No better luck with the camera this morning. Sorry about that. Dropbox is determined to claim  for itself the entire contents of the camera memory card, and I have just given up and am letting it proceed. Once that's done, I can presumably have access to my pictures.

I knit fearlessly on with the Bridal Shawl edging, and have earned myself another percentage point.

Thanks for your comment, Tamar, (December 31), suggesting that Shetland knitters may occasionally have used wrap-and-turn themselves, to achieve garter stitch in the round. I wonder – I think the traditional thing is to knit lace, like Fair Isle, on long needles stuck into a belt. (I'd love to see that technique demonstrated – I think the only answer is, I'll have to go back.) With Fair Isle, everything is snug enough that the work can be done in the round, on three needles, and will dangle securely when the knitter needs to dig a potato or change a nappie. That wouldn't work with lace, where the stitches are determined to escape.

It would make sense that the traditional way in that case is to knit back and forth on two needles with never more than a quarter or so of the shawl on the needle at any one time. But I'd like to know a lot more. Towards the end, a lot of shawl would be suspended even if the stitches weren't active – the knitter would have to be excused potato-digging duty.

I'm not going to attempt Shetland-belt knitting with this one (although that reminds me that I must go back and add that skill to my hope-to-get-done list for 2014). Enough is enough. It occurred to me, however, that I could wrap every corner stitch, although of course only turning on the fourth one. If I do that, all four diagonal lines might look equally strong. If you can't disguise it, make a feature of it: excellent advice a seamstress friend gave me once.

We didn't hear from her this Christmas, and I can't think of anyone to ask about her. The incoming cards brought the usual usual seasonal tidings of death and dementia – and one instance of separation (one doesn't expect that so much, at our time of life). Most worrying of all are the cards that don't arrive. The whole thing is rather like a celestial game of dodge ball.