Checking up on my Vogue Knitting Book collection was the right thing to do – three of my four coverless ones are currently listed on eBay. I won’t pay silly prices for them, but I’ll certainly be in there bidding. Also, I found the box file with my other WWII patterns-for-the-troops booklets; and the one with the most recent of all British VK’s, from the late 60’s, and felt like the woman in the parable who swept out the house and found her groat. They’re all lined up on the floor, now, in front of one of the knitting-book bookcases.

The deal with the owner of No 16 is concluded. She'll post it today, snow permitting.

After the VKB disappeared, it was replaced, over here, with a redesigned Vogue Knitting which lasted for four years, eight issues (and included, amongst other good things, Kaffe’s first published pattern, in No. 7). I wonder now whether that was a solely-British venture, to compensate for the loss of the companion American edition of the VKB which had lasted for just over 20 years, from the late war years until the mid-sixties? There’s much that I wonder which could only be straightened out from the Conde Nast files themselves.

When did Vogue Knitting International start up, come to that? I think I missed the first few issues.

Otherwise, little to report. I have set in the second sleeve. Three-needle binding off, at least for set-in sleeves, takes at least twice as long as sewing. But looks much neater. I hope it's not too tight. It only remains to sew the sleeve seams, tidy up, block, and sew on some buttons. I am sure the placket will never be worn buttoned, but they’ve got to be there. I hate sewing on buttons..

Charlotte, the bound-off edge is on the outside. As far as I am concerned, that is the whole point of three-needle binding-off. On the shoulders, I have got one of those little rows of dots on the back of the sweater, such as you get on the wrong side when you make a stripe of colour in st st or garter stitch. I have managed to avoid that on the sleeves. How? I’m not very good at thinking.

Tamar, I think you’re right that the pink is OK. The idea was in a vague sort of way to echo its Calcutta Cup appearance and make the whole thing look more intentional.

Weather

We had a filthy day all day yesterday, but no snow. Here is a picture Rachel took of her two daughters, Lizzie and Hellie. Lizzie’s school was closed. Hellie and Rachel herself couldn’t get to work. There were no busses in London, few suburban trains and not much underground.