One of you gave me Kate Davies' “Hap for Harriet” pattern yesterday. Sue, I have left a grateful message for you over on Ravelry, but words can't do it. It was a wonderful kindness.

As it happens, I had to change the ink cartridges in the printer yesterday. They are so expensive that I use the printer as rarely as possible, so it took a while to figure out how to proceed. (It's easy: open the printer, take the old cartridges out, put the new ones in.) Then I tested the success of the operation by printing the pattern and stapling it together and putting it in Kate's “Colours of Shetland”.

And then I spent a while with that delightful book. I had almost forgotten that I have the yarn for the Northmavine Hap – Kristie made me buy it, that day we were in Jamieson & Smith, after I had bought the lace yarn I'm now using and some of their Shetland Heritage yarn for a Fair Isle vest, and been given the Rams & Yowes kit as an 80^th birthday present from Kate herself. Kristie has knit the Northmavine Hap, and says that darning in the ends is a bore.

Then I had to buy a zippered carrier bag to get the yarn home.

As for what's actually happening here, I'm halfway around round 98 of the borders of the Unst Bridal Shawl. Round 99 will finish off the current batch of motifs, I ought to be able to achieve that today.

As for the Fear of Lace, do read Mary Lou's comment yesterday, Kristie. And there is a touching passage in Sharon Miller's description of the Queen Ring Shawl – it is an antique shawl which she owns, and has re-created in the published pattern. She says that the original knitter has had to insert an extra plain stitch in an section which Sharon illustrates close-up. I can't see it, myself. Then she says, “It looks as if she accidentally caused this by doing a 'k3tog' instead of a 'k2tog' on the first 'half bead diamond' which she corrected. To see such things done by experts is a comfort for us distracted knitters, and tells of long past events that caused the knitter's mind to wander temporarily – just as ours can do today!”

That's an interesting idea, Ariana, of using that little hole in a circular needle (see comment yesterday) to insert a lifeline. The wonderful needle I am using – I hope I have a record somewhere of what it is – doesn't seem to have a little hole, but I am sure I have seen them.

I hope Blogger's recent eccentricities of font size will have smoothed themselves out by today.