husband was very weary when I saw him yesterday. Visiting hours coincide with what used to be our nap time, and we both suffer. He is still on antibiotics for both a chest and a urinary infection. He no longer had an oxygen tube up his nose – he said he had told them to remove it. That might explain some of his weariness and breathlessness. I'm going to try to talk to a dr today – although I suspect the wonderful ward nurse knows more than any of them.

Non-knit

One of you came to the door yesterday, just before Visiting Time, and left me a lavender plant and a wonderful glossy gardenia. She had been on the calendar for a long time. We had hoped to meet for a bit of LYS and lunch had circumstances been otherwise. The lavender is of a superb dark blue – they can be awfully peely-wally – and will I hope, one day not too far away, find a home in Strathardle.

The gardenia is a sensation. I doubt if I have seen one since high school days in New Jersey. I've looked it up and chosen what I hope is the best spot for it, best-of-a-bad-job, I'm afraid, in accordance with advice from the RHS – in the bedroom with my cactuses. It can't go out on our sunny doorstep, even on warmer days than this, because it doesn't like too much direct sunlight, the RHS says.

Knitting

I've simply pressed on with the Fantoosh, ignoring the calls of reason. I'm now working on the 3^rd repeat of Chart B – the one with eight lozenges.

Skeindalous, thanks for the maths. I think you've left out one repeat (not that the Knitting Police would shoot you for stopping at that point). The first two lozenges are established by the Setup Chart. There then follow eleven repeats of Chart B. So I think there'll be a whole other row, of 24 units, if you knit it as written.

But you've done the hard work, and I can and will use your results in my sidebar.

One of the rather gratifying things about the pattern is that the lower, st st portion of each lozenge is knit in the rank below (that's why you need a Setup Chart to start with). So my current eight lozenges are almost finished before I begin them.

I find the first row of the twisted rib which finishes off each lozenge, rather difficult to get through. That is a great incentive, of course, to polish off these eight and see if I can get it right-first-time for the ten which will follow. I ordered the needles from Meadow Yarn, and they have been dispatched. Today? I ordered one the length of the needle I am currently using, and another the length Kate Davies specifies. Even if they do come today, the shorter one may be too short.

It's a very clever pattern, very highly recommended.

Food

I have established a system of life where I cook something for lunch and finish off eating it when I get back from the hospital, utterly exhausted, ready to fall into bed. Yesterday it was a potato salad of Jamie's, with some smoked trout. The day before that, a rice salad. Today I think I'll attempt a Fattoush. The coincidence of name is irresistible.