You're right, of course, Victoria (private message). Jimmy Bean has plenty of Roasted Hatch Chillies in madelinetosh DK. In fact, I think the number you found (13) might represent the number they had in the morning minus the eight skeins I ordered.

I'm sure that's too many. The order was based on their own Yarn Calculator, and influenced by the fact that my husband has been grumbling that all the sweaters in his drawer – which I have been taking in to the hospital one by one for him to try – are too tight. I will measure him and calculate K anew when the time comes.

When it came to the pinch, Jimmy B turned out to have one skein less of Woodstock than I wanted (won't say “needed”). Roasted Hatch Chillies is clearly a more active and energetic shade than dear old Georgia O'K, which is a nearly-solid. And a somewhat lighter shade. Still, as I said yesterday of Woodstock, if my husband doesn't like it, I've got Whiskey Barrel to fall back on.

I seem to have ordered more of that than the pattern specifies – why on earth? – and the pattern seems to be consuming less than the specification. I will only just have joined in the third skein when I finish the back, and I will be nearly half-way through, I think. Front is truncated, sleeves are narrow and short. The pattern asks for seven skeins. I bought nine.

Last night I went on with swatching. I have decided that I've done enough of the first swatch, and have finished it off, and started the second, with garter stitch bands. The second swatch is what happens when you start with a colour on the colour wheel, draw a line straight across, and then, instead of using the colour you hit on the opposite edge of the wheel, you use the ones on either side of it.

There's a name for that sort of harmony but I've forgotten what it is. I'll have to re-visit Lesson Two. I sort of gathered that you can do anything you like with the colour wheel as long as you do it symmetrically.

Non-knit

I have decided to give the Games a miss, very sadly.

David and Helen on Wednesday were tired and cross and anxious about the state of their flat. Yesterday, they came home radiant: the builders have finished, and have made a brilliant job of cleaning up after themselves, and it all looks wonderful.