I started off well this morning, but subsided
mid-afternoon. I’ll be glad when the current antibiotic is finished (two more
days) and I can sink down into a quiet malaise. I take your point, Cat, -- and
it’s a good one -- about not trying to do too much on the days when I feel stronger.
On the other hand, and especially at my age, there’s the opposite danger of doing
too little and having one’s muscles atrophy.
When I went to the Western General last week for my chest xray I saw a poster that I had never seen before -- and I am very familiar with the Western General -- urging people to get up and get dressed and totter about even when in hospital, for the sake of their muscles.
Apart from such considerations, I think I have got the hang of the German
Crossed Cast-On. The passage in Meg’s Fair Isle vest video is helpful, adding
a little twist of the left thumb at the end of the process. And it is always a pleasure
to listen to her wonderful voice.
Part of the trouble has been that I don’t use the
grown-up, cat’s-cradle system for the long-tail cast on. I’ve mentioned this
before. I just do it the kindergarten way, knitting into a loop around my left
thumb. So I’m not used to tensioning the cat’s cradle, which is an essential
part of the process for German Crossed.
I have started casting on the Kirigami – alternating two
long-tails with two German Crosseds. I achieved 50 stitches and could see that
I didn’t have nearly enough long-tail to finish, so I started again. German
Crossed uses more yarn. Tomorrow’s goal is to finish the cast-on and knit the
first round.
Non-knit
Grandson Joe (the one who recently got engaged) is
running in the London Marathon tomorrow. It’s a family thing. His father Ed did
it once, and finished with a thoroughly respectable time. His sister Hellie
(Orla’s mother, whom you’ve seen here recently) ran one in Paris.
London has been hot for the last three days. The
forecast for tomorrow is considerably cooler. Good news for Joe.
Best of luck to Joe for the marathon. I admire people who can do such things. And yes, I take your point about the lack of exercise too. When the Senior Cat (aka as my father) was in hospital with the 'flu last year the staff helped him get up and walk up and down the corridor each day. It was an effort for them as well as him but he is now 95 and my sister, a physiotherapist, had said it was essential. It certainly doesn't take much to atrophy.
ReplyDeleteI did learn the twisted German cast-on, but it took me quite a few attempts. It is good for sock tops, especially, I think.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain as far as the exercise goes. I've managed somehow to do my back in and it's a constant struggle to try to move and get things done atm.
ReplyDeleteI heard about the heatwave in London and all I could think was "man, that is so not a heatwave. Hit 90F/32C and then we'll talk. 68F/20C sounds slightly nippy, actually." But hopefully your Joe was not adversly affected and had a great time!