Wimbledon tomorrow! A remarkably beautiful American girl, at 14 I believe the youngest ever to have played in the tournament, is drawn against Venus Williams (who isn’t even seeded). Like you, Mary Lou, and like Perdita, I am an elder sister, so I’m for Venus. Surely the match will be on television.

I am back in the saddle, knitting-wise. I think I may even have done seven rows today. Maureen, thank you for the offer of your red yarn. I had meant to write to you before now, ever since I discovered, wandering around Ravelry one evening, that you had knit the Spring Shawl. I had thought of you only in the context of Fair Isle.

(Maureen has knit the Museum Sweater – the one in which not only are the rows of OXO roundels different one from another – that’s not at all uncommon – but in which all of the roundels are different from each other. Which would mean that you couldn’t get a rhythm going. I used the roundels from that sweater for Alexander’s recent Calcutta Cup vest – very successfully, if I do say so. But in my case, all the roundels in each row are the same as each other.)

Maureen: you need to knit the Princess. It is the one mountain left to climb.

And thank you for the offer. I must now write to Sharon Miller and ask her (a) what she thinks about the idea of introducing a red stripe and (b) what she thinks about the possibility of her red yarns bleeding. I am tempted by “cashsilk”, despite your offer, Maureen. I’m too tired to write tonight. Maybe tomorrow morning.

Non-knit

Mary Lou, I have read Athill’s “Somewhere Towards the End”, but I missed the line you quote. It’s very good. We can all rejoice in having that good luck.

Once when I was small I observed someone operating a sewing machine, and said, “My mother can do that”. Which was a lie. And then added, “She can pie-tie-ter too” (she was a writer).

Food: my stir-fry last night was tasty, but the mange-tout peas were the least successful element. Too crunchy. I’ll try your recipe next time, Hat (comment yesterday). We had a terrific downpour of rain yesterday evening, and the peas loved it and are almost ready to pick again. Shandy, my courgettes are looking very happy, but there are no flowers yet.