Beads and Noro and nice things like that...

I'm back and nobody tried to bomb London while I was there (or before or after for that matter!). It was a bit scary getting off the train at St Pancras to find police with guns everywhere though. It was a very very good few days, I had a lovely time staying in Nottingham with my brother, sister-in-law and the cutest baby in the world. I got loads of knitting done on the train (pics to come next post). I even dropped loads of stitches again and was unfazed this time!

I also managed to make it to some of the Stitchcraft knitting group at the British Library. The BL is one of my favourite places anyway - it has a bookshop as dangerous as any yarn store - so the idea of having a knitting group there is excellent! I met up with Noel and Cara in the terrace restaurant for about 40 minutes and we knitted and chatted away. Bliss. Although I'd never met them before we'd come across some of the same people - they recognised my little fimo badge as one of Alex's!

Then I went on a small stash enhancement mission to John Lewis (didn't have time for Loop this time unfortunately. Think I'll save it for a completion-of-dissertation-celebration). This is what I got:

Two balls of Noro Kureyon in a gorgeous bluey, purpley, orangey colour (it's brighter than it appears in the pic). This is for the K. Kozy from Knitty, which I'm planning to make as a thank you present for some friends I'm going to stay with in September. Also in the pic are some beads I found at a shop on the way home (right opposite Lincoln station) - called Beadazzled. These are for making the aforementioned stitchmarkers (see several previous posts), although the shop only sold tiny rings - about the right size for my 2.5mm DPNs, but no good for any larger needles. I've ordered some bigger rings from Ebay and then I'll have a play with them all & see what I can make!

When I got home there was a lovely pile of post waiting for me, and no bills!! There was a parcel from Frances, containing this:



It's a beautiful icon, from Taize. Thank you Frances!! :-)
and also this:

It's my wristband for the Greenbelt Festival at the end of August. It's meant to be my finishing-dissertation-treat, although I bought my ticket in April when it was cheaper!! I really should check my tent is still waterproof, although i don't think that would be much good against the tornados that struck Britain this week. Tornados. Britain. WHAT is going on?? I hope everyone in Birmingham is OK.

I think that's all for tonight. I'm a bit sleepy and I'm going across to Marple tomorrow to visit Monkey's maker (my great aunt) and her local yarn shop. Yummy Yummy. Mustn't buy anything else. Mustn't buy anything else.

Oooh yes. Interesting knitting TV at the moment is: Coast on BBC 1 on Friday and Sunday evenings. A minibus full of slightly wacky people are going all the way round the coastline, highlighting history, archaeology, geology and the downright weird.