Since the fronts and back of the Silk Garden Cardy were worked side-to-side, I decided that grafting was probably the nicest way to join them. As I was working same, it occurred to me that this pattern could have been converted without a terrible amount of trouble for the Whole Body to be worked from center front to center front with no side seaming necessary and, thus, no breaks in the striping pattern. It’s funny how these brilliant ideas so seldom hit me AHEAD of time.

The Silk Garden Cardy is seaming up like a dream -- even the sleeves. How much of this is due to the 194 hours I spent getting these pieces blocked properly? (Note to those familiar with my sleeve woes, I'm doing these same as the Ruffley Cardy: setting the seamed sleeve in and backstitching.)

How come Rowan and, by extension, Debbie Bliss, don't specify what SIZE buttons?

I have acquired two new magazines lately: Knit It! and Vogue KI Winter issue. The Knit It! was awful, dreadful, but the new Vogue is very good. I particularly liked the “Sweater in the City” collection. However, not having the Winter issue until January means (to me) that it is too late to make any of the designs in time to wear them. As a point of irony, the editor’s column is about how magazines work ahead of seasons: putting together a summer issue with warm-weather clothes in winter and so on. Then, of course, they release it in the middle of summer and by the time I am done with one of their summer designs it is freezing cold. Good Example: the Bliss Ruffley Cardy which is, I am sure, looking forward to spring so that it can make its debut.