Us chickens 

We usually take a group picture when we get back to the house at the end of Games Day. This time, we had to do it in a great hurry, and the result is the best group picture we've ever had. The hurry was because James and his family were leaving at once -- he had to write a "special" for last week's Economist (the issue which goes out of date today) about Mr Hu's visit to Washington, and the magazine wanted a Beijing dateline for it. "Kirkmichael, by Blairgowrie, Perthshire" didn't have quite the same ring, apparently. So James eschewed beer all day, and they drove halfway down, stayed in a TravelLodge somewhere that night, and flew out from Heathrow on Sunday afternoon. And James wrote the special. And Mr Hu had his visit cancelled so that the President would have more time for hugging people.

Anyway, my brother-in-law took charge of the group picture. We usually line up on the front lawn. He turned things around, ranged us in front of my vegetables facing into the evening light, magic'd a tripod out of somewhere, and here is the result. Roger himself is the tall man in the back row, next to his son Theo in the Koigu sweater. I am the fat woman in white towards the left, wearing the prize-winning tammy. Mungo Drake, whose Koigu sweater is sliding off his shoulder (another bad crew neck) is to the right in the foreground, holding a rose to represent his brother Oliver, Helen and David's eldest son, who died at six weeks and is buried in Kirkmichael.

I've had some nice comments lately. Thank you, everyone. One of the "Jean's" asks how rainbows work, and why the colours are reversed when you get a double rainbow. I don't know. There is a famous and rather awful pre-Raphaelite picture, possibly in the Birmingham Art Gallery, called I think "The Blind Girl", in which a vivid double rainbow appears. I read a comment about it somewhere once in which the critic actually complained that the artist had made a mistake in reversing the colours for the second rainbow.

Knitting

I'm working on repeat #73 of the Princess Shawl edging. I'm really going to miss it when I finish. And I've done a couple of inches above the ribbing of the first Wallaby sleeve. It shouldn't take long now. When I finally finish with the Games and get back to pictures of knitting, you will see some progress.

James and Alexander with their backs to the Games 

Back to the Games.

Alexander's sweater, above, is (I think) Kaffe's "Circle Square Crewneck Sweater" from the Family Album book, made from a kit back in the good old days when Rowan kitted their designs. Under the influence of some Roman mosaic or other, I turned the motifs with the result you see, so that the circles are no longer circles. James is wearing a rather nice store-boughten sweater.

At some point that weekend, Alexander noticed Rachel's new Fair Isle jacket and we agreed that the neckline is rubbish, and he said to her, "Mummy isn't very good on necklines" which I think is a fair comment. Kaffe and Starmore have to take some of the blame, perhaps. Maybe it's an over-reaction in my case from the days when I knit them all too tight and had to struggle to pull things on over the heads of my suffering children.

Theo's sweater (which reappears in the background here) has a very successful neckline -- EZ's shirt yoke. And I have high hopes of the placket-and-collar which will eventually appear on Rachel's striped Koigu, the one being laboriously knit in Strathardle. Perhaps the secret is simply to avoid crew-necks.

Of the picture above: the fun of the Games for our four children, is being all together. They see something of each other in one's and two's, from time to time, but only then does the whole party re-convene, RachelAlexanderJamesandHelen.

Knitting

I'm working on repeat #72 of the Princess Shawl edging. The prospect of actually finishing draws excitingly close. I cast on for the first Wallaby sleeve yesterday, and ribbed about an inch.

After yesterday's Baby Surprise comparison, I did a sort of double-take and went back to EZ's instructions. Sure enough, she says to knit a swatch and determine gauge. Why on earth? Gauge isn't mentioned anywhere else in the instructions, and could hardly be.

Non-Knit

I am surprised that the mayor of New Orleans -- or anyone on earth, come to that -- has the authority to order the people of the city to be forceably removed if they don't want to go.

I found myself wondering how hurricane victims get selected to be hugged by the President for the benefit of banks of photographers. I-feel-your-pain. It would have to be carefully established that you weren't likely to blurt out an uncomfortable opinion; and of course security would have to be gone into. Do you suppose you would then be offered a shower? Or does he hug them as they come? The one thing we can be absolutely sure of, is that there is nothing spontaneous about the process.

 

Nearly there 

Hopeful sheep 

I got these pictures from Beijing yesterday, and shamelessly reproduce them here although they have nothing to do with the Games or with knitting.

A couple of days before the Games we had a splendid rainbow, the full 180 degrees -- for a while it was even partially double. The left-hand leg was right there, in the stubble field. The village is about half a mile away and you could clearly see it through the rainbow. Some of the children took off in a spontaneous run and, as you see, very nearly got that pot of gold. That's Alistair Miles, James's son, in the lead, I think, with his cousin Archie Drake of Thessaloniki behind. I include the lower picture, taken a moment or two previously, for the sake of the sheep, who clearly entertained some woolly thoughts of wealth themselves.

Janis

Janis W. commented yesterday that she was surprised to see that another reader of this recondite Blog, Janis F.,  shared her unusual name. It's odder than that -- there is a third: Mrs Yarn of http://www.yarning.blogspot.com/ is also named Janis. She occasionally drops in here, and I read her blog regularly. It's odd. I couldn't have more than 30 readers altogether.

Baby Surprise

Janis W. asked what is different about the double-breasted version (DB) which I knit. Not easy. I must have knit it at least half-a-dozen times, and it still comes out as a total -- well, surprise. The EZ version which comes most readily to hand is the one in the Knitting Workshop, which is particularly cryptic and EZ-like. That adds to the difficulty. (It may have been smoothed out for subsequent publications.)  But I'll try.

You cast on more stitches (202 as opposed to 160) for the DB version. For the first bit, when you are creating mitres by decreasing, the no of stitches in the centre portion of the DB is exactly twice that of the outside bits. The first row is k. 49, double decrease, k. 98, double decrease, k. 49. The EZ version starts k. 34, double decrease, k. 86, double decrease, k. 34.

EZ increases for fullness at the cuff after 5 decreases. DB omits that. EZ has 22 decreases in that first part, DB has 23. Both then start increasing at the mitre line. Both increase 10 across the back for fulness: DB does it immediately after the decreases are complete, EZ after six increases.

EZ puts in the neck shaping after another seven increases (13 in all). DB starts shaping the neck at 10 increases, and continues the shaping by decreasing one at the beginning of each of the next eight rows, while continuing to increase at the mitres. EZ doesn't slope the neck like that.

So far, more or less, so good. After the neck shaping, DB puts in a row of buttonholes, then continues increasing another 16 times, puts in another row of buttonholes, two more rows straight, cast off.

I don't understand the final part of the EZ original at all. You work 10 ridges on the centre section only. You pick up 10 sts from each side of that little flap, and meld them with the original side sections, and put in buttonholes after another three increases. There is only one set of buttonholes for EZ, of course. She says to cast off loosely in PURL on the right side. I'll remember that. DB just says, cast off loosely.

In the immortal Knitlist rubric, I hope this helps. I doubt if it will.

 

At the Games 

The tammy 

Janis W. asked for a better picture of the tammy. There it is. The pattern is from Starmore's "The Fair Isle Knitting Handbook", the tammy from the "Tammy, mittens and gloves" set with colours somewhat modified to accomodate what I had in the stash. Janis, please write to me at jean@jeanmile.demon.co.uk -- I seem to have lost your email addy when I upgraded the computer. I'd love to talk to you again.

Yesterday I finished Repeat #69 of the Princess Shawl edging, and moved a bit closer to the armpits of the Wallaby. I should be in position to cast on a sleeve today. In the morning, my husband had a routine diabetes appointment, which always involves a lot of sitting. (He likes me to go along.) I took the Baby Surprise instead of the usual sock, and made good progress. I have now reached that interesting ten-row section where you both increase and decrease in the same row and the object, no matter how many times I do it, becomes completely incomprehensible.

The Games

Helen sent me some nice pictures from Thessaloniki yesterday, and I'm still waiting for my brother-in-law's CD-ROM from London. But today's pic is one of my own. Last year we entertained ourselves taking pictures of a lot of silly sub-sets of our party: People With "Edward" in their Names; People Wearing Kerry Tee-Shirts, etc. This year, we did only one: People Wearing My Knitting.

[At that, Alexander managed to escape and will have to appear separately tomorrow.]

There are, from left to right, Kristin B., nephew Theo's girlfriend, in the mohair scarf I knit to celebrate her graduation from law school earlier this summer; Theo himself, in his striped Koigu, with Mungo Drake, Helen's middle boy, in his striped Koigu [he admired Theo's while it was being knit]; my husband, in socks; Thomas-the-Elder, in socks; and Rachel, wearing both the Fair Isle jacket which occupied me last winter, and socks.

Non-Knit

The new eye seems fine. My left heel is much better, too.

Yesterday in the early evening I was in our corner shop buying some vegetables. Mrs Hussain had been putting some new arrivals on the shelves, and broke off to serve me. A young man siezed the opportunity to grab a carton of cigarettes and run out of the shop. Much shouting in Urdu and pursuit by a handsome young man who suddenly emerged from the back premises, but the theif got away. Seventy quid's worth, Mrs Hussain said.

The interesting thing about all this is that he was wearing a tightish shirt with horizontal stripes on it, just like all the burglars in cartoons.

The Next Surprise 

Medical/Knitting

I got my cider, chilled, despite having forgotton to pack an opener. Very welcome it was.

It was a somewhat tougher ordeal than the first one -- the cataract didn't want to come away, and it took rather a while. I amused myself during the ordeal, under local anaesthetic, by reciting to myself in my head the pattern for the Princess Shawl edging, using the Shetland terms "take" and "cast" for "k2tog" and "yo", as given by Gladys Amedro in her book "Shetland Lace". Thus, the first row was, one, two, three, four, five, take, cast, one, two, three, four, five, take, cast, take, cast, one, take, cast, take, take, cast, take, cast, take, one, two. And so forth through the other 19 rows -- they get more complicated than that, and there are no two alike.

The dr congratulated me afterwards on my immobility, several times, but that is probably just what expensive consultants say to old ladies with chequebooks.

The new Baby Surprise, pictured, was the perfect hospital knitting I hoped it would be. I cast on on Saturday morning, and got quite a lot done that afternoon as there was an unexpected wait for the operating theatre which was being blocked by orthopedics. It is a small hospital and Dr Dhillon had explained to me that surgeons jockey for operating room time like airplanes for take-off slots. Then there was the expected waiting time yesterday morning.

I centered the double-decreases this time by inserting the right-hand needle into the next two stitches as if to knit them together, slipping them thus to the right-hand needle, knitting one, and passing the slipped stitches over. (The first stitch one's needle enters, for any decrease, comes out on top.) It looks OK, but doesn't make much difference, since everything is garter stitch. For the next Baby Surprise, I might try purling the centre stitch on the wrong-side rows. This could look especially nice (or not) in the section I have now started, where I am increasing back up along the mitre line.

The world now appears with startling clarity. I am reminded of a New Yorker cartoon, many decades ago. Husband and wife in front of the window of a television shop, she looking longingly, he saying, "The whole goddam world is in Living Colour." So it is!

Tomorrow we'll revert to the Strathardle Highland Gathering. Rachel promises to put my brother-in-law's CD-Rom of pictures in the post today.

 

"Hat -- any craft" and the winner is... 

An admiring audience 

Well, here we are, Septmber 3. No blog tomorrow, due to catarat operation and staying overnight in hospital. I hope to be back in position on Monday.

Today's pictures are from the Games, at last. My prize-winning tammy on the bench with the competition -- three hats which I couldn't make, and would like to be able to. Those people are my husband and his sister, lost in admiration. You can also see something of the "Best Use of 100 grams of wool" class -- the winner was a plain, serviceable baby jacket. I should have put in a pair of toe-up socks after all. Toe-up, so as to be able to use exactly 100 grams.

Knitting

I finished repeat #66 of the Princess Shawl edging. I think I'll put in another lifeline when I've done 70. The last time I tried to count repeats, I found it very hard, but obviously I can't just trust to the Peg-It board to tell me when I've done 85. I have a lifeline at (what I think is) 50. That should help.

I got the Wallaby pouch fused to the body. It looks OK. Now I'm nearly to the armpits.

I didn't get the Baby Surprise cast on, for hospital knitting, but I don't have to be there until 2:30 and don't plan on accomplishing anything this morning, so there should still be time. Maddeningly, I can't find The Hitchhiker's Guide, which I had planned to take with me to read. Do have a look at Pam's comment from yesterday, for a very interesting idea about finishing a Surprise. Thank you, Pam.

Janis at www.defi-knitly.com shews a beautiful Koigu feather-and-fan scarf, looking, as she rightly says, very Missoni-esque.

Non-Knit

Since I now know that chilled white wine will not be on offer, I plan to take a bottle of Henry Weston's Vintage Special Cider Reserve along with me today, and a bottle-opener. If things unfold as they did before, the afternoon's programme will begin with a brief session with Dr Dhillon, both of us dressed like normal human beings and walking on our own feet. He will recapitulate the dangers of the operation, previously explained in detail; I will sign the consent form. At that point I can ask whether, if all goes well, it would be all right with him and with the hospital, for me to drink the cider with my supper. Maybe he will suggest giving it to a nurse to chill.

Then when we next meet, an hour or so later, he will be dressed as a surgeon and I will be a patient anaesthetised upon a table, in T.S. Eliot's phrase.

 

The current state of Rachel's striped Koigu 

Potatoes 

I feel sort of mean, going on with boring pictures when so much of interest happened last week, but tradition is tradition. Above you see the latest state of Rachel's striped Koigu -- there are a couple more inches on that sleeve than there were the last time you saw it, honest.

The potatoes pictured are not the ones that won second prize in the Three Potatoes class in the Home Industries tent at the Strathardle Highland Gathering. I didn't photograph them on the show bench for some reason, and by now we've eaten them. The ones you see are the runners-up from the time when I was sorting through the crop looking for three relatively unblemished potatoes of uniform size. They are genuine Picasso's, I might add.

Knitting

I did a full repeat of the Princess Shawl edging yesterday -- 65 done, 20 to go. I made a couple of small mistakes, more wounding to the old pride than visible in the result. I did most of the knitting in the evening with a televisual background. Today, I'll try to pinch more time from what should be the productive morning hours. Productive of other than knitting, I mean.

The pouch is half-fused to the body of the Wallaby, all the tedious counting done. We'll soon see if done correctly.

I looked out some Koigu for a Baby Surprise. It's rather garish, all the more tasteful shades being in Strathardle for incorporation into the sweater pictured above. Never mind -- a November baby needs things to be bright and cheerful. And I've retrieved the tattered pattern -- I'll have to copy it today; it's far too precious to take to a venue as flaky as a hospital. And I'll also have to cast on and knit a row or two.

The pattern is a mimeographed sheet I sent for from the Sunday Times, 19 years ago. I think the article they printed was the first time I had heard of EZ. They offered an adult version, and I cannot imagine why I didn't send for that as well. I now have the original Adult Surprise pattern -- but I wonder whether the Sunday Times version may not have been slightly different.

Because the Baby Surprise is a variation on the original, being double-breasted. I have knit the original once in the intervening years, but I prefer the double-breasted version, which I have knit many times. The tattered sheet is inscribed with the Pregnancy Code Names of many a grandchild, beginning with "Bernadette Ogden", now known as Hellie and about to go off to Newcastle University.

The double-breasted version isn't quite perfect, as the original is. When buttoned, the sides pull forward a bit. But one doesn't notice that at all with a small plump person inside. I suggested to Meg once that this version might be re-printed in Woolgathering, but when I sent her the pattern and the Sunday Times article she worried that the alteration meant that she would be violating another designer's copyright. A pity.

Life

I can't get any e-mail this morning, or late last night. I can cruise the internet fine. I'm now old enough and calm enough to believe that this is because Demon is having trouble with it's SMTP server and that all will soon be well, but I feel dreadfully cut off from the world. Judith, thank you for your comment.

The vegetable garden, yesterday. It was more productive than might have been expected, given this year's neglect. 

Helen, leaving 

Our Revels Now Are Ended

and these our players...

I've used that somewhere before in this Blog, and I don't see how that's possible, as I started blogging only after last year's Games and we don't go in much for revels around here, otherwise. I wonder if a search on "revels" would find it.

We had a grand time, which I will relate in snatches over the days to come. My brother-in-law has made a CD of the pictures he took -- he's good -- and many of them will figure.

For today, we have the usual homecoming picture of my vegetable garden, yesterday; and a sad shot of the last car leaving, on Tuesday -- Helen and her sons, on their way to Thessaloniki via Drummond Place.

No fewer than three sets of people, all related and all very dear, have stayed overnight here since we left last week. Everything is fine, but many things are slightly awry, and we feel much as the Three Bears must have. At least there are no bodies in any of the beds.

Knitting

Not much was done, while we were in Strathardle, but I have nevertheless taken the now-traditional picture of the current state of the Striped Koigu, and will reproduce it tomorrow. I almost didn't, because it's so boring, but there is not much point in traditions if you don't pursue them doggedly, however boring. Ask any Miles.

Last night I Wallaby'd on, here, and should merge pouch and body this evening. I haven't picked up the Princess Shawl edging yet.

I will have my second cataract operation on Saturday, and have decided that a Baby Surprise is the perfect knitting to take. If it's like last time, there will be a long stretch on Sunday morning while I wait for the dr to come and sign me out, when I will feel well and perhaps not see straight enough to read comfortably and knitting will be needed. So I want to get that started in the next two days. This is the one for the neighbour who is expecting a baby with a bad cleft palate in November.

I will anticipate the Games report to the extent of revealing that my tammy won First Prize in the "Hat -- any craft" class of the Handicrafts section. It's not as satisfying as a win in the Knitting section would have been [I've never done it], but the classes this year (A Poncho, and Best Use of 100 Grams of Wool) didn't appeal, to put it mildly.

And three of my potatoes won Second Prize in the "Three Potatoes" class of the Garden section.

Pictures of all this will follow if you're patient.

Day Four of Games Week

And today we go back to Strathardle -- so no more blog until sometime next week. By which time the countdown to my 2nd cataract operation, on September 3, will be well under way.

More was achieved yesterday than one would have thought possible. Nearly a whole repeat of the Princess Shawl edging -- I'm half-way through #64. Next week should, at the least, see me through #66 -- and at that point, the number remaining to be done will be numbered only in the 'teens.

And I finished the Wallaby pouch and resumed knitting the body. I haven't started scrabbling around yet, however, to work out exactly how many rows there are in the pouch and then to start counting body rows.

I got a surprising bit of income tax done yesterday, too (due end September), which should help a bit on the anxiety front.

 

 

Me and Jamie 

Day Three of Games Week

No new picture, and not much knitting yesterday. A few more rows of Princess edging, but I'm still not finished with repeat #63. A few more rows of Wallaby pouch. So today's illustration is an old one, taken on Games Day last year, with me in my Kerry tee-shirt and grandson James wearing his striped Koigu, in the dining room at Burnside.

I think the thing to do today is to make LISTS of things to do.

My sister and brother-in-law are safely here. I didn't even get any sock-knitting done at the airport. The plane was absolutely on time, and the anxiety about whether I was waiting for them in the right place, too acute. One of the little-mentioned rewards of old age is not having to go anywhere and so not having to spend much time in airports. It was good to be reminded of how horrible they are.

Alexander is not happy with the current plan for accomodating him and his family over the weekend. My own plan for them has been overridden, and he rang up yesterday to complain. One of the first things to do today, therefore, is to see if I can improve that situation. Alexander's reaction to unsuitable plans will be quiet withdrawal from the scene.

The Wallaby, with the first few inches of its pouch 

Day Two of This Week, and the beautiful weather is deteriorating fast. The forecast is bad, but there's still time for recovery before the weekend. We've had rain on Games Day often enough in the past, but never, that I can remember, an actual storm.

While David was loading the car yesterday morning, a literary Walking Tour was standing in front of our house hearing a lecture about Whiskey Galore (a.k.a. Tight Little Island), as its author, and the author of much else, Compton Mackenzie, used to live here. It made him -- David -- feel rather important.

Later Helen drove him to the airport for the plane to Thessaloniki via Prague, while we took the three little boys to Mass. They have gone back to Kirkmichael now. We will join them on Wednesday. I told her as she was leaving that we may be as many as ten at supper on Wednesday evening, but she was adamant that I needn't do or bring anything. A pretty ordinary refrigerator fills up fast when everybody is shopping for twelve and stuffing things in, so the idea is to demarcate responsibilities, as mentioned yesterday. I am accumulating recipes and ideas, but not food, for Saturday's Games Day picnic.

And today I will drive out to the airport with my One Bright Eye, to meet my sister and her husband, arriving from CT via, I think, London.  

Medical

I think perhaps my left foot is getting better of its own accord. It was x-rayed last Thursday, and our GP should have the results soon.

Knitting

It's time we got back to the point. Above is a picture of the present state of the Wallaby. It looks rather small, but gauge calculations suggest otherwise. I think it is just being bunched in by a smallish circular needle. And I'm well into repeat no #63 of the Princess Shawl Edging. I would like to look out some yarn and a small circular needle and knit a couple of inches of K2P2 rib, so that I could hand it over to Granddaughter Rachel when we get back to Kirkmichael, to make a hat. I think she said her Chinese ayi had got her on to circular knitting -- she could certainly help finish. I may not, however, get that done.

 

 

Breakfast 

The Gamers 

The week has begun.

Helen and her family are here, David on his way to Thessaloniki and the rest of them to the Chinese State Circus this afternoon and then back to Kirkmichael. In fact, they swapped a boy with James's family. What you see above is Alistair Miles of Beijing having breakfast just now with his cousins Fergus and Archie Drake of Thessaloniki. The other picture is of Alistair, left, and Archie, playing dice last night.

Helen says that chores have been allotted for the rest of the week. My job is the picnic lunch to be eaten out of the backs of cars on Games Day. One has to get to the field very early to get a place for one's car by the ring. With all those people, we'll need two cars. Ample quantities of drink are of course essential.

Knitting

The pouch is attached to Fergus' Wallaby, and looks good. A row of purl bumps really helps. I measured the boy himself carefully last night. I did a course with Kristin Nicholas at Stitches East once, on designing for children, and remember her saying that they do not, on the whole, expand much as they grow, they just get longer.

And I'm more than halfway through Repeat No #62 on the Princess Shawl edging. One can think of them as years in a long life, if one likes (there being 85 in all). I'll soon reach my own age. There's an irritating mistake in #61 -- not worth doubling back for, but I could easily have avoided it.

A neighbour is expecting a baby with a bad cleft palate, revealed on a scan. The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh suggested an abortion, but the family rejected that option and now the doctors are saying "It's nothing we can't deal with" and everyone is much happier. I feel a Baby Surprise coming on. Koigu is terrific for that, as for so much else. Thank you for your comment, MP!

Breakfast 

Grandchildren

That's a breakfast table scene from Burnside earlier this week, with James. The two families of children meshed beautifully. I don't remember what everyone is looking at.

I forgot the big news yesterday: Granddaughter Helen Ogden got the A-Level grades she needed to go to Newcastle University. There was a cartoon in the New Yorker recently, college advisor and high-school student, the latter saying, "What college has the most closet space?" Hellie chose Newcastle for the club scene, which I gather is strong there. It's also a good university and a good city and everybody's very happy.

Comments

Haliban: it's worth following the link in Helen's comment to my post for Thursday. I had seen the story in the Scotsman earlier in the week. Unbelievable, unless you are unfortunate enough to bank with these idiots.

Thank you for the children's knitting book suggestions yesterday. I know of Melanie Falick's book. "Klutz" is news to me, but hey! we've got Google. I will explore both avenues. There was a review of something new in one of the magazines recently, the conclusion being, I think, that the new book isn't as good as Falick.

Knitting

I finished repeat #60 of the Princess Shawl edging yesterday, and am indeed half-way through #61. It's much easier now; I can even do it through the early evening news. The Wallaby is correspondingly neglected. However, today the intended recipient will turn up here, with his brothers and his parents. His father, alas, must fly back to Thessaloniki tomorrow. I think he will be the only family member missing at the Games a week today. Counting from my husband down to Thomas-the-Younger, we will be a party of 27. That includes some girlfriends who are not (yet) formally attached. 

So I will try at least to finish attaching the pouch, so as to have something to shew Fergus.

 

The adult striped Koigu 

I'm half-way through repeat #59, Princess Shawl-wise. Some dropped-stitch trouble last night, due to misplaced self-confidence leading to momentary inattention. I think the repair will stand the galloping horse test, but this evening I'll switch to the Wallaby earlier, before tiredness and cider kick in. I'm half-way across the row, attaching the Wallaby pouch. Picture soon.

Today's picture is the progress report on the country striped Koigu. I did a bit, over last weekend, but not much.

I was very pleased, in the country, about granddaughter Rachel's interest in knitting. She's working away on the French knitting spool I gave her recently, and showed me some garter stitch squares she had knit in Beijing. Her parents, neither of whom knit, think her ayi did most of the work. Never mind: Rachel is interested and, much more exciting, is discussing knitting with her ayi in Chinese. I mean to make up a package from stash of yarn for both of them, and to ask the ayi -- I'll get her name properly written down when I see them next week -- to look for some more of the wonderful merino lace-weight I bought when I was there two years ago. I think I still have a ball band.

I've been thinking about Sharon Miller's Lavender Garden shawl for Ketki (the daughter-in-law who lives in Lavender Gardens). I'd like to do it in black, but Rowan Kidsilk Haze, for which it was written, doesn't come in black. I could use Sharon's lace-weight merino, which does: that's the stuff I started the Princess Shawl with, and liked, before Sharon herself intervened and put me on the right track. But the Chinese yarn would be perfect, and I love it in my hands.

And I want to give Rachel a book with children's projects -- does anybody have any ideas? I'd give a beginning adult knitter "The Knit Stitch" and "The Purl Stitch" by Sally Melville, and EZ's Knitting Workshop, but Rachel is too young for those.

Non-Knit: the Haliban Again

When I logged on to my bank account yesterday, I saw that the sum I made over to James and Cathy on Tuesday (see yesterday's Blog) had indeed been paid, and that an identical sum had been paid into my account on the same day. My first thought was, Bank Error in Your Favour Collect £200. My second thought, ten minutes later, was that nothing had been paid into James' and Cathy's account at all: it had been a completely circular transaction. (My own home accounts program, Quicken, won't let me do that, but the Halifax Building Society knows better.) The latter assumption proved to be the case. I hope yesterday's phone call, which was at least fairly brief and pleasant, has straightened things out. James is so important and has made himself so objectionable that they have given him a phone number which connects directly with somewhere in Scotland (judging from accents) which is easier, in a crisis, than dealing with Mumbai. Although, even so, not terribly easy, as this week's events prove.

The case of the innocent Brazilian shot dead in Stockwell tube station is becoming an international incident, as well it might. The behaviour of the police exceeds by far what we hear of New York, and the initial account which the police put about -- that he was wearing a padded jacket, failed to stop when hailed, vaulted the toll machines, etc. -- turns out to be lies from beginning to end.

The vegetable garden 

The broad beans (and some grass) 

Where to start? With the vegetables, I guess.

We're back from a very happy four days in Strathardle -- driving was positively pleasant, with my new eagle eye. We were six adults and six children in a little house, and all went well. I didn't contribute much except to cook the evening meal, and that worked. Recipes turned out as they were meant to. Quantities were about right. And there is little more wonderful than setting a bowl of plain boiled potatoes on a table in front of hungry people, and having it be a dish fit for gods (because the potatoes had been dug in the previous hour).

There are yesterday's pictures. A vegetable garden can't really put up with the amount of neglect which has been enforced this summer, and rain has been sadly lacking too. But I'm glad, in the event, that I kept on recklessly driving with my sightless eyes long enough to get it planted. At least I'll be in position for next year. The potatoes are wonderful, and so are the broad beans, and there are small crops from some of the other stuff.

Medical

Foot still sore. I will get it x-rayed today.

Knitting

Not much progress in the country. Here, Sharon's Wedding Ring Shawl pattern was waiting when we got back, and it's terrific. Maybe I'll knit it when I've polished off the Princess. Ha! On that, I'm four rows short (out of 20) of finishing repeat #57. And I think it's time to attach the Wallaby pouch this evening.

The Haliban

James and Cathy, out of fecklessness rather than insolvency, had let their current account get into such a state that it had been blocked, with a Visa account unpaid. They were afraid of running out of cash before their return to China next week, and we had plenty of money in an account in the same branch (of the so-called Bank of Scotland) to bail them out. It took more than an hour, of choosing from menus and listening to music and being put on hold, with James and I alternately shouting down the telephone when we were connected to a human being. The difficulty was that the account was blocked, so I couldn't pay money into it. He finally got put through to someone senior enough to unblock it. Poof.

I had a birthday recently. I discovered that Madhur Jaffrey and I share that birthday -- not just that she was born on the same day, but also in the same year. There's a factoid for you. I feel younger already.

Grapefruit juice 

Much-needed rain is forecast for today. Helen says it is so dry in Kirkmichael that the potatoes can be lifted without spade or fork. Today I should be reunited with my dear vegetables, and see for myself.

Illustration

My husband has half a grapefruit for breakfast. When our children were young he would sit the toddler-aged one on his lap and feed it spoonfuls of juice. The picture shows him making the same offering to our grandson James in London last week.

Medical

The dr thinks I have arthritis in my left foot, which coincides with my sister's email diagnosis. I suppose that means the pain/discomfort will never go away. I am to have an x-ray when we get back from Kirkmichael next week. Yesterday afternoon I DROVE to Sainsbury's and stocked up on cider, while my husband went and got me some insoles (in-heels, really) as the dr had recommended. There is no doubt that driving is more fun when you can see where you're going.

Knitting

Janis, I can't find an "email me" button on your website (any more than there is one on mine: jean@jeanmile.demon.co.uk is the answer). Sharon specified 13 20gr balls of DMC crochet cotton for the Princess Shawl. Each ball is 330 metres, she says, so that's 4290 metres in all. Her own Gossamer Merino, which I am using, is 480 metres to 20 grams, so I ordered ten balls of that, 4800 metres, which I thought ought to be plenty.

It came yesterday, although alas the Wedding Ring pattern did not. Maybe today, although there won't be time to contemplate it as we scramble around getting ready to leave.

I notice that Sharon has a shawl pattern called "Lavender Garden" on the Heirloom Knitting website. Would Ketki wear such a shawl? I'm dubious. But she and Alexander live on a street called Lavender Gardens in London, so I'm also tempted.

Knitlist

There is a most interesting anonymous comment to my post for Thursday (I think) saying that the Knitlist is now heavily moderated, and that's why the number of messages dropped so dramatically in July. This was essentially the issue on which the Knitlist and I parted company. With the membership growing and growing, I thought moderation was the only way to make the job do-able for the Listmoms -- either that or just let-'er-rip. The others, and especially the head Listmom, were dead against it. So what I wonder now is, did they have a Road-to-Damascus, Jean-Was-Right-All-Along moment? Or has the cast changed? I am making enquiries, so far without success.

I had expected to linger on as an honorary Listmom, giving sage advice from time to time and helping in emergencies, but they threw me out.

Plans

We are going to Kirkmichael today, and should be back on Wednesday, insh'Allah. So no blog for a bit.

Our car, with weeds 

Big news -- I GOT MY NEW GLASSES.

The world is now visible with startling clarity. It is all a bit disconcerting.

We have decided to stay here today -- I will see the dr this morning about my lameness, which is if anything worse, and hit Sainsbury's this afternoon. Tomorrow we'll go to Kirkmichael IN THE CAR. It has not been driven since late June. The picture above, I hope -- I haven't taken it yet -- shows the grass growing under its feet, as it stands on the cobbles outside our front door.

The other big news is an email from Heirloom Knitting to say that my order has been dispatched (the Wedding Ring pattern, and the yarn for the Princess Shawl). So maybe TODAY! When I didn't hear from them for two days after placing the order, I had begun to think that even Sharon and Mike allowed themselves a few days off in August, but no. I think we are very fortunate that Sharon's great talents are being marketed like this. It would have been impossible without the Internet.

So yesterday I did more Wallaby than usual -- now that I can actually SEE the television set, it is interesting to be in a position to look up at it from time to time -- and correspondingly less shawl edging. Even so, I'm halfway through repeat #55. The next one will be another of my little landmarks -- perhaps I will press to finish it today. When I've done 56, the repeats remaining will be numbered only in the 20's.

Non-Knit

James phoned from Kirkmichael yesterday, where they seem to be getting on fine without us. He and Alistair were planning to camp at the bothy last night. It set me reflecting on how everybody who lives in the country must build up a set of family vocabulary for places -- in our case, "the bothy", as just mentioned; "the nettle way", "the stubble field", "the commonty", "Sim's pool", "the bumpy road", and so forth, all pretty unintelligible even to neighbours. The commonty isn't common any more, the stubble field has carried no crop except sheep for decades, and the bumpy road is now tarmac'd and as smooth as a motorway. And some such words become common among neighbours, and make it to the map. One passes signposts to places named Wolfhill and Gallowhill and, in Kirkmichael, we have the Bannerfield. I think the standard was raised there once for some rebellion or other. We hold the Games there now.

Travel socks 

Those are the socks I was working on in London. I'm pleased. It's a Regia yarn. Destined for Rachel, who seems to be getting everything these days.

The very sharp-eyed will remember that these are not the travel socks I last displayed. That is because one day when we were going somewhere -- to Pitlochry by train, I think it was -- I could find the newly-started sock all right, just where it should be, but couldn't find the second ball of yarn which would eventually be needed. I know myself and my many faults well enough to know that that's not one of them -- I wouldn't have cast on that sock if I didn't have two balls in front of me.

But I took something different (which you see above) for the train, just in case, and when we got back, tore the cupboard apart to find the missing ball. The Stash Store looks pretty chaotic, but I fact I know it well and usually have little difficulty finding a specific yarn. This time, I had actually given up and was starting to pile everything back in, when I found what I was looking for.

So eventually I'll knit those socks too.

All well else. Repeat #54 of the Princess Shawl edging is half-done. I'm having trouble with the ball of yarn, which has sort of imploded. This is probably because, when it arrived, I was in such a hurry to start that I didn't take long enough to find an end. I'm pulling from the centre. That  worked fine for a while but has ended up by eviscerating the ball. Maybe my Heirloom Knitting order will arrive today and I can start afresh.

The first episode of the American TV drama "Lost" was shewn here last night. Great Wallaby-knitting stuff it was, too.

I go on thinking about big cardigans. I like the "Bressay" in Jamieson 3, but the yarn is too heavy for my taste (and for comfort worn indoors). Perhaps I will look around for a nice DK or even 4-ply merino -- do Jaeger do one? -- and re-write the pattern.

Queer Joe is on holiday and has brought someone in to guest-Blog for him. There's glory for you.

Knitlist

I had a nice comment from Heidi yesterday, about my question about the Knitlist. She's right, of course, that the big lists are simply too big these days, and such pleasure as is still to be derived from list membership comes from the smaller, speciality ones. But why the sudden, big drop in Knitlist mail for July? It's early yet to say how August is shaping.

Non-Knit

My foot still hurts. Ibuprofen helps a bit, but the loafers made no difference and have been discarded. Sainsbury's has discontinued deliveries in our part of town due to the bloody Festival. I have to do a lot of walking to get supplies, if I want to go on drinking cider. No news on the glasses, so the question of how and when we go to Strathardle to join James and his family (and my vegetables) remains unresolved.

 

 

Alexander and James 

Medical

I saw my oculist yesterday. He seemed as pleased as I am with my new eye -- and what a joy it was to be able to read right down to the bottom of the chart. New glasses will be ready in a day or two (I had thought it would take more than a week), and I should be able to go right on driving after the second operation, on September 3. So that's good.

But I spent all of yesterday, at least all the hours of it in which I was standing up, in some considerable discomfort on account of my left foot. Worse than it had been in London. My doctor sister, who is also my most faithful reader, suggested ibrupofen. I started taking that yesterday evening, and also discarded my shoes in favour of an old pair of Timberland loafers -- too good to wear, and so not worn out. Things seem much better this morning. I have an appointment to see a doctor on Friday but may not need it.

I suppose it is inevitable that one spends one's eighth decade patching up one bit of oneself after another. One should be glad to have an eighth decade.

London

 is full of policemen. Where did they get them all from? We saw some on Whitehall carrying those sinister little machine guns. There were constant warnings in the stations to keep your luggage with you at all times. As if a suicide bomber would do anything else.

We saw no yarn, but lots of art. "Colour After Klein" at the Barbican was probably the best, but Joshua Reynolds at the Tate was pretty good too. The Royal Academy summer show was a bit of a bore.

Our son Alexander is a brilliant cook. Above, he is preparing Thomas-the-Younger's Christening lunch, with help from his son James.

Knitting

I have taken up the Princess shawl where I left off, with very little loss in my memory of the pattern. Nearly finished with repeat no #52.

The Wallaby is at a pleasant no-brain round-and-round point, and that progresses too.

I've got the Bavarian Travelling Stitch books, and feel a bit daunted. Do I really want to embark on something so ambitious? Perhaps better to attempt travelling stitch on something smaller first, a child's vest, maybe. I got out a Jamieson book and began thumbing it for simpler possibilities for my long cardigan with pockets. I am always surprised when I hear of someone who has finished a project and doesn't know what to do next. For me, a serious part of the pleasure of knitting one thing at a time is thinking, like this, of what comes next, refining ideas, choosing yarn, so that the instant the last end is woven in or button sewed on, the next thing is ready to go.

Knitlist

I don't get emails from them any more, but I'm still a member and occasionally have a look when I'm at Yahoo anyway. The numbers continue their inexorable rise, the messages seem as dull as ever. (Things are much more interesting here now that I do all the talking.) But I was struck by the fact that there were nearly 700 fewer messages last month than in July '04. That's odd. Why did it happen?