Aaaahhhh....

Textiles in Focus is over for another year. Not that it wasn't fun - it was - but I feel as if I've been run over repeatedly by a fleet of pantechnicons carrying the Rolling Stones' entire stage setup. Have just crawled out of the longest hot bath in living memory and am heating up last night's leftover curry, the food of champions.

Another very nice friendly bunch of needlefelters to teach today - two of whom I knew, which is always a little embarrassing, but they said they'd enjoyed themselves... The morning was quiet at the stand but we sold a few things in the afternoon, including Rosie's beautiful Silk Garden short-row scarf, which is going back to Adelaide with its Australian buyer (pictured - there were no mirrors in any of the loos, so I took a photo of her in it for her to see; miracles of modern technology etc. - she also checked she could wear it in half a dozen other combinations...).

I really enjoyed the weekend - chatting to people about knitting and other things, getting the odd freebie from one or two of the other suppliers - viscose fibre for needlefelting (and, potentially, spinning) from Winifred Cottage and some cotton tape from Gill - I think it's called Ibiza, but realise when I shared it out that I've kept the half-balls without the ball-bands on them!

Today's stash acquisition:

16 oz/1120m of CTH potluck worsted - to be combined with the leftovers from St Brigid, when she's done, and an odd ball of Kureyon. I fancy trying a top-down sweater now I've got the Denises, to see if it's easier to make it fit correctly... In the background, the aforementioned cotton tape - which isn't at all stretchy, and in nice colours, and therefore confounds my prejudices about tape yarns. I'm going to try knitting it up in lacy patterns and see how it works.

And to prove they're still alive and haven't been buried under a mound of yarn, we have an illustration of the principle that

if you put yarn on a table and attempt to photograph it, a cat will appear from nowhere; and still manage to look offended.

And last but fabulously; an unexpected, unwarranted present ... I asked UKHK for cool tea-cosy patterns months ago and there was a huge flurry of correspondence with lots of suggestions, but I never got round to making one ... my teapot remained forlornly unadorned. Meanwhile Rosie was designing and making one shortlisted for the NEC - and here is my gift (the photo is not good; I'm going to try and replace this with a daylight shot sometime soon, just as soon as there is actual daylight while I'm in the house...). It is bright, it is bubbly, it has a complicated slipstitch pattern, it fits... and my teapot is warm and happy.

I love it.... thanks!!