I found Knitter’s for Fall ’03 without difficulty, among the magazines stacked on the bedroom shelves (and beginning to colonise the floor). That’s the issue with Kay Dalquist’s “Round Trip” jacket – almost certainly the last thing I actually knit from Knitter’s. This is James' wife Cathy, photographed on Boxing Day '05, which explains the festive glass. The setting is clearly London.

That jacket had a tendency to slip backwards off the shoulders -- I remember other knitters grumbling.

It seemed so much better than the magazine I gave up recently – for one thing, it’s got articles to read. For another, it’s got knittable patterns.

And the Strong Heel sounds as good as it did in The Sock Knitter’s Handbook. Simple and brilliant – I think I could read it through once more and then do it without consulting the text. It’s certainly the one I am going to try next, when I get back to my Sock Project.

Not much else to report. The snood has reached stripe CDD. I should achieve DDD today, the turning point. Time for a picture.

My husband left his hat at Mass a month ago. I have braved the sacristy twice without recovering it. So we are looking at watch cap patterns. And – who knows? – the Tulip Cardigan could turn up this week. And Archie’s kilt hose are still on the horizon. Plenty to do. Perhaps the kilt hose could incorporate an interesting heel.

A tea cosy for Mt Pelion is somewhere there at the end of the list. Our Greek family are now back in position, after a happy Easter week on Pelion. The Orthodox Easter was a week later than the Western one,this year.

From the left, Helen's husband David, Mungo, a Greek neighbour, Fergus, I guess that must be Archie, and another Greek neighbour. In the centre, the unfortunate Paschal lamb. 

And meanwhile, back at the ranch, I have heard nothing more about the dining room ceiling, so today I must ring up the insurance broker. When the water was actually raining down on Palm Sunday, we alerted the downstairs neighbours, fearing it would go on through.

It didn’t, thank goodness, but they came up and helped, and contributed excellent advice. (a) hire a dehumidifier – they supplied an address; and (b) deal with the insurance broker, not directly with the insurer.

I’ve been in touch with Helen C.K.S. about the Man She Knows who could remove and store at least the larger pieces of furniture (comment, last time). I like the idea a lot. And my doctor-sister sensibly warns that a houseful of plaster dust won’t be good for my husband’s breathing. I’ll have to take some thought about that. It won’t be any good for mine, either.