Saturday, November 22, 2008

Essentials and luxuries

Lovely day - if really, really Cold. Jackie and I set off from Cambridge shortly after 8:30 for the SkipNorth London reunion, because we wanted to make a day of it. First stop: Borough Market.
A few pictures:


I'm permanently fascinated by Romanesco; the structure is just wonderful...


Some feathered friends...

Fancy mushrooms; Jackie bought a selection from another stall...

Jackie picks up a loaf of pecan, raisin and date bread from De Gustibus...

The outside of one of the market halls...


... and a view of Southwark Cathedral... We went in and had a good look around the shop (thanks, Yvonne, for taking me there in the summer!). I came away with lots of bits and bobs for stocking-fillers, both food and non-food, and also a piece of Mrs Bourne's Mature Cheshire and a large jar of Topolski pickles.

After that, it was a long and hellish Tube ride (would have been perfectly easy if chunks of the District and all of the Circle lines hadn't been closed, but a tube from London Bridge to Green Park, the Long, Boring Corridor at Green Park compounded by an enormous crush of people, mainly Chelsea fans, which meant the journey from Green Park to Earl's Court was possibly the most uncomfortable Tube journey I've ever endured; and finally, the District Line along with the Chelsea fans...) to East Putney. We called in at The Railway for a quick lunch and arrived at Stash at about 2pm.

I am a bad, bad blogger. I had a camera with me, and was too busy chatting and yarn-shopping to take any pictures... So all I can say is apologies. It was great to see Lixie and Nic again, and Nathalie from Stash; and Dianne and AnnaT ... Daisy tried hard to get there, but was thwarted at Staines... A very nice couple of hours chatting and drinking tea. Yarn shopping was done, but it's all destined either for gifts, or for ingredients for gifts. I haven't been to Stash since Wibbo moved to Hove, and they really do have some wonderful yarns... Also managed to replace my Susan Bates Knit Chek which is doubtless lurking in the bottom of a basket somewhere, and buy a spare.


There have been FOs this week. One pair of Serpentines:

Two small modifications for those of us who get freaked if things which ought to be symmetrical actually aren't - for the second glove, I slipped the final two purl stitches from needle 2 to needle 3 before starting the thumb-gusset; and I turned the central cable the other way.

... and one pair of Mitt Envy - with one extra 8-row pattern repeat top and bottom to make them a little longer in the cuff and cover a bit more of the fingers. This is also a very nicely-written pattern.

Both pairs are worked in Sunbeam St Ives...

I also started a new sock; another International Sock of Doom in Regia 6ply, for someone who also doesn't read this blog...

4 comments:

Susie H said...

Romanesco, romaness, romanesque...it's all the COOLEST veg in the world. We call it Fractal Vegetable.

Pig wot flies said...

Ooh Borough Market! I used to work on the other side of London Bridge and Borough Market was always a fun lunchtime destination. Haven't been in ages. I was very excited to buy purple potatoes there once.

Rosie said...

Markets, food and yarn: sounds simply perfect!

E-J said...

I love, love, love Borough Market. I spent part of my 35th birthday queueing there at the stall of a woman who had oyster liquor running in rivers down her apron and into her clogs as she shucked dozens of the little buggers. The one I tasted was well worth the wait!

Sounds like a fab day out.