I’ve gone back and added your title to yesterday’s blog post, Shandy. It was too good to lose.

It’s been cloudy all day, as is suitable for the 2^nd of February. You’ll have noticed the remarkable palindrome formed by the date.

This morning I wondered if the old sovereign cure would work for the mouse: namely, to turn the computer back on again, it having been off all night. So I did. No luck. So I tried replacing the battery, and now it’s fine. Did the old battery fail in the split second it took the mouse to fall off the table? It seems unlikely.

Rugby is back with us. Scotland lost to Ireland yesterday, but we didn’t disgrace ourselves as had been predicted. France beat England today in a thriller.

And I am knitting the penultimate row of the 2^nd Dathan hap. While I was knitting the antepenultimate one, the cord came out of the needle point releasing 40 or more stitches into the void. It took a while to round them up. A few minutes later it happened again. Fewer stitches this time, as I was trying to be careful. I am currently knitting the stitches on to another needle (rather larger in gauge, alas). I think I can finish the row without another disaster. The defective needle is better at supplying stitches than at receiving them.

Here is the hap at the moment:

I’ll take a better picture when it’s finished. And here is the left-over yarn:

The yarn represents my Shetland purchases from last May: a collection of toning oddballs from Wilma Malcolmson’s studio; a couple of balls from Jamieson’s (the other Jamieson; not Jamieson & Smith); a few more from Ronnie Eunson’s wonderful shop on his organic farm. Here’s the link. I think the only solution is going to be to hire Rumpelstiltskin. Jamieson & Smith provided the cobweb yarn for the ill-fated Spring Shawl.

Comments: Kirsten, I have found that old newspaper pattern for the double-breasted Baby Surprise. Email me.

Shandy, thank you for the pointer to the Wild Swan pattern on Ravelry. It's a possibility.