Well, I actually got home late on Tuesday night, but since then it’s been a whirl of work, knitting group and spinning group, all in a bit of a sleepy haze. But now it’s Saturday at last, I have no plans to leave the house, and I’m finally feeling a bit more human. I think I must have had some sort of minor virus that left me with a huge dose of post-viral fatigue, it seems to be going round at work.
So, my last two days in London. On Monday we managed to drag ourselves out of the flat in time to stagger to Hammersmith for lunch, then we decided that a nice walk by the river might just wake us up. Wrong. We just about made it from Hammersmith Bridge to Putney Bridge, but it was a struggle – it’s only about a mile and a half, which shows just how weak and feeble we were. We did stop to watch some small boys being taught how to row, which seemed to consist of them dipping their oars into the water at random points, and occasionally missing it altogether. Bless. It was funny though. No photos, it was grey and miserable, and I was tired.
Lucy had to go home in the afternoon, and in the evening Kerri and I took at bus to up Diane’s, where we sat and ate pizza, drank wine, knitted, and admired her yarn collection until we gave in to exhaustion at the ridiculously early hour of 9pm.
On Tuesday I wanted to have a poke around Liberty and John Lewis, so we hopped on a bus – this one took a while, so there was time for knitting.
I wanted to look at dress fabric at John Lewis, but it was very disappointing – I was after Linen mix or thickish cotton mixes to make skirts, but everything seemed to be very fine, or else had mad tiny floral patterns. The yarn is also unexciting, unless you’re looking for Rowan, of which there is lots.
I was more excited by the furnishing fabric, and succumbed to two pieces from the remnants bin.
One is plain fabric with velvet flowers and leaves/stems – I don’t know what I’m going to do with it, but it was beautiful and it was half price. Still £20 for a metre, but one day the perfect project for it will come along. The other is oilcloth, which I’m going to use to make a cover for the white plastic table outside – it got left all winter, and now the surface has gone and it’s all grey, so this’ll cover it up nicely.
Then we headed up to Liberty, which was also a bit disappointing – they don’t really seem to know what they’re doing with their haberdashery section, and it all seemed a bit messy.
It’s a beautiful building though.
I didn’t buy anything, which I felt was very restrained. Don’t laugh.
Next we headed up to MacCulloch and Wallis, just over the road from John Lewis. Again there wasn’t any fabric which inspired me, but I can see how this would be a useful shop to have locally – there’s a huge selection of ribbons and trimmings upstairs, but I find it hard to buy them without a project in mind. Well, it could be very easy to buy them, but I just know that whatever I needed would always be something different. So I was restrained again. At this point it started raining (this was something of a theme of the weekend, but we managed to be inside for most of it), so we headed back, via a few more fabric shops, but by that point I was really just too tired to be interested.
I came home on Tuesday night, lugging all my purchases across London on a busy tube, then up to York on a busy train, and regretting that I’d taken/bought so much with every move I made. But I made it here eventually, and pretty much collapsed in a heap.
This is what I’ve been knitting during the weekend and this week – it’s a second Hypernova, the smaller version this time, in Wollmeise 100% merino in the Miss May colourway. I needed something that would look pretty but be easy to knit whilst talking, so I hurriedly cast on and got past the slightly more complicated initial section on the train down, then it was all plain sailing.
I think this pattern is just perfect for showing off the beautiful Wollmeise colours.
Of course when I got home I was dying to cast on something with my new yarn, but I’ve been very good and forced myself to finish a project first, and I’m pleased to report that the Kidsilk Haze shawl which was started by Rachel before she lost the will to live and sent it to me to finish is now blocking.
Last night I started swatching for Cria in the Blacker Yarns Jacob/mohair I bought, I’ll finish the swatch tonight in front of the TV. I think it will block to the correct gauge – I’m getting 26 sts/4” at the moment, and I need 24, on 3.5mm needles (this is for my own reference as much as anything!) I’ll wash and block and weight the swatch as instructed, then have a think.
But right now I’m going to start the shawl in the Skein Queen cashmere I bought, which is all wound up and ready to go. Mmmm, cashmere.
Sorry that your break was spooky by feeling rubbish. There’s nothing worse than going in a trip and feeling too rubbish to do all the things you want to for as long as you want to.
The Hypernova is a nice pattern I’ve never done. Yours is looking lovely.
Sorry your trip ended with you being sick….you got some lovelies though! I love the color of the Wollmeise…and the Kid Silk Haze shawl is gorgeous!
I just picked up the newest Knitscene and there is an article about yarn shops in London. They mention “All the Fun of the Fair”, “I Knit London” and “Loop”. The first one looks like it’s in Liberty…maybe? Did you see it? (Just curious really. No plans to visit the UK anytime soon, unfortunately.) Anyway, great post…loved the colors of your new Hypernova! Can’t wait to see the cashmere take shape, too.
Hi, it’s not in Liberty, it’s in a small arcade just off Carnaby St – similar set up, but minus the wood panelling! Liberty’s just one shop though.
I did see the article, but I was a bit wary since they described iKnit as bright and somewhere you’d want to spend a few hours – the only times I’ve been I’ve just wanted to get out again, it seems grubby and unwelcoming to me. Plus the last time I went the owner was rude to me – and I’m not the only one I’ve heard he’s been rude to.
Loop on the other hand is lovely – if you do ever get over here, head in that direction!
The cashmere is finished, it’s blocking now – photos soon :)
It seems from comments in the KN group on Ravelry that you weren’t the only one to feel grotty that weekend. I do like the fabric with the velvet flowers and look forward to seeing what you make with it.