All continues well. I’m within a few rows of polishing off the first sleeve of the mitered jacket.

Liz, I think the easiest provisional cast-on is the one where you crochet provisional stitches directly onto the needle. Indeed, watching Lucy Neatby demonstrate it, I wonder why I bother with anything else.

Mary Lou, thanks for the help on ssk and k2tog. And I’ve sort of figured out the answer to my other question, namely why such different results from slip 1 knitwise and slip 1 purlwise, at the beginning of each row (the inside beginning, where the garter stitch border is hitched to the live sleeve).

It’s not the orientation of the slipped stitch that matters. The difference is because – this will have been perfectly obvious to everyone else for years – when you slip the first stitch, the yarn has to travel across it to get to the second stitch and start knitting. The side you pull it across on shews a tidy little knot. That pleasant chain is on the other side.

And Kristie, yes, isn’t EZ amazing? She was fond of mitred corners in garter stitch -- the design of this one has something to do with the Baby Surprise, and even more with Round the Bend which she worked on with Meg fairly late in her life. Round the Bend must have led her mind on to this, which she didn’t finish.

And as for the brioche stitch hat – great minds think alike. I was in John Lewis yesterday, on a brief visit to the yarn dep’t after picking up a prescription at Boots, and thought of what a comfort it was in recent years to knit those big scarves in the dark weeks which are right in front of us now – one for Thomas-the-Elder, one year; one the following year for James, both in Rowan Cocoon. And I thought, all I need to do, really, is find a big, soft yarn I like and set off in brioche stitch. One doesn’t need a pattern.

I’ve knit that hat you mention. I think I just cast on twice as many stitches as she says. I love her description of the stitch as “fruity” – perfect word! Meg has figured out how to do brioche stitch in the round. I attempted that once, and failed. Back and forth is easy and wonderfully soothing – just what’s wanted in November.

While I was there, I noticed that Kaffe is coming. He’ll be in the John Lewis café one evening towards the end of November, reading from and signing his new book. Thursday the 29^th, very likely. The event costs £10. You have to be pretty good for people to pay to come to an event at which they can buy your book.

Joe, thanks for the comment. I think you’ll have fun with the jacket.

And Hat, thanks for the Jacques Cousteau hat (Ravelry link). Perfect. I’ve downloaded it, and will soon print. I love the way the ribs behave on the top of the hat.

Family news

The Beijing Mileses have adopted a cat