Back from Knit Nation & Somerset House

I’m back in Bonnie Scotland again. I think I’ll leave it a few weeks before I go back to London, I’m knackered with all this to-ing and fro-ing plus looking after house guests from Oman, Dubai and Brunei. Anyway it was definitely worth it.

Last Friday I started the day at the Maison Martin Margiela exhibition at Somerset House with my good friend Fie Ross. Amazingly enough although I’m London born and bred I’d never been to Somerset House before but it’s a beautiful venue sitting beside the Thames on the Embankment. The exhibition which celebrates 20 years of this visionary designer is brilliantly curated with garments, video, accessories and even archive invitations to past catwalk shows all thoughfully displayed.(If you DO go, yes you are meant to walk through the trompe l’oiel at the top of the stairs.) Easily the most inspiring exhibition I’ve been to in years and the best £6 I’ve spent in ages – well it would have been if Fiona had let me pay for my ticket.

After lunch in Covent Garden and a quick squizz around the V&A shop – what’s happened there? It looks like a cross between Paperchase and the John Lewis habby department, oh dear. Anyway, we met up with Emma Kennedy from ‘Knitting’ magazine and went along for the Ravelry talk with Jess & Casey. I was a bit gobsmacked by what they’ve achieved with Ravelry, no matter how much time you spend on it you could be on it for the rest of your life and still probably not even touch the sides as they’re constantly tweaking it to make it better for everyone on it – my brain just isn’t big enough for that sort of clever jiggery pokery but hats off to you Jess & Casey, you’ve created something amazing, thank you. ( Even more amazing that there are only 4 of them working full time on it).

So I’m back from the smoke working on another design for ‘The Knitter’ and a new website . . . off to do some knitting and listen to Stevie Wonder

Down in the smoke part 2

I’d forgotten what it was like to commute in London. I did it a lot in my younger days, either travelling in on the train and tube or at its worst getting up at 5.30am leaving my house at 6.30am and then driving to High Wycombe for 9.00am and THEN starting work. When you’re in the midst of it it’s just a necessary eveil but it’s not until you come out of it – in my case moving to Scotland – that you think ‘did I reallydo that everyday?!’

Anyway I had a little trip down commuting memory lane on Friday as Sam had a job in Westminster and it was my job to get him and all the equipment there safely and on time. The down side however was sitting and waiting around all day for the job to finish and then get him home again. Bored doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt, yes I know I could have taken work, in fact I did, but you know when you’d just rather be somewhere else? Anywhere else?

I did however manage to escape for a couple of hours and wandered off to Oxford Street. A quick visit to John Lewis, not what it used to be. Why is yarn & haberdashery on the 4th floor next to toys? I nearly lost the will to live by the time I got up there, then it was off to Liberty always worth the effort with it’s weird layout it reminded me of Jenners and the instore displays are beautifully stylish with a wonderful sense of fun.

The highlight of my  wee dander though was a visit to MacCulloch and Wallis on Dering Street. If you haven’t been you must. It hasn’t changed a bit in all the time I’ve known it. Spread over 3 floors it has everything a nimble fingered crafter could need and it makes a fab change from the more slick and polished haberdashery departments. I could have spent a lot of money but I had to keep in mind the de cluttering we’re supposed to be doing at the moment so all I came away with was some velvet ribbon to finish off a design I’ve just done for The Knitter

but lots and lots of ideas for future designs.