... Deep roots are not reached by frost

Remember that heat wave from couple of weekends ago? When the whole of the UK was basking in an Indian summer, I was back in Northern Ireland where it was cold and wet. It looked like something out of Lord of the Rings, with a heavy fog sticking to everything. I quite liked it, it was the perfect excuse to drink lots of hot tea, eat biscuits and wear thick woolly socks. 

Knitting and Stitching 2011

Today I went to the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace in north London. The vast number of people and exhibitors was completely overwhelming, but I managed to pick up lots of inspiration and some new crafty things to play with!

These gorgeous floral hair bands by Poppy Daisy were only £2, I restrained myself to buying two but there were so many that would look beautiful in Autumn.

This skirt making kit is so cool, the pattern is drawn on the material already, so no cutting-up and pinning down paper! The fabric I picked is quite crazy, but I think it will look good. I had never heard of Cloth Kits before, but apparently they have been around since the sixties.

I had to buy this little keyring kit from the Tugbakop stall. The lovely girl who owns the shop is an illustrator and textile artist; her stuff is really worth checking out!

Finally, I got this FREE crochet hook from Tulip, who are a Japanese company who sell really nice crochet hooks, knitting needles and felting needles. I love getting free things! Even better than the little pink crochet hook was that the amazing crocheter Doris Chan was there, doing demonstrations of crochet lace and signing copies of her book. 

All-in-all it was well worth going to the show, but I would have liked to see more crochet stalls!

Sweden

Last month my boyfriend and I visited Stockholm. We stayed in a hostel which was actually a boat on the river between Sodermalm and Gamla Stan. Stockholm is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, I absolutely loved it. It's a bit expensive to eat and drink, but the clothes shops were amazing and quite reasonable. I got lots of stuff in Monki, although of course you can now order online! I also got some new glasses, as I noticed that everyone in Stockholm wore great glasses and great shoes!

The architecture in Stocholm is beautiful and ranges from winding medieval streets to immense art noveau buildings. Everything seemed cleaned against the clear skies and fresh, sea air!

Traditional crafts of felting and using traditional materials such as wool and reindeer skins never seemed far away from the urban environment. I noticed a lot of interior decor shops which seemed to specialise in all kinds of lighting; in a country where it is dark for months, this makes sense. I plan to decorate my flat with lots of lighting this winter to create a cosy atmosphere in the long, bleak evenings!

Food was expensive, so we snacked on coffee and cinnamon buns during the day, saving our money and appetite for an evening meal.

I cannot describe how excited I was to shop in Monki, in Sodermalm, which is the coolest district in Stockholm!

Brighter than the Sun

For Autumn I'm normally thinking about earthy, black and camel coloured clothes to keep warm in, but these pictures have changed my mind! I'm loving all the teal and burgundy in the shops, but wasn't entirely sure how to wear them. This is how it should be done- matching tones of maroon and pink, sand and pink, dark blue and bright blue all set against a nude palette!

All pictures are from http://blog.stylesight.com

http://blog.stylesight.com/street/double-dose