I went to the Knitting & Stitching Show last week, with my lovely friend Jo. I haven’t been since before I had the boy, what with being firstly a new mother of only 4 weeks, and then a mother who rightly decided that a pushchair with a one year old in those crowds would be hell. This year was fine, because he goes to his lovely childminder, and so I was free to skip all the way across the river, with a sandwich from Paul in my bag (Florence is right – the food is dreadful), and a willingness to open my purse if I liked what I saw.
I took my camera but I took no pictures. None at all. I think I was just happy to be out, looking at some great textile art, as well as some fine examples of what Jo calls “misplaced effort”- you know, those things that you think, ‘technically accomplished, yes, but really quite hideous and pointless’. Thankfully there weren’t many of those this year. We truly loved the knitted herons in particular, and I was buoyed to discover that the artist had got herself a dream job as a weaver after graduating. Just a wee reminder that there are people out there following their passions to the limit.

After a lunch that included two glasses of wine my purse well and truly spilled open and I bought some lovely things from Ray Stitch and Eternal Maker. It’s the first new fabric I’ve bought in an age. I bought with projects in mind for once, and probably not coincidentally, it’s the first time I’ve felt properly excited by sewing in forever. This might also have something to do with being able to see the sewing surface again. The new fabric also made me realise I need a little bit of a de-stash, so that’s another job to stick on the bottom of my list.

But for today, I’m just going to do some actual sewing. Yes, I know. I can’t believe it either.

(Apologies for slightly blurry photos – I would have redone them, but I’ve already cut the fabric. No, I can’t believe that either.)