All well. I finished the st st part of the first sleeve of the mitered jacket – and determined that I had done so, somewhat short of the measurement given in the book, by trying it on. There’s something to be said for this top-down business.

And I’ve started the garter stitch panel which finishes things off. The provisional cast-on went smoothly enough on the second attempt, although I wonder whether I have done it quite right. But there are stitches there which can be reclaimed somehow-or-other for the final graft.

The first attempt was too loose. I proceeded for a few rows before deciding, no. When in doubt, take it out, is an invaluable general rule which applies to more than knitting.

So now I’m knitting along, attaching the garter stitch band to the sleeve stitch by stitch and realising there are things about the smallest details which I still don’t understand.

(The sleeve isn't bloused. The border will go all the way around, with both border and sleeve remaining flat.)

The book says to join the last border stitch to the next sleeve stitch with a k2tog tbl. What’s the difference, if any, between that and ssk? The book says to begin each row (at the back, at the sleeve edge, just after joining and turning around) with a slip 1 kwise. I noticed this after I had already done half-a-dozen slip 1’s pwise, and switched, and then switched back The purlwise slips produce the familiar chain effect, which I like and have retained. Slipping the stitch knitwise results in a sort of knot. The total effect would be tidy, and less of a feature than the chain.

You can perhaps even see how I have recently done two attachments with a slip 1 kwise, before reverting:

I ought to know more than I do about such things.

I’m going to have a complete skein of yarn left over, plus a substantial collection of little oddballs thanks to the moths. Watchcaps? I had a look at Ravelry this morning. The ones most to my taste are those with deep, deep ribbed turnovers, for keeping ears warm in serious situations.

Miscellany

I finished my trashy book, “Breed” – not really as good as “Rosemary’s Baby” after all, but very skilful – and found I had no idea where to turn next. One thing Kindle can't supply is the experience of wandering around a bookshop reading a page here and there.

So I am reading “Parade’s End”. We didn’t persevere with the television series, but I found, like you, Shandy, that having seen even the first episode got the characters and start-off situation straightened out for me. Now I’m getting used to the way Ford proceeds, and enjoying it a lot. But it's not for bedtime reading.

We saw a bit, a very little, of the presidential debate on the news last night. The president looked tired, and a lot older than he used to be. I am sure the function of every presidential organ is constantly monitored, so he couldn’t be ill. He must just be weary. It was a bit worrying, though.