You’re quite right, Mary Lou – the Calcutta Cup is what matters.

In 2000 – I fear I tell you this every year – it was the last match of the season. Scotland had lost every preceding game; England had won all of its games. Someone was quoted in the Scotsman that morning as saying that Scotland’s only hope was if the English team didn’t turn up. But turn up they did, and lost.

That was my first Calcutta Cup knitting – I put it in Kirsty Miles’ Christening shawl, under the year date. ( She is James’ and Cathy’s younger daughter). I pointed it out to the priest after the ceremony some months later, and, far from thinking it an irreligious intrusion, he said, “Maybe we’ll beat them this year”. By “we” he clearly meant Ireland, and, bugger me! they did. I sent him a congratulatory postcard when it happened.

In 2000, after the event, our coach said, “They won the Six Nations Championship. We won the Calcutta Cup. Everybody’s happy.” (not)

Today, Scotland were soundly beaten by Ireland, and France, to everybody’s surprise, in a breathtakingly exciting match, beat England. I went on knitting Archie’s first sock – rugby is far too exciting for Fair Isle. I think I’m ready for the toe shaping – and there’s plenty of time for him to come and try it on, before I get to that point on the second sock. And it will be easy to take the toe back and change the length, if need be.

The Harlot has a good blog post today about the remark, “I have nothing on the needles” and its possible meanings. It was of particular interest to me, who am in just that situation – and who fits into one of her possible meanings.

Susan Crawford has sent me a pdf of the Vintage Shetland book. I hope that doesn’t mean I crowdfunded for that reward, and not the printed version. I don’t buy knitting books electronically, in the normal way of things. I gave in, though, and downloaded this one. There’s lots there, certainly. I felt a certain regret for the much more concise book which would have been published two and a half years ago, pre-cancer, if we crowdfunders hadn’t been so generous.

Elginknitter, my electric Aga doesn’t have much in the way of controls, just a thermostat as on yours. There are fancy electric models on which you can turn off the top plates until you want them, but mine, being an older, reconditioned model, doesn’t offer that. I cooked with it today, and love it. Its colour is “hunter green” – on my computer screen, it looks black in the picture I showed you yesterday.