Today is Alexander’s 56^th birthday – Monday would have been his 14^th if he had been only a little more patient.

The news is, my husband is coming home on Wednesday.

Yesterday’s visit was as frustrating as ever, perhaps slightly more so as a weekend loomed. My husband is particularly averse to hospital weekends. He thinks we could manage on our own, without carers. I disagree. After some conversation on this topic, I went off after lunch to find someone to cross-question, with no satisfactory result, as I expected. When I got back, my husband had dozed off. I knit for a while, but he didn’t wake up, or respond when I spoke, so I left.

Shortly after my arrival in Drummond Place, the nurse rang up with the good news. Maybe I’ll even get credit for it.

As for knitting, I’ve reached the toe-shaping of the 2^nd Arne&Carlos sock. That won’t be enough for a day’s visiting, so I’ll have to consult my notes and plan the beginning of the next pair.

I’ve recently signed up for “40 Ways to Cast On and Bind Off” in Craftsy, with Aurora Sisneros. She starts off with the long-tail cast on (no surprise) and does it the cat’s-cradle way which I think I first saw in Franklin’s hands when I went all the way to London that time for classes with him at Loop. I have always done it –  I think I learned this from a friend at Hampton Elementary School in Detroit – by knitting into a loop on my left thumb.

It’s sort of a shame that I’ll have to cast on the next socks in the hospital today, without wi-fi access. (When I was there with my pulmonary embolisms, I was told that there are parts of Scotland which provide patients with wi-fi. But not Lothian.) Still, there will be other cast-ons.

I made a good start yesterday on Band 28 (the penultimate one) of the Tokyo shawl.

I’ve been thinking about knitting a little shawl for Lucy, the soon-mother-to-be of our great-grandchild. I want everyone to have something I knit to wear to my funeral; but even if I don’t put it in quite that gloomy fashion, Lucy should have something. Greek Helen has a little Koigu shawl which she wears (at least when I am around) sort of neckerchief-fashion. That’s sort of what I’m aiming at.

Mia Rinde’s “Cameo Flower” in the current Knitty might be the answer. “Sock-weight” means I could do it in madtosh.

James’s wife Cathy has several things to choose from, but except for cosy hats – not quite right for a summer funeral – I don’t think she has any of my real successes. Maybe another little shawl there.

Hellie’s new husband Matt has at least a pair of socks. I remember consulting you guys at the time about whether the Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater extended to socks knit by one’s grandmother. Apparently not.