I’m sorry for the
gap. It wasn’t just the presence of family and the increased need to cook – I felt
pretty flat yesterday, and didn’t try to walk, although there was plenty of time in the
morning before their train turned up. C. – who’s coming to lunch on Tuesday to
see her cousin James – intelligently suggests that I might have been having a
reaction to my Covid booster the day before. I feel considerably restored today. We all went around the garden together.
And I got an appreciable amount of knitting done this morning, while James worked on something for the Economist and poor Cathy read Eng Lit A-Level course work, which she teaches.
The Calcutta Cup panel on the second
legwarmer is now finished, and I have embarked on the last lap. It’s long and
steep, but once done will be done – I’ll never knit a Fair Isle legwarmer
again. Promise. I’m currently more than halfway through the first chart: Chart
A: Calf. Better than nothing. I’ll take a picture for you soon, when I can show
you the Calcutta Cup more firmly embedded in pattern.
I’m enjoying
thinking about the 2022 Calcutta Cup sweater for Helen’s son Fergus.
Kate Davies has
published an essay about Polphail by “archaeologist Alex Hale” (you don’t need
a comma in that phrase, Kate) who works for Historic Environment Scotland and
who surveyed Polphail before it was demolished. That’s the village built on the
Argyll coast for oil workers, never inhabited, and much ornamented by graffiti.
I know Alexander Hale. He and his parents and sister and grandparents lived
next door to us in Birmingham for many years. His parents usually stay here
with us when they come to Edinburgh to visit Alexander and his family who live
in a very small house with their young children. It’s funny how life twines
around sometimes and comes back at you from the opposite direction.
It is a funny circle in our lives, isn’t it? Glad you are feeling better, the booster shot left me exhausted last fall. I am working my way into The Hare with the Amber Eyes, discussed here some time ago. A knitting pal of mine recently saw the hare on exhibit in NYC, and it pushed me to get back to the book. I am reading it on my Kindle and have the iPad open to look at paintings and look up words. Quite stimulating to have to do that, and glad of the internet!
ReplyDeleteI wonder why some people are knocked harder by vaccinations than others. I've been fortunate, just a sore arm for a day or two. I'm impressed by the legwarmers. I haven't knit anything that ambitious in ages, just hats.
ReplyDeleteIn my knitting club experience most 80-somethings that I have known forsake ambitious projects either because of debilitating illness (such as stroke) or a sense of just being Done. So as someone merely in my 70's, I am inspired by your knitting 'vigor' whenever I am contemplating a project requiring a new technique (which is beginning to be not very often, alas). On the other hand no one would blame you if you were getting to the 'just done' stage and chose a pattern for a future great-grandchild with just a narrow band (2-5 rows say) of virtuoso knitting to keep boredom at bay and the rest was just easy stuff. Either way - you may still want to go full throttle - your knitting is always so fun to follow. Love your Wordle adventures even though I am still resisting. Chloe
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