Knit Nation

I'm certainly glad to be home!

But having said that, I am extremely glad that I went. It was a great event, very well organised, tutors all where they were supposed to be, helpful volunteers to point you in the right direction if lost, super market, lots of lovely people.

Slightly to my surprise, I ran in to many, many people that I knew, most of them entirely serendipitously - including those that I knew were going and that I had arrangements to meet at various times. I would come out of a door or go round a corner and there someone would be, just in time for a meal or ready for a chat. It was fabulous! I had been emailing back and forth with the friend who was coming home with me, and we had come to the conclusion that I would probably have to track her down to her teaching room. But I headed out in search of dinner on the first evening, and there she was, together with another person that I had wanted to find. So we went off in a gang and had a lovely Indian meal and a good catch-up.

The next morning I had no class booked, so I had a leisurely start and got in to the market early. I was not intending - and succeeded, more or less - in buying all that much. But I had Wollmeise in my sights.....



(Erk! Flickr has gone and modernified itself whilst I have been away, and I am not sure what this is going to end up like. Fingers crossed.......)

It was pretty impossible to take sensible photographs of the Wollmeise stand, because of the crush of people around it most of the time, and the enormous choice of yarns. So, hence just a tiny flavour. I bought three sock yarns ofr me, one as a gift for the poor, abandoned DSM, and a big skein of lace weight, also for me (oops.) Apart from that, one plait of pretty dyed fibre (not all that much fibre around as one should expect at a knitting event, I suppose) another set of Knit Pro dpns, a shawl pattern and a beautiful large button destined to be a shawl fastening one day. Oh, and a Knit Nation tote to put everything in!

I went to the Ravelry talk given by Jess and Casey that night, and was very glad I had done so. Most interesting and they seem an engaging as well as talented pair. Next day in the market, I was a shameless groupie.....



This was after my second class, which had meant an early start, as not only did I have to get breakfast, but as I had screwed up my lodging booking, I also had to pack and check out, ready to move to another student residence for Saturday night.

I treated myself to a taxi ride. Ulp. Expensive, but actually, well worth it, as not only did I have a lovely old-fashioned London cabbie from Essex, but the ride across the city was both interesting and terrifying. By this time, I was becoming somewhat overwhelmed with the constant noise, and seeing the huge crush of people everywhere made me realise just how much of a country mouse I have become - and glad to be so!

I did also manage to get a glimpse of the ship in a bottle on the fourth plinth, so that was cool.

Anyway, I had a peaceful night, and then hiked over to Kings Cross to meet N and get the train home - a lovely, uneventful ride with plenty of time to chat, admire the green or gold fields and KNIT!!

Monday we spent more or less just mooching around, with more knitting and chatting - oh, and a very little spindle spinning. Then yesterday, we took N up to her next port of call in Reeth, going via Bettys in Ilkley and the Wensleydale Longwool Sheep Shop. Where we all spent money, not just me! Even the DSM - some dark Wensleydale fleece and a pattern. It was a lovely day out, but a long drive, and after all the recent excitements, I am somewhat.....knackered.

I need some time to process a lot of stuff. In the last few weeks, I've had a lot of good conversations with various people, have discussed many possibilities and potential projects, and I need to get my ducks in a row. Actually, we both do. So, we are going to kind of take the rest of the month, and maybe rather more, as holiday. Well, apart from a couple of workshops........

Watch this space.