Wednesday, January 05, 2022

 

It has been cold again. Daniela administered my weekly bath and hair-wash; I wasn’t tempted to go out. I suspect it would not be easy, especially just now, to get such care in a care home.

 

I resumed knitting. I’ve now done 8” of Calcutta Cup vest. Mary Lou has sent me the pattern for her soon-to-be-published Rylan vest, a very nice little number for a toddler and on up. That pattern says 8” to the underarm for the 18-month size, 8 ½ for the next one up. (Hamish will be 2 in May.) Meanwhile C. has sent me measurements in centimetres just now, from a sweater the boy actually wears. I’ll apply myself tomorrow. I’ll also look at Meg’s Fair Isle vest pattern to see the proportion of the sections of sweater above and below the underarm. It all involves too much thinking for this hour of the night.  

 

Here's a picture of my salad factory, exactly two weeks after kick-off:




I took it in the morning before the eerie light went on. 

 

Taxes: We’ve just had a startling preliminary bill from the new accountant.

 

Jeanfromcornwall, I do agree about the advantages of comparative poverty. Last year I filled out a form on an HMRC website that Alexander referred me to, and it said I didn’t need to file a return or pay any more tax. So I didn’t. Do I believe it? The tax man knows where I am, and hasn’t sent me any letters the way he used to when my husband was alive. But it will still be a comfort to have it all done professionally at least once.

 

Kirsten, congratulations on getting yours done for Christmas. And I was sorry to hear about your cat. Perdita had a bad fall once when she was a young and slender cat. She fell from a high shelf in the kitchen. She was still limping a couple of days later, and protesting in pain when her hip was touched, so I took her to the vet, like you. She was anaesthetised and x-rayed and was found to be fine. She came home that evening very cross, and I rather poorer. Now that she’s a stout, middle-aged, sterilized cat she doesn’t climb the way she used to.

 

Marion, thank you for the Arne&Carlos link. I’ll address that tomorrow, too. I found one at least that showed me how Arne holds a single yarn in his left hand. It looks so simple….

4 comments:

  1. Jean, the last time I was struggling with a tax return some years ago I 0honed the tax office helpline and eventually a very pleasant man talked me through the whole form, waiting while I answered all the questions. I saved the form and used it as a templated for the following years.
    McCavity (the cat) was about to slide down behind the settee AGAIN this even; it is against the radiator. Something will have to be done!

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  2. It sounds like things are perking along knitting wise. I am impressed by your salad factory, thank you for posting pictures.

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  3. =Tamar8:52 PM

    The salad factory looks so tidy and productive!

    Congratulations on the sweater! Once you sort out the measurements, you'll be set for the rest of it.
    I don't mean to nag, but I keep remembering when I knitted a sweater for my infant niece and added an extra inch of length, and six months later my sister scolded me for not having made it extra long to allow for growth. Arms don't get much thicker, but the torso definitely grows longer quickly at that age.

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    1. Yes! Moms like vests for providing warmth without struggling to get little arms into sleeves. My favourite for toddlers is Georgie Nicolson's Milo vest. Most knitworthy mom, one of my stepdaughters, is now trying on her own to knit and attach a lengthening segment to the 18-month size her little girl started wearing at her first birthday (when it was a bit long) and which now, more than a year and a half later, still fits her girth (and she's a solid kid) but is more of a rib tickler length. In future I'll always add more length.

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