Day 3. Today dawned bright and sunny. I prayed the sun would hold out for a while and it did. It was gorgeous all day long. The weather had predicted rain for the rest of the week, so I was really blessed that I had such a wonderful day. And what a wonderful day! I spent waaayyyy too much money on clothes and yarn. Oops! I figured that I was not going to let my natural restraint take hold. I usually talk myself out of buying things for myself (except yarn), but I saw things that I never see anywhere at home. Ok, I don’t look for them, but I bought a fun sweater that was completely impulsive. It was ₤29.99. That doesn’t seem like much for such a cute sweater. I bought boots for ₤40.00 and gloves for ₤9.99. I was looking for the boots and gloves. I also bought 4 pasha mina scarves and a plaid scarf for Rex. I’m going to have to stay away from Oxford Road. I discovered Selfridges, a huge store with wonderful things. The kitchen section had these cool cutting boards and sieves in great colors that fold flat for storage. The same designer, Joseph Joseph http://www.josephjoseph.com/ made a pump whisk, and a pump potato masher. Innovative! I loved the window displays at this store. Gee, I wonder why?

The yarn shop, Loop, www.loopknitting.com is in Islington, a cute little arts district northeast of the center of town. Loop is a teeny, tiny store. I missed it when I first walked down the street. It was standing room only. Check out the picture from their web site. That’s pretty much it. No comfy couches to sit and knit awhile, unless that’s downstairs. It looked to me like it was the storeroom. Despite that, I got some great yarns and the shopkeeper was great. I heard her talking to another patron about moving in June or July. I hope the new space will give them  room to grow. I loved the way she decorated the shop, hanging handspun yarns in the window and piled on the mantelpiece. I will definitely visit again if I come back to London.

I got 3 skeins of beautiful yummy yarn. Two of them I probably could have gotten in the States, although I have never seen them in person or been able to pet them before. One Be Sweet Magic Ball in the Oceans color way and
Handmaiden Laced Silk in a lovely blue.
The Be Sweet profits go to a good cause anyway. http://www.besweetproducts.com.

The other skein is The Knitting Goddess. www.theknittinggoddess.co.uk. It is a purpley blue. The shopkeeper asked if I was going to combine the three skeins because all the colors look great together. I hadn’t thought about it, but I might. So far I don’t have plans for these skeins. I know, dangerous. They could sit in the stash for a while before I figure it out. I just couldn’t resist. I also bought a Knit Kit which I had been wanting for quite a while. All your tools in one place. Perfect for travel.

I had to hurry back because we had tickets for We Will Rock You, a musical featuring the music of Queen and a tribute to Freddy Mercury. We had a great time. If you’re in London you’ve got to go see it.

Day 2 was dreary and wet.
The morning started badly when I realized that I had lost one of my fingerless cashmere gloves. I t must have fallen  out of my purse when I pulled out my guide book. I had to keep getting my bearings, so it could be anywhere - in Hyde Park or on the train. Maybe even in the lovely pub I had lunch at. Who Knows? Anyway I  spent too much of the  morning planning my route and pouting. I didn’t really want to go out but who wants to spend the day in a hotel room?
The next stop was I Knit London in Westminster. That’s a fair distance from Pudley. Completely across town, in fact. I finally got there, quite soggy, with another walk across the Thames. The wind kicks up over the water so I was cold as well as wet. I Knit was on a quiet little street a few blocks from Westminster station. I bought some lovely blue Wensleydale  wool to replace my fingerless gloves. I wear a lot of blue. It’s not cashmere but it is sooo soft. Now I want to go back and get another skein for a hat and maybe some for a scarf for Rex. Perhaps on Thursday.



After Rex and Kiki got done with work, we went out to the Troubadour Club for dinner and some music. This is such a cool bohemian spot for great food and music. Dylan and Hendrix played there. I'm sure many others, but that's who they advertise. Here's the door.

I walked my feet off today! I decided to walk rather than take the tube because there wasn't any rain predicted for today. By the end of the day I found out that I couldn't take the tube anyway because I had left my Oyster card in my other jacket pocket. The weather was great for the most part. A couple of times snow fell, but not enough to make any difference. By the end of the day it rained and I finally pulled out the umbrella. I was glad I had it!

My journey took me down Old Brompton Road, past Harrod's and into a quiet little street where I found Patricia Roberts Knitting. Don't throw tomatoes, but I had never heard of her until I looked up LYS in London. Turns out she's been a knitwear designer since 1962. The shop was filled with wonderful sweaters, scarves and mittens already hand knit. At first I was disappointed because I thought I had stumbled into the wrong kind of shop. I asked the woman at the counter if they sold yarn, and they did have some in the back. Whew! I found a bargain. 20 gorgeous skeins of beautiful lambswool for ₤30. It's in my favorite color, fushia. I see a sweater in my future. Mmmm.... perhaps this gorgeous one that I've been wanting to knit for soooo long?

(waving the Queen's wave)
We arrived in London yesterday, 2/14/10 or 14/2/10 as they say over here. It was a lovely Valentine's Day spent wandering the streets near the hotel, lunch at the Troubadour, window shopping, then dinner at Imli, an Indian restaurant off Oxford Street. We opted for the Valentine's Day special. I thought it was good, although Rex thought it was a little bland, and Kiki thought it was cold. Oh, well. For dessert, we had waffles at the Belgian Waffle stand. Yum! Then off for a pint at a pub down the street. I can't remember the name at the moment.

The Troubadour Club is the original, unlike it's counterpart in Hollywood. Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix played there among others. It looks like local bands play and they have poetry reading on Monday. I'd like to check it out if we get a chance. The food was great too.

Today I am off to find some yarn shops. Since it's not raining yet, I may visit some of the parks. I'd better get going before I waste the day away!