I have finished my scarf.

It is made of Rowan Kid Classic in Bear colour, with accents at both ends in Berocco Metallic FX in Copper/Black. It's long- it wraps twice around my neck and still has plenty of dangle- and about five inches wide, since I like narrow scarves more than wide ones. I blocked it with the iron to deal with the tendency of stockinette to curl, even when the edges are done in a nice flat stitch like seed. when I get the chance I'll scan some of this and put it on the Web to be seen. Next up: work on my sister's alpaca scarf, probably in the False Entrelac pattern, and also the Knitted Triangle Shawl in Lion Brand's Trellis.

oceansong told me last night that I am a yarnie the way other people are foodies. I would normally object, saying I am also something of a foodie (ask the people at the Culinary Arts and Hospitality offices at County College of Morris) and am quite happy to knit with acrylic if it suits the task to hand, but then again I am knitting a hat in part-qiviut yarn and spent the better part of an hour fussing over exactly what yarn fiber would tell my sister 'look, this is lovely, and lo, it is not weird!' best. So... yeah, yarnie.

ka_crow, I haven't forgotten you. I've got the recycled sari silk ready to go for a hat as soon as I determine how many stitches I need to cast on to my circular needle, since it's not exactly a standard-thickness yarn and has a weird gauge.

Another reason to be proud of people

An e-mail saved this boy's life
By Jane Elliott
BBC News health reporter

Few thought this little boy would survive after he was bitten by a snake in Nepal.

His parents consulted a Shaman who bound the boy's leg so tightly with a tourniquet it went gangrenous.

When doctors eventually saw him they were at a loss to know how to save him. The bandage had been on for 25 days and his leg was hanging off.

Everyone was resigned to him dying.

But his life was saved by the dedication of an English lord and his wife, their aid charity and a team of the best surgeons in the world.

Some of world's top surgeons were consulted and gave their advice that his leg should be amputated as quickly as possible to save his life. Against the odds he survived and he is now waiting to have an artificial leg fitted.

From the front room of their home near Canterbury, Lord and Lady Swinfen mastermind an e-mail system that puts hospitals in the developing world in touch with the best surgeons in their field.

The project ensures that whatever the time of day or night and whatever the time zone there is always someone available to answer pleas for help and trigger a response...

That'd be the Swinfen Charitable Trust, whose web site can be perused here.