Stockholm...

... was fantastic.
Here are some pics from the Silk Museum

The weaving equipment is still used 4 days a week, it is a working museum. The factory closed in the 70s to be re-opened as a museum 20 yrs later.

Here are some pics from the floor with the equipment:



The office... just look at that wall of silk mmmmm
The looms

Patterns are "programmed" using a punch card system. These are the cards for the pattern shown.

Some mangle type devices for finishing the fabric

Upstairs was an exhbition about the history of the factory, although we were a bit confused trying to match the English translation sheet with the display at first. D sorted me out!

A display of sample silk made at the factory

Sample next to the original paper design (which later gets converted to the punch cards). Might get around to using this on something some day...

Famous "3 Crowns" design used for the Royal Palace

As above

More punch cards


And some Scandinavian knitting for good measure...

Woolfish Festival

Last weekend I headed down to St Abbs for the day... persuaded K to come along, Mum & Kicking-K.

Nice morning, bought some fibre from the Yarn Yard and a couple of other small things. Short post.. trying to catch up using someone elses internet connection.

Brr

So much for getting back to the allotment this week!

First post of the New Year...

Where has January gone... is the rest of 2009 going to woosh past as well. Maybe a bit like the bus today that just kept on driving rather than stopping to let me on :-(

Well the Christmas season was a nice quiet affair, I think we needed a bit of time at home after a hectic year. I got some lovely pressies, including some new spinning wheel bobbins mwhaha. One pressie was the Nigella Lawson Christmas book. To be honest she is not really my favourite TV personality.. in fact I can't actually sit through one of her programmes. The book is fantastic though... lovely to look at and nice simple instructions.

So nice in fact, I became a little too enthustiastic and decided I would make the traditional New Years lunch. First sticking point was buying the pork joint, which was quite specifically described in the book. Best idea I thought, take the book to a proper butcher who could help me. Well I took it down the road to Leith with me and I can't say I quite fitted in with the other customers in the shop and was quite the entertainment to the butcher and those in the queue when I took it out of my bag! But along with the sarky comments, he gave me a fantastic piece of meat which looked exactly like the picture. All plain sailing after that, apart from searching for ready prepared chesnuts in the couple of days after Christmas...

Dinner was fantastic, tastiest I have ever made I think. Perhaps I should give Nigella a break...

I wasn't too ambitious with the Christmas knitting this year due to so much uni work, so it wasn't too bad finishing things off. I will need to get some pictures up soon.

Anyway, no resolutions for me this year will just take it as it comes. Already blown the plan to reduce my stash by 2010 by buying several kilos of wool in the sales...looking forward to that package arriving though!

Big City

So I decided to check in the bag with the socks... better safe than sorry I suppose, but less knitting while waiting around for the plane.

First stop in London was I Knit... got a few Christmas presents (no not just for me!) while D looked for a nearby geocache in the pouring rain, he is dedicated.

What a lovely shop, so relaxed to look around and a really good selection of things. I will definitely add another visit to my list next time I am down. I spotted some Cash Iroha and Kid Silk Haze in the bargain bin which is now mine mwhaha.

For lunch, R met us at Picadilly and took us to St Alban, which was the best food I have had for ages. The place is just fantastic, service, decor, toilets... everything. Highly recommend it.

Saturday evening we saw Hamlet, which was really great. Pity about all the sick people coughing throughout... oh and the people that kept tutting when someone finished coughing... Shame DT wasn't there, but still very worth seeing and the understudy did a great job.

Sunday was a chilled out day around Harrow, then more shopping on Monday before heading back to City airport via The Who Shop.

Really needed a break, it was perfect timing.