I went up to St James Centre yesterday with a prescription for Boots, and the American Christmas postings. I submitted the prescription and went across the passage to the post office. You take a number there and wait your turn. There were 60 – six-oh, sixty -- numbers ahead of mine. A few of them didn't show, having presumably died and gone to Heaven before their turn came, but it was still a long wait.

I had expected something of the sort, and had the Pakokku sock with me. But for the first considerable while, I couldn't sit down. I was mildly encouraged to see that other old ladies were being offered seats, but not me. Perhaps I didn't look as old and downtrodden as I felt. Eventually I sat, and got a bit more done.

With a little bit of luck, that will be my last post office experience for this Christmas.

The Sensible Christmas Project isn't quite finished after all. I finished the chart and started the decreases – and then remembered that there was something in the pattern about knitting on until a certain measurement had been achieved, after the chart and before the shaping.

There wasn't much in it, but there was a bit, so I ripped back and inserted four rows. It's lovely yarn, with a memory of its own, so retrieving the stitches are re-seating them wasn't too bad. The shaping is now well under way, and should be finished this evening.

We've had an interesting question from Abi about how to knit a Giant Anteater. That must be a first. It's in a comment on an older post, so you might have missed it. I assume the pattern is in Knit Your Own Zoo – I meant to get it down and have a look, but I didn't, and it's in the bedroom where my husband is still asleep, so Giant Anteaters will have to wait until tomorrow. Abi has probably solved the problem herself long since.

Sue sent me this link to a blog post about the Yarn Harlot's speed knitting class. Goodness, how I wish she would teach that class for Craftsy. Maybe I should suggest it to them. I've saved the link in Evernote, but haven't yet followed all of the blogger's own links. I mean to get back to my Shetland knitting belt when the current projects are dispatched. The Rams & Yowes yarn is too harsh and unforgiving for a speed-knitting-learner, and the Milano too heavenly an experience to be sullied by struggling.

But I bought yarn for a Fair Isle vest when I was in Jamieson & Smith that happy, happy day in September. One day it will come top of the HALFPINT list, and that's when the knitting belt will come out of hiding.

I am struck in Zite this morning with the Ravello pattern. At first, I hoped it might be another Carol Sunday, but it's not. But I like it, and maybe Sunday could provide the yarn anyway. I could make a project of knitting sweaters named after Italian cities. And I have been to both Milan and Ravello.