It’s sort of been one of those weeks.  There’s been a bit of this and a bit of that and all that tangly wool and the WEATHER …!  I had just got excited about some rather pretty shopping and thinking I had time to photograph it and write about it and my camera died.  I felt like I’d lost the use of an arm.  There are wordsmiths out there who write beautiful blog posts and paint their own word pictures, but I NEED to illustrate my ramblings.  First thing this morning I set off through the rain and wind to Norwich and the London Camera Exchange clutching my Fuji FinePix F650 with the lens well and truly jammed.  It’s been making a weird graunching grinding noise for weeks (months?) and I’ve been trying to ignore it.  Apparently the thingy has worked its way off the helix and the whatsits had worn (you can tell I know exactly what I’m talking about) and the price of repair was far more than a new camera… so that’s what I’ve got, a natty little Olympus FE-4000.

So now I can write about my shopping expeditions last week with full colour illustrations.  I know I should be working hard to finish the hand dyed project, but when it got a little derailed last week it sent me off to socks.  Socks have been popular in the blogs I read lately, both Vanessa, of ‘Do you mind if I Knit’ and Jane Brocket have succumbed to the spotty lovelies to be found at Boden, but I have been indulging in the meditative appeal of sock knitting.  There is something about the smallness of the work, the little needles feel like extensions of your fingers rather than separate tools, everything tucks into your encircling hands, and the whole thing can be popped into a pocket and taken on the bus, the doctors’ waiting room or even, if you are not actually turning the heel, to the cinema!  My only problem with socks is that you have to knit two the same, and I’m really bad about repeating myself.  I have got round that by having more than one pair on the go and alternating them, deliberately creating even more odd socks than my washing machine does!  The final reason for extolling the joys of sock knitting are the glorious colours in which the sock wool is dyed.  Sitting in the warm with a handful of Technicolour sunset is the perfect antidote to the wet darkness outside.

The  second shopping trip took us to Anglia Fashion Fabrics.  This is the place to go in Norwich for everything you could possibly need for sewing and making, and now it has opened a second venue called Make Place offering tuition for complete novices to learn how to sew, which is a brilliant idea.  On this particular day there was also a MakePlace Market with stalls selling beautiful  bags and clothing made from recycled items, felt hats and scarves, jewelry, al sorts of yummy things, but alas, no camera!  Having been inspired by this, it was essential to go next door and check out the actual shop where I succumbed to this..

because I’m having a bit of thing for polka dots, especially red and white ones…this..

Because no-one who sews can possibly turn down the chance to have a fabric called ‘Stash’ …and this..

Well…you can see why.  There are dachshunds, how could I resist?  I think this will probably end up being a bag to keep all his stuff in.  For a small dog he does have a lot of stuff!

So I think the time has come to step away from the laptop and start being creative, so I’ve got something to tell you about later in the week!