Birthday, Part 2...

...also known as total bliss. I'm always one to think about how lucky I am but really after a weekend like this... well I am as happy as I could be :o)
This will be one of those 'photo heavy' posts as I did get the camera and I made good use of my new toy. Sadly not in Get Knitted though - I went all bashful inside the BEAUTIFUL shop, and outside? Well it's not in the most aesthetically pleasing part of Bristol so you're not missing anything by not seeing that!

We went to GK first and wowzer was it fun :0) Mr Sarah was very well behaved, went and got a haircut, helped himself to a complimentary tea and most happy making for me he chose himself some yarn for a pair of Dashing and then used the swift to ball it up - whilst doing this he was mistaken for an employee which made me chuckle.Here I am back at the hotel picking over my purchases with glee. I made a plan before I went in and stuck right to it except for a random pompom maker, which the Mr was very keen on. We got straight to work over our picnic on the pompoms.
So to the knitty gritty: the yarn choice was very good, not everything in the world (imagine that shop!!) and some surprising omissions - no Regia sock yarn for example, no Manos del Uruguay and no Berocco. I suppose I knew this from the web, but somehow I sort of was still expecting these.

What they do have is a great range for all budgets, well displayed (by manufacturer and type of yarn) and they seem to specialise in a lot of the US yarns that many UK stores don't have - Brown Sheep, Lornas Laces, Cascade etc. I was glad I had a list of what I wanted as it was hard not to feel overwhelmed by the choice and I did about three laps before I put anything in my basket!

I decided that I was allowed some premium sock yarn for a pair for me, thinking I would probably go for some Lorna's Laces, actually I went for something I hadn't even heard of before. Fleece Artist Sea Wool - it's in the front of this picture.I've heard much of Hand Maiden Sea Silk but not of this sock yarn blend which is 70% merino and 30% sea cell, sadly it doesn't smell of the sea but I wanted it for the novelty, the springy feel the sheen and the glorious colourway - Renaissance.

I stuck to interesting blends with the Trekking Pro Natura - 75% wool, 25% bamboo - intended for these super cute socks.

I've also been keen to get a cotton blend so I couldn't resist the Lana Grossa in a pretty aqua which is 45% cotton, 42 % wool and 13% polyamide, this is intended for a pair for my Mum, as is the amazing Florentina Jitterbug at the top if I can bear to part with it - will the meanie take over? It was hard to stop at one skein of that heavenly stuff but at £10 a pop sense won the day.
Then we come to the pick by Mr Sarah who displayed impeccable taste with some Colinette Cadenza in a fabulous, well named Slate. I chose a skein of Lambs Pride, this is 85% wool/15% mohair. It feels smooth and soft and the colours they had were so intense especially this Regal Purple. The plan is to use it for this hotty botty cover.

So that's the haul, didn't do a bad job did I?

Here are some shots of Bristol to finish with; the camera and I are going to be good friends I think. It was great to have a relaxed time in a city I know and love. Taking photos makes me look at scenes in a different way and I found new details on buildings I have walked past hundreds of times.


The sun shone for most of the weekend as well which really helped to make it just perfect.