Well, Halloween was a big day at K2Tog. It was one of our busiest and best days of the year. And Purl the Knitting Fairy was there to wave her magic knitting wand over it all. This, my friends, is Purl:

Purl is wearing double-point needles in her bun, and she has a felted flower in her hair. Her earrings are made from stitch markers and her magic wand is a size nine knitting needle topped with a sparkly ball of Crystal Palace Little Flowers. And check out her wings:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, Purl had every intention of taking pictures of the trick-or-treaters that came by. But the truth is, K2Tog was so OVERRUN with the little devils that there simply was not time. I would say we had more than 100 – and their parents. And store customers at the same time. And no one but Tigger was in the store to help Purl, and we know what they say about Tiggers – they are bouncy, bouncy, trouncy, trouncy and my God there just weren’t enough hands, Tigger’s, Purl’s or otherwise, to do everything required.

But Purl told me about some of the best costumes. The winner, in Purl’s mind, was actually an adult. A woman came in accompanying a child and she was dressed in jeans and t-shirt. Around her head and upper torso she had wrapped all kinds and colors of those twisty balloons clowns use to make animals. And on her shirt was a name tag that said “H1N1.” Her husband carried a big bottle of hand sanitizer.  Purl ’bout laughed her bloomers off. Another winner – the little girl who said, “TRICK OR TREAT HAPPY HALLOWEEN THANK YOU” all in one rush of breath before getting her candy.

Now, here’s the other thing Purl wanted  you to know. People, when the Solano Avenue Association says the trick-or-treating goes from 3 to 5 pm that means it goes from 3 to 5 pm. That doesn’t mean you should be bringing adorable junior -  – to our door at 5:15, 5:30 and yes, even 6:10 when the crazy ladies inside K2Tog ran out of candy at 4:48 p.m. In fact, the crazy ladies ran out of candy TWICE and had to go to the store for more TWICE. Now, I know your kid is just so irresistibly cute/smart/talented/special you just haaaaad to bring them by our store even tho we have never seen you before because you do not knit and would never think of taking it up. But do you have any idea how awful it is to tell a little one – perhaps out for his or her first Halloween -  that THERE IS NO MORE CANDY?? You don’t wanna find out. So, parents, honor the time. And no need to bring the infants in arms and strollers. They can’t eat candy and you parents shouldn’t be eating it. Know what I mean?

You are all cordially invited to meet Purl, The Knitting Fairy this Sat. (Halloween!) at K2Tog in Albany, CA. I – ahem – I mean, she – will be on duty between 1 and 6 p.m. and will have candy for the kids between 3 and 5 as part of Solano Avenue’s general festivities. She’s bringing her magic knitting wand, which many a frustrated knitter has wished for. (DISCLAIMER – PURL CANNOT CLAIM TO HAVE EVER FIXED ANYTHING. IN FACT, SHE’S SCREWED UP MORE KNITTING THAN YOU CAN SWING A SKEIN AT).

As for the second half of the title of this blog: OVERHEARD AT PINOLE DOG PARK, Oct 28, 2009:

“She thinks she’s hot snot, but she’s nothing but cold boogers on a plate.”

We are nothing if not classy here in the East Bay.

Skein Lane Retreaters

Well, it’s been a week from hell and I have not had the chance to get back to tell you about the two fabulous workshops we had at the Skein Lane Retreat earlier this month. But there is a lull in the hubbub – at least until the phone rings again – and I’m gonna give it a shot.

On Saturday, the only full day of the retreat, we 40-some knitters split into two groups, and half of us went to Sally Melville’s Knit to Flatter and Fit class and the other half went to Nancy Bush’s Estonian lace class. I drew the Melville card first, so off I went.

I have taken two or three classes with Sally and I am always impressed by the very

In Sally's class

original way she thinks about knitting. Her approach is unlike that of any other instructor I have encountered – very contemporary, “fashion-forward” (as they say on Project Runway), and strongly influenced by current fashion lines and trends. She also thinks simple – basic shapes, structures, stitches and materials. What flash there is (and there is quite a lot) comes from the understated quality of most of her work. Now, I know that sounds like an oxymoron – flashy understatement – but it is true of Sally’s work. By focusing on knitting’s foundations – the shape of the garment, the way its pieces come together, the drape of the fabric created by the yarn – and simplifying those things, the end result is as impressive (if not more) than a complicated piece of lace, cable or color work because Sally’s garments FIT. They enhance, rather than obscure, what is underneath – our bodies. In her workshop, she set out to show us how she approaches the shape and fit of her designs and how we could incorporate that into our knitting.

Taking our measurements

And what fun it was to do this! Basically, Sally had us play paper dolls. Our homework was to have someone take a picture of our bodies from head to toe in a form-fitting outfit (like a leotard and tights). As you can imagine, this was excruciating. But she took pity on us by having us trace in bold marker the outline of our bodies before we came, so that we could leave the awful pictures at home. She then went through some basic garment shapes for both top and bottom and we cut them out from colored paper and laid them, in different combinations, on our outline. This way, we could see shapes in combinations that we otherwise might not think we could wear and would not otherwise try. Then, in the best part of the workshop, she taught us some formulas using out own measurements that we could use when knitting a garment that would ensure the sleeves, waist, length, etc. hit us in just the right places.

More measurements

Now, no words I write about this workshop here can possibly do justice to how great it was. I left that class feeling like my knitting had been revolutionized. It made me rethink my body shape, my propensity for “busy” knitting, and the clothes I like to wear. I am going to pull out all of Sally’s books and review some of her garments and rethink knitting them for myself. I cannot tell you how much I loved this class. Let me leave you with one of many things Sally said that just rang inside my head. “Knitting is not a bible you should follow. You have to work out each pattern just for you.” If you don’t she went on later, you don’t wear what you knit because you are unhappy with it. And she wants “to reconnect our knitting with our closets. Because to wear what you knit is to honor your craft.”

Paper dolls!

After Sally’s class, the whole group met for another great meal at the dining hall – I had some delicious, fresh salad and a great slice of homemade pizza. These Marconi Conference Center people really know how to fatten one up. Not that I am complaining! After lunch, we had an hour or so to sit and knit on our own, and then it was off to the afternoon session. In my case, this was Nancy Bush’s Estonian Lace knitting class.

Nancy with a map of Estonia and all those shawls!

While Sally’s class was all about innovation and style and contemporary lines, Nancy’s class was all about tradition, history and upholding the work of our forebears in the craft. I really dig this kind of stuff. While I love to knit what’s “new” – say, what’s in the latest Vogue Knitting – I really get off on carrying on the tradition of the craft. No one is a better spokesperson for this than Nancy, who has spent years traveling back and forth to Estonia, learning the history, loving the people and deciphering their knitting tradition for the rest of us who are not so lucky to get to go there.

Nancy taught us that Estonian lace knitting, which has about a 200-year history, has

Part of the lace sampler we made

certain telltale characteristics and stitches. First, it is always bound by a garter-stitch frame, second, it requires a knitted cast on, and third, it usually makes use of one or more of four basic stitch patterns. I could tell you more, but it’s all there in Nancy’s fabulous book, and she’s a better interpreter of this kind of lace than anyone.

In the class, Nancy showed us the four basic Estonian lace stitches – the lingonberry pattern, the leaf pattern, the twig, pattern and the lily of the valley pattern. This last one makes use of a distinctively Estonian stitch called the “nupp.” This last one is tricky – but so gorgeous when done – and requires making 5, 7 or 9 increases in a single stitch (!!!). Nancy had us make our own Estonian lace samplers and she showed us dozens – literally – of knitted shawls and scarves, some of which she brought from Estonia and some of which she made herself. Each one was more lovely than the last. Just fantastic. A great class – and I could not wait to start my own shawl!

Nancy knit most of the these!

After Nancy’s class, we headed back to our rooms for some adult beverages. I love adult beverages. I especially love adult beverages and knitting. Put the two together and you come up with some pretty whacky things. Over our beverages and cheese, we had a planning session for next year’s retreat – we knew we wanted to have Sally and Nancy back and they both wanted to return – calendars permitting – and we talked about the possibility of adding another full day. I sure hope that comes to pass. I felt like I learned more in that single day of workshops than I had in a long, long time. And more importantly, I was inspired.

Planning party

More about the fashion show and the last day of the retreat to come. I got a barking dog that I need to whallop. Knit on.

Off we go - Sheri, Jan and Sally

Last Friday, I had the good fortune to be one of 42 knitters to head off to the glorious Point Reyes National Seashore area for a two-night Skein Lane Retreat with Sally Melville and Nancy Bush. I have attended several Skein Lane Retreats before – two with Chris Bylsma, one with Melissa Leapman – and all were lots of fun, lots of work and lots of inspiration. But this weekend’s trip was my favorite, by far. I would even call it revolutionary in terms of my knitting.

We left on Friday morning – me, my friends Jan and Sheri and Sally Melville, who spent the night before the retreat at my house (shall I auction off the sheets?). We took my “senior fun bus,” otherwise known as my minivan, and headed out through a very foggy morning, across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, over which we could see nothing but the grey gauze of the fog, and on out to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. But once we hit West Marin County, the fog disappeared and there we were driving through the green field and the deeply shaded redwood forests that make that part of the San Francisco Bay Area among my favorites.

Our first stop was in Olema, where I showed the girls the beautiful back yard behind the

We walk the plank (bridge)

Point Reyes Seashore Lodge and Conference Center. Why did I do this? Both Sheri and Jan are big hikers (okay, Jan is a big hiker) and it is hard to tell people how to find the path that leads from this yard over a creek and a fence, through a cow pasture and on to Bear Valley Trail. The four of up tip-toed over the plank bridge that spans the creek and navigated our slippery way up a damp slope to the pasture. There was the mountain looking at us – a great intro to the area and the weekend.

Pine Cone Diner

Next we drove into Point Reyes Station, as no trip to this part of the Bay Area is complete without a stop at Black Mountain Artisans. The owner, Marlie de Swart, has been making and selling her fabulous knits and ceramics for as long as I can remember. We got lots of inspiration here and promised to see Marlie and Mimi, owner of Windrush Farm, at the retreat that night, where they would both be talking about their individual approaches to wool. Then we met up with Carolyn, our fabulous hostess and owner of Skein Lane, and Nancy Bush. We had lunch at the Pine Cone Diner – “good food, prickly service” – and on to Cowgirl Creamery – another must-do here. I picked us up some Pierce Point, Mt. Tam and Red Hawk cheeses (all handmade on the premises) and off we went to the retreat.

We buy cheese!

The Marconi Conference Center, where the retreat has been held for years, is on the north side of Tomales Bay. As we drove along the winding shore of the bay, we saw alpacas, horses, cows, bay birds and lots of boats. The conference center sits on a hill overlooking the bay and is woven with paths over and among the hills, many with beautiful views, all padded with pine needles. We checked in – my gang was in Sandpiper 104 for the second year in a row – and set off to find a place with a view to sit and knit. Boy, did we ever find it.

The view

DNS - "Does Not Suck"

At about 4, it became time for some adult beverages, so back to our room we went for some, and, thanks to our roommate Cameron, who brought a small stereo system, some fabulous tunes. We were joined by the girls from our Friday knitting group – Ellen, Karen, Emily (an honorary member) and by Sally and Nancy, who both immediately decided they had to have some of this fabulous cheese to take home. The knitting came out, and we partied down, glasses in one hand, yarn in the other.

At 6, we all trudged up the hill – the mountain! – to the dining hall. The tables were set for the two groups conferring this weekend – us crazy knitters and a group of faculty member from the University of San Francisco. GUESS WHO WAS MORE FUN???? As usual, the food was good – but any food I do not have to shop for, cook and clean up after is good food. I had barbecued ribs and vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce. Yum!

Foooooooood

After dinner, we all made “the Trek.” The Treacherous Trek, as it might best be called. This is the journey all retreat knitters must make from their rooms on the hill to Buck Hall halfway don to the road. There are three paths you can take, Grasshopper, but all of them require a flashlight. And durance brave. But once you get there, an oasis of knitting fun awaits you. The hall is lit, warm and full of fibers for you to buy and try. And there are 42 women – (and one token man, a spouse who apparently couldn’t be trusted to stay home on his own for what was his birthday weekend!) – just as addicted to the stuff as you are. Heaven!

In Buck Hall

This first night at Buck Hall is given over to introductions, first of Sally and Nancy, who sat knitting away in the back, and then to Marlie and Mimi, who brought with them many excellent wonders and goodies – piles of yarn that they had sheared, spun and dyed for our knitting pleasure. There was angora, merino, goat locks, silk, wool and bamboo. There was worsted weight, lace weight, bulky weight. There was drool. Mimi talked first about how she had given up her life in Berkeley to buy a farm – a lifelong

Mimi!

dream – where she now raises sheep and alpacas and holds spinning, dying and weaving classes. She took American sheep farmers to task for not raising more sheep for their wool than for their meat (alas, but they taste so good, too!). Then Marlie gave us an exhibition of art sweaters she had recently shown in a

Marlie's art sweaters

gallery. There were audible gasps of pleasure and joy.

We surprised Marlie and Mimi with a fashion show of things we had made with yarn purchased from them in previous years. This was so much fun, and I hope it was better than any verbal “thank you.” There were hats and sweaters, ponchos and afghans, scarves and neckwarmer-thingies. All were luscious to the feel and beautiful to the eye.

The Marlie and Mimi Fashion Show

THEN THE SHOPPING FRENZY TOOK HOLD AND THERE WAS PANIC IN THE AISLES!!!! Okay, not really. But it was really fun! People bought a lot of cool stuff. And we left a little bit for the rest of you, which you can purchase from Marlie at Black Mountain Artisans, or from Mimi, who has a table at the Point Reyes farmer’s market every Saturday – conveniently located just across the street from Black Mountain. GO THERE.

Windrush Goodies!

Marlie's Goodies!

After the shopping frenzy passed, it was time for us students to introduce ourselves. And this was one of my favorite times of the weekend! This year, we were joined by some really wonderful first-time retreaters. There were two sets of sisters, one woman who had only been knitting for about two years (more on her later), and one woman who found out about the retreat THE NIGHT BEFORE and was lucky enough to get a place due to a last-minute cancellation. The distance award went to a woman who came all the way from the Bahama Islands. Now, that’s a knitter!

Then the trecherous trek again – uphill, in the dark (both ways!) and we hit the sack. Breakfast was at seven (HAHAHAHAHA) and class was to begin at 9. Check back for more. And just for fun, one more picture . . . .

Fall foliage outside our rooms

Did you know people could “curate” a craft show? That Etsy has guest “curators”? That people can “curate” knitted scarf collections? Read this story, from The New York Times, and see that we are all “curators” now. (Notice the small basket of yarn in the illustration?)

Pretentious, yes, but as a writer, I love witnessing the fluidity and evolution of language. Haven’t been this excited about a word since Stephen Colbert came up with “truthiness.”

In other news – I am just back from the Skein Lane Retreat with Sally Melville and Nancy Bush. OMG people, OMG. This was just wonderful, and I will begin my report today, as soon as I download the pictures, get out my notes and recover from the experience. WOW. It was truly, truly excellent. Stay tuned . . . . .

My girlfriend Becky, who lives in Charlottesville, Va., has sent me a couple of cards this year that I just loved. I thought they were so beautiful. In fact, I thought they were so beautiful that she BOUGHT them. Guess what? SHE MADE THEM. Here’s a couple of pictures:

Pressed Flower Card

Isn’t this pretty? It was made with real wildflower, or dried flowers of some kind, and they were somehow adhered to the white panel, then mounted on the green and the red panel, and then mounted on the card. Really beautiful – and I don’t know how she did it.

Then came this card:

Lady Card

Isn’t this pretty? And it was three-dimensional, one of my favorite things to do with cards. I think it really makes them pop. I think this was done with rubber stamps and decorative scissors, but again, I am not sure.

Listen, Becky, I know you read this blog. Will you please leave a comment here and tell us how you made these – did you design them yourself, copy a picture in a magazine or did you take a class? If you took a class, tell us where so other folks can sign up, too, if they’re in your area.

Towelphant

Waaah! The cruise is almost over. That means no more drinkie-poos at sunset, no more towel animals awaiting us on our beds at night, no more endless Diet Pepsi from numerous fountain sources all day long, no more food, food, food that I do not have to shop for, prepare or clean up after. Damn.

Our fourth day on the cruise – our last day and our only full day at sea – started with a real treat. I woke up first and looked out the window and saw that our ship was being escorted by dolphins! How cool is that!? I could see them from my bed! When was the last time you woke up to dolphins? This definitely made my list of the top-ten coolest things about this cruise. I tried to take a picture, but dang those critters is fast! You’ll have to take my word for it. Also on the top-ten list was the breakfast buffet, which mom and I hit, keeping our usual focus on the lox and bagel spread. Weird – love the dolphins, eat the salmon. Hmmm. Then it was off to the first of two sessions on our toe-up socks.

I was pretty well along on my sock, as were most people. So we spent the day catching up on each other’s knitting and trying to finish at least one sock. I think everyone got something out of this workshop – whether it was an entirely new way to knit socks, or just a new crochet cast-on or a better familiarity with short rows. For my own part, I enjoyed the class – it was a challenge – but I think I like top-down socks better. I have never had trouble fitting socks to my feet – I just knit till the sock hits the crease between my big toe and my second toe and then start decreasing. I like the look of the top-down version better, I think. But I am glad I took this because it was really cool to see the whole thing take shape.

The K2Tog Cruisin' Toe-Uppers

At the end, we all lined up for a group photo, and those of us who had finished a whole sock, paused to model.

Two Toes

On Thursday – if not exactly bright, then certainly early – we cruised under the Golden Gate Bridge and made our way under the Oakland Bay Bridge to a dock. All the K2Tog contingent exited the ship at this point, some of us catching rides home, others of us (like me and mom) taking BART. My husband, Terry, picked us up and drove us home, so that by 11 a.m. we had been in a ship, a cab, a train and a car. I had to work that day (I asked for it!) so in the afternoon, I was back behind the counter at K2Tog. Mom stayed another week and a half and we had a great visit. I’ll post of the other cool things we made while she was here. Now, I had better wrap this up, because this Friday I am off to the Skein Lane annual retreat and I’m gonna have to write about that here as well.

Custon Threads

On the third morning of our cruise, mom and I woke up to find we were docked in Astoria, Oregon (which continues to think is in Washington). Right outside our window, we could see two lines of white tents – kind of like a farmer’s market. This turned out to be a great little outdoor market featuring local artists and other vendors who were selling locally-made jewelry, purses, soaps, edibles, etc. Don’t know if this market is the idea of Norwegian Cruise Line or the local folks, but it is an excellent one. I always want to buy local when I am on vacation, and this market made it easy. We passed through them on the way to the shuttle that would take us into downtown Astoria where we were headed for the one yarn store, Custom Threads, and promised to leave time before the ship’s departure to shop.

Astoria is small, but it is charming. Adorable. Resilient. Nice. We were greeted there by a phalanx of local volunteers, all intent on making sure we loved Astoria. I sure did. It was just a nice small town. The downtown seemed to

Inside

be one main street  – Commericial Street – and two parallel side streets. The bus dropped us off half a block from our destination and we eagerly headed over, hoping for another great local yarn experience.

Custom Threads divides its space between knitting, quilting and embroidery – and quilting comes out the winner, I think. But there were some nice yarns here and some very nice people who helped up. I bought two skeins of Plymouth Yarns lace-weight alpaca – even tho I could have bought almost the same yarn at K2Tog (and with a discount) because I believe in supporting local yarn stores. I’ll make a nice Astoria shawl or something.

After the yarn store, we walked around. I was drawn into a small antiques store on a side street called Jonathon’s Ltd. What a find! Inside were all manner of wonderful treasures, all of them laid out neatly and cleanly in cases, on shelves and on the walls. Two very nice men helped us – the owners, I assume – and we must have been in there for 45 minutes or more, despite the fact it was only two small rooms. I came out with three treasures – a 1930s woodblock of a large tree set against the backdrop of a town that looked a lot like Astoria (this was a gift for my husband), a mosaic pin from Italy and a silver tea strainer from Holland that has a windmill with real turning blades on its handle. What fun we had in there – and I could have bought lots more. Be sure and drop in there if you go – it’s at 332 12th Street, 503-325-7600.

Mom and Fishy Friend

After that, mom and I had lunch at a really nice waterfront restaurant, Baked Alaska, where we sat outside and looked at a large bridge that goes between Astoria and Washington. A seal or sea lion came by. We could also see another cruise ship in town at another dock – the NCL’s Pearl. The food here was great – steamed mussels for mom and crab melt for me. The poor servers were swamped – two or three of them and three cruise ships in town! Soon, we were back on the shuttle to the ship and had time to shop at the outdoor market.

This was a really great market. One of my favorites was a woman who crocheted dozens and dozens of beaded bags. They were really creative (tho they would have been prettier if they had been made with higher quality yarn and materials). Mom bought a beautiful pair of earrings with freshwater pearls and blue semi-precious stones from one artist and we both bought some handmade soap from Woodland Scentsations. My favorite flavor was “blue spruce.” Smells reeeeeel gooooood on my husband.

Back on the ship, we headed for the London Room and another afternoon of toe-up socks. Mine is coming along:

I've Turned the Heel!

Carolyn Pugh, the mastermind behind Skein Lane, the one-time fabulous yarn store now equally fabulous knitting studio, sent out an invitation to something fun for knitters and I wanna share. Here goes:

With this year’s Skein Lane Retreat  – October16, 17, 7 18 – we have two knitting instructors…and felt that we couldn’t do justice to the farm experience…thus a new venture is being made available for us who love going to the farm. Join us if you can for a day with Mimi and Marlie at Windrush Farm on Sunday afternoon the weekend before the Retreat.

11:00AM – 12:00        Tour of the farm

12:00 1:00 Lunch:       Do it your self Pizza in the outdoor wood burning oven.                                                                               (everything is provided, just choose the toppings and watch your pizza).

Large green salad with greens from Mimi’s garden and local farmers

Dessert

No host wine bar (coffee, water and ice tea free)

1:00 – 4:00                  Shibori felting class

We think that most of you have knitted something and then felted it, but we have a new twist on the technique shibori.  In this class we will teach you how to add baubles, bumps and beads to your knitted felt.  It is fun, easy and takes the ordinary into the realm of extraordinary.  Along the way we will sneak in a few other options for combining knitting and felting.

Please bring various sizes knitting needles, an embroidery needle, a hat if the sun shines, boots or farm shoes if it’s wet. We’ll see you there

Fee:                 Lunch $20 and Class $30

Payable to:      Windrush Farms

Email Skein Lane to pre-register – skeinlane@aol.com

Okay, now it’s me, Kimberly, again. I can tell you I have been to Windrush three or so times and it is more fun than grownups should be allowed to have. I got licked by a cow there. HOW MANY OF YOU CAN SAY THAT, HUH????? And I petted sheep and goats and bought a skein of yarn made from the fleece of a sheep I petted. You have no idea how cool this is to a kid who grew up in NYC. And I attended a workshop on felted buttons that was great. And there’s the fact that Mimi is just one of the most beautiful souls you’ll ever meet. So if you’re free, go.

My Ma

When we last left our intrepid sailors, they were making their way across downtown Victoria, B.C. from The Beehive Wool Shop (drool trailing from the corners of the their mouths after this most wonderful of yarn stores) and making their across a few blocks to the city’s other yarn store, Button & Needlework Boutique.

Though this store is tucked away in narrow (read: old and therefore historic) Trounce Alley, it would be both hard and a damn shame to miss. Hard because there is a big red button hanging above the store’s entrance and a damn shame because what the Beehive is to

Owner Michael

yarn, this store is to all things needlework – crewel, goldwork, needlepoint, hardanger, and embroidery, etc. It was named one of the world’s best needlework shops in 2006 by Inspirations Magazine. It also has a respectable selection of yarns, including things I don’t see that often: Lanaknits, Shi Bui and Muench. But needlework is the real star here.

Inside the store, we were really taken with a wall of buttons, many of them handmade or handpainted or made from unusual things. We knitters

Wall O' Buttons

might be interested in the sheep buttons which I thought were a hoot and a half. Many of the buttons had a Victorian feel, in keeping with the framed and featured pieces of needlework, which were on display everywhere. This was just a lovely shop – I don’t know how else to describe it – and that pleasant sense was reflected by the store’s owner, a man named Michael, who greeted us when we moved to the register with our purchases (can’t tell you what I bought ’cause it’s a present for someone who reads this blog). Ellen was salivating over the store’s size – perhaps 50 percent more floor space than we have at K2Tog, and she really got jealous when Michael told her there was an upstairs and a full-length basement. We got none o’ that at our store. Sigh.

Pretty Redwork Sampler

I took some pictures inside the store, but I have to say the ones on the store’s website, linked to above, are better. And they have an online catalogue. If you like needlework and knitting, this is the place. Don’t miss it when you visit Victoria.

And look – in one of the windows there was an embroidery picture of a cat that looked like our own K2Tog shop kitty, Bastet!

Bastet?

After we left that shop, we did a little souvenir shopping and then went in search of a Diet Coke for caffeine-starved moi. Only Diet Pepsi on the ship, and watered down at that. Then we all headed back to the ship for lunch. As the ship left Victoria that afternoon, we all convened in the London Room for our second afternoon of toe-up-sock knitting.

And it was going pretty well.

Back to Class

In addition to our socks, some folks brought other projects for show-and-tell. Lynn had this

Lynn's Sock

beautiful blue sock. I wrote down what it was made from and what the pattern was somewhere, but am afraid I have misplaced it since the cruise. But trust me, it was stunning. Kathy brought a crocheted shawl her daughter,

Kathy's Shawl

Joyce, had made for her. It was stunning – wrought through with beads and very light. And Ellen showed off a jacket she is making for her daughter from the book Knitted Jackets. It was also beautiful – and nearly done, in a charcoal shade of Crystal Palace’s Panda Silk.

Ellen's Jacket

And our socks were progressing.

Here’s mine:

Its a Foot!

and then, of course, it was off to the more important things of the vacation . . . . .

Cheers!