Winding yarn is a wonky affair!

Hello! This is the start of a dainty scarf in lacy Merino yarns from Madeline Tosh and Eden Cottage. After many evenings of winding yarn before I could put hook to project, I have to admit that it is a dreadful task for impatient peoples like me. I still have so many skeins to wind from hank to cake and even though the Girl Teen is assisting, it remains a huge task when the yarn is slighter thicker than cotton thread and over 600 meters long! 

I am using two strands together to create the colourful flowers and one strand in neutral to join it all together. After many trials and errors with regard to the pattern, I have come to realise that frogging and these delicate yarns are clearly also not the best of friends. That said, now that I have settled on a pattern and understand where to join the squares together, it is an enjoyable, beautiful project.

Don't you just love Instagram?  I really enjoy sitting back from time to time to take a look at all the photos I have liked.  That in itself is a great indication of what one likes with regard to photography, styling, craft, mood, travelling, food and many more. These are some of the beautiful images I have liked over the past month.

Have a great weekend, I will spent mine with the family at a beach club here in Doha and also finalise itineraries for our summer holiday to be spent travelling Croatia extensively. At first we were going to travel Sweden and the Netherlands, but when the Teens mentioned the beach word, I told them to identify a must visit place with the help of Google Earth. The result was Croatia after they saw the islands, the beaches, the national parks and the beautiful towns and cities. The country has been on my bucket list too, so all in all we will have a whale of a time! Have you been to Croatia?

Loop London!

Hello!  The Afrikaans word for walk is "loop". I literally did a Loop London two weeks ago when I not only walked and walked, exploring the city on foot, but I also shopped and shopped - at Loop yarn store! I arrived back home with no less than 23 hanks of yarn in Lace (Merino, Silk and Linen) and Worsted Merino by Madeline Tosh, Artisan Yarns, Eden Cottage and The Uncommon Thread.  

I visited the shop twice, the first time to buy the Worsted Merino (6 hanks in purple and green) and linen (oops also 6 hanks in purple and green). What was that all about? Oh wait, I also got married in lilac and mint, those colours must have stuck with me after all these years! At the same time I picked up a few hooks, a pin for a shawl and the glorious Sophie Digard scarf in the above photo.

Once a back at the swanky hotel in Knightsbridge next to Harrods I called home for a few nights, I realised that I shunned the opportunity to buy the most amazing lace-weight yarns.  I have long since admired the work of Alice on Instagram & on her blog.  Right there and then I decided to return to Loop for more shopping as I would like to try my hand at something more delicate in the spirit of Alice's work and needed those lace yarns.  

I then invested in the most beautiful mushroom, stone and greige colours, a yellow, pink and charcoal too and am plotting and planning the next project for these yarns and am already whipping up sample squares to see where it will take me. Of course as I was about to exit the door, I spotted the Sophie Digard necklaces and promptly bought two of those too, one for myself and one for Anisa from Hellohart who introduced me to Editor Dala Watts, leading to an article of my work in the South African Ideas magazine!  I wanted to say thank you in a special way and have been keeping my eyes peeled for that special item that turned out to be the Sophie necklace!

The great thing about the Loop yarn store is also the location (not reflected in the above photo!) They are located in Camden Passage Islington. Camden Passage is world famous for its vintage and contemporary shops, markets and arcades. Be sure to pop into the leather handbag shops near Loop. I dislike the majority of women's bags on sale and much rather buy from markets or independent shops where simplistic styles are crafted by hand. This shop delivered a glorious green leather bag with a huge flap that disguises Ipad and wallet alike.

Just pho you! Finally, just before you hit the Underground, walk across the road where you will find a delectable bowl of Pho in a cafe serving Vietnamese street food. I have had a need for hot, brothy, salty, soothing beef noodle soup ever since we left South East Asia! There are few things better than a tangle of slick rice noodles in a rich, crystal clear, intensely beefy broth; the warm aroma of cinnamon, cloves and star anise rising up in a cloud of steam, balanced by a squeeze of lime and a handful of fresh herbs and chilies. Ah hell, I entered heaven!

Have a great week!