Knerdy Knitting
where spelling isn't as important as awesome

I am back from the wonderful trip of excitement! And what’s more, I am over jet lag enough to put two sentences together. There were so many cool things that we saw and did, but as this is a knitting blog I’m going to limit myself to the fiber related stuff.

I landed first in Barcelona, to spend a couple days in Spain while Pirate Boyfriend’s work wrapped up.  1in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } –>Barcelona made its money in the middle ages through the wool trade.  Near the center of town is an area of tiny winding roads known as the medieval textile district.  What better place for a yarn shop?  So right in the middle of it is Persones Llanas, a tiny LYS tucked away in one of the old buildings.I believe the store is run by an American (at least she has an American accent.)  Mostly they carry the serviceable stuff you’ve seen elsewhere, but they also have some lovely Spainish wool that I’ve never seen before.  And they had a wall of little balls of roving.  So I got about four ounces in blues and greens.  My goal was to make a “Picasso’s blue period” inspired hat (after the wonderful Picasso museum in Barcelona), but I can’t seem to find the roving even after I’ve unpacked all my bags.  Poo.

Most of our trip was in London.  Not only did I pose with my sock in front of big ben (see above), but I also went to I Knit (an LYS) and a Stitch n Bitch.  I don’t have pictures of either one.  The Stitch n Bitch was awesome, just to have a chance to talk to people in a context other than confused tourist seeking help.   It was held in the Maple Leaf, a Canadian themed pub.  Everyone was really friendly, and if was great to hang out with knitters of all abilities and ages while drinking.  I got tipsy on Strongbow and purchased a tiny SnB London pin.  It is one of my most prized possessions from our trip.

I Knit is a fabulous LYS near the Waterloo tube station.  When I went there was another SnB going on, and the place was crowded past capacity with knitters.  Since it was a damp night, it made the room downright steamy.  Or maybe that was just me, getting all hot and bothered by the beautiful yarn.  Because they had some really nice stuff.  Here are some photos:

     

From left to right, that’s a sweater’s worth of Wensleydale Longwool (spun in England) in an olive green, two balls of Kidsilk Haze in a yummy mix of yellows, oranges, and greens, and a pair of socks worth of Indie Dyer sock yarn in the colorway Olive Grove.  I think I made out like a bandit.

So that’s my trip.  Hopefully I’m back to human now and can blog regularly again.  I know I have a lot of stuff to talk about, including the Happiest Socks Ever, Dr Horrible’s Sing a Long Wristers, and an update on the 20’s style purple hat!