I'm a man who likes to talk to a man who likes to talk

When I was in america I bought a copy of The Maltese Falcon, one of my favourite films. I watched it again last week and was reminded of this quote (by 'the fat man' when talking to our hero sam spade) just this morning when two of my colleagues were yacking away behind me. There is a new boy in the office and you know how some people recruit in their image? I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it but he and his manager have been yacking away non stop for about 4 hours and it's getting on my t*ts. Which just about sums up everything at the moment.

Think I have a bit of PMT as everything seems to be annoying me at the moment. Also doesn't help that I feel like I'm coming down with something and have ghastly quantities of work to do for the even more ghastly MBA. Anyway, we will not be diverted by such dreariness from the main raison d'etre - the love of the knit.

I have got so far along with my sock wool jumper that I have actually blocked the back sectioons and both sleeves. I'm determined to have the seams on the outside and have been pondering how best to do it. Anne at NWKTog was talking on wednesday about a jacket she is making in panels of garter stitch. The panels are joined by picking up along the sides and then doing a three needle bind off. I've done this before on a couple of things and I do like the effect it gives but the more I think about it the less I like the idea of picking up along the edges and then binding off. This leaves me with two options in my eyes-

1. Crochet
2. Backstitching the seams with the wrong sides together and doing this about two stitches in from the actual edges.

Crochet would be easier but I don't think the seams would come out suitably bunchy (technical term, as Kate would say) so although it leaves more scope for disaster I think I'm going to go for option 2. Also it doesn't make any sense to do this on the arm seams so will just do it for the body and the armhole itself. Sorted.

I'm also on the homeward stretch of these bloody jaywalkers that I started years ago (or was it just june?). I have a craving for some comfy two-needle socks using the yarn my sp10 pal sent me in pink and green. I neeeeeed them.

Lastly, on my way to the tutorial last night I scored an obscene amount of buttons in a charity shop. Truly awesome. Started looking at them this morning and there are some real beauties. Photos at the weekend...