Well, my knitting has progressed to the extent that I have finished the back of my sweater and I’m very pleased with how it is looking, although I’m still wondering what on earth I will wear undeneath it. Whatever I choose, it will need to look right as it will show not only at the neckline, but through the lace panels once they’ve opened up on the initial post-construction wash.

Here’s the lace design in a bit more detail. I’m happy to say that adding the single purl stitch gulley to each side of the panel worked like magic and I managed to learn the row repeat so that I was having to consult the pattern much less by the end of the back. The front has the same panel, and then the sleeves have a single column of the lace stitch, so I still have plenty of it to work on.

I’m also pleased to report that changing from the 3.5mm wooden needles to the 3.5mm metal needles made not a scrap of difference in gauge and is invisible in the finished piece. I really like the metal needles so I’m more than happy to finish the garment with this pair.

Now, a little story. You may recall that I bought an old portable typewriter a couple of years back. I have to admit it is not a useful object, more a cheerful bit of decor (although that’s as much due to constrictions in my current dwelling as it is to practicality of the object). That same year I was really attracted to a Christmas tree bauble which Marks and Spencer were selling which was the shape of a retro typewriter. Unfortunately, it was part of a pack of four baubles and I didn’t much care for the other three so I passed up on it, although I did think if the pack was reduced in the sale I’d buy it. Of course, when I went to the sale there were none to be found.

At the weekend my daughter directed me to the John Lewis website to look at their Christmas themes for this year, which are all based around art movements. (There’s a lot of enjoyment to be had just looking at the decorating ideas and I recommend you take a look unless you are inclined to feel a little Scrooge-like about the festive season.) Anyway, one of the themes is Bloomsbury, the artistic and writing group from the early part of the twentieth century, and one of the baubles was a typewriter. An even nicer typewriter, I may say, than the one I didn’t buy two years ago. I had a morning in town yesterday and nabbing this before it sold out was high on my list.

I love my Christmas tree and always aim to get one super bauble to add to it each year. Needless to say, I’m very pleased to be have this one for 2020, especially as I didn’t add any new items last year because it was so soon after I moved flat and baubles were the last thing on my mind.

I think in closing, I will just say how very much I still like that Noodle Soup Yarns sock yarn alongside this sweater. I really will have to do something with it, although quite what that will be is a mystery to me, except that I know it won’t be socks.