Yes, my blog has been sporadic to say the least recently. I wasn't too well and then lent my camera to a friend and didn't manage to go and collect it until this weekend so I had no pictures to post. So, here are my purchases from Ally Pally, a few months late but they are just as well loved now as they were then.
I have to say that Ally Pally was a bit disappointing. Two or three years ago, those of us that lived in London mostly only had immediate access to Rowan, Jaeger, Debbie Bliss, Noro, Patons and Sirdar. There were a few other novelty yarns to be found here and there but that was pretty much the sum total.
But since then, a load of online stores have opened which have given us access to yarns from all over the world and then recently both Loop and Stash opened and allowed us to fondle the yarns in person rather than just stare at the screen with lust.
So unlike the first year when I went to Ally Pally and went mad (luckily this was before I started blogging so there is no public record of how much I bought), this year I was a lot more subdued.
I bought some of this gorgeous Halloween coloured Koigu KPPPM from Get Knitted destined to be a pair of socks for moi. I admit to having first spied this in Mary's bag and realised that I NEEDED some too.
This other Koigu KPPPM wanted to come home with the Halloween Koigu and I just couldn't bring myself to refuse. I like the flecked colours and figured that you could never have too much sock yarn.
On that basis, some of this Cherry Hill Supersock yarn in Old Rose also came home with me. Now I just need to start knitting some socks again.
I also, very oddly, fell in love with the Sublime Yarns design on the front page of this magazine. Not a very 'me' design but I tried it on and even my friend Kathryn, known to be dubious about such designs, had to admit that it somehow worked. So it came home with me.
Finally I picked up some knitting books. Glamour and Classic, both by Erika Knight. I love her patterns and she always gives me ideas of things I could make or ways I could adapt patterns.
Finally I bought Beads, Buttons and Lace by Jennie Atkinson (called 'Romantic Style: Knits And Crochet to Wear or Display' in the US). I have quite a few of the patterns as they were published in earlier Rowan magazines - but there are enough other bits and bobs that I like and I am determined to get into lace knitting rather soon as I have pledged to make a lace shawl for my best friend who is getting married in August.
Sorry to bother you - but if you have time - could you let me know the 'name' of the flecked KPPm. It is lovely but I can't make out the shade number from the Koigu website. Many thanks for your time.
Posted by: Jane Karger at December 8, 2006 12:40 PMWell, your previous haul must have been something to see, if this one is disappointing. :) Love the KPPMs especially!
Posted by: Amy at December 5, 2006 04:09 AMLovely yarn you bought! I have also noticed this pattern from sublime yarns and I hope you'll get it on your needles pretty soon (no pressure there...). This is the type of patterns you like but not quite sure it's wearable in the "real" world, so I want to see it done first before I make my mind...
Posted by: francoise at December 4, 2006 09:42 PMWe are obviously sock yarn twins. Not only did we both get the Halloween Koigu, the other shade of Koigu you bought and the CTH Old Rose are both happily sitting in my stash, waiting to be knitted up.
Posted by: Mary at December 4, 2006 06:12 PMLovely Koigu!
I'm in love with the Beads, Buttons & lace book (in the US it's called 'Romantic Style'), despite having lots of the patterns already. Isn't that dressing gown amazing? Now I just need a castle to wander around in it.