A pretty good day. I have decided to proceed with the shawl edging until I finish the first side -- perhaps that will even be tomorrow. I've done 9 of the second 16 scallops. I'm terribly pleased with the yarn. What a good thing I read the mail in my Promotions folder that day!

You're right, Shandy, this edging is very like the one on the Houlland shawl in the Haps book, except for being simpler. I'm sorry to hear about your "ugly ridge". I learned what little I know about shawl-knitting from Amedro, who very much prefers edging-first. She has a simple and elegant picture in "Shetland Lace" showing a needle being slipped through that edge chain. I suppose nowadays it must be on YouTube. (Sharon Miller, on the other hand, I suspect of being a fan of centre-out.) 

Maybe the ridge isn't ugly?

I suspect Mrs Hunter of Unst (or James Norbury) of making this old Paton's pattern as easy as possible, while still looking fancy, for the benefit of us southerners. The pattern is written, remember, in 6 separate parts, to be sewn together. That's what I did in 1958. It's unlikely it was ever done like that on Unst. Now I'm trying to Amedro-ize the pattern and knit it in one piece, edging-in.

I plan, at least at the moment, to keep the borders in garter stitch by wrapping and turning. That will make a strong line at the relevant corner, but otherwise solves the problem. Purling -- no. I have knit a shawl using Fleegle's brilliant system, but I got a bit tangled up in it. I seem to remember that I got a bit tangled up in wrap-and-turn when I was knitting Hellie's wedding shawl -- "the ugly corner". But I have done it successfully in the past.

I'll take a picture of my swift for you in tomorrow's light. It stands in a corner and has had the same ball of yarn on it, half-wound, for quite a while.

I've heard from Deramores that my 2nd striped hat has been dispatched -- no grumble about the inadequate charge for postage, so it must be coming from within the UK. But the email claims to emanate from Deramores-US. If it does turn up, I think I'll try to dash it off in time for Christmas.

What hasn't turned up is my Knitzi. 

Non-knit

Gretchen (Stashdragon) I will happily tell you the winner and runners-up in David's Boring Book of 2016 race -- but of course can't do so until after Christmas. He knows he's getting a Boring Book. 

I took another forward step towards Christmas. I got the cards out, and decided we didn't have quite enough, and ordered more. (I get them from Aid to the Church in Need – efficient service, nice holy cards, very reasonably priced.) Next I must ensure that I have enough ink cartridges for my fountain pen, rarely used in the other eleven months. I have composed a round-robin to enclose, where appropriate – a form of composition I only adopted last year, although I hugely enjoy getting them. Maybe tomorrow I will even print an initial run, and write a few cards.