A Squash and a Squeeze...

I am halfway through a 4 weekend cycle of having no No2 around, so I thought I'd pop into the West End for a bit of retail therapy. The trouble is it was a BIG mistake.

As I approached Baker Street on the bus, there was an announcement that the bus would be following a diversion at Marble Arch because of a parade. Oh well, thinks me, I'll just jump on the tube and make my way down to Covent Garden underground. My first stop was to be The Bead Shop. I have been looking for some beads with fairly big holes in the middle to thread onto some lovely bamboo yarn I bought in Loop a while back, to make some crochet bowl covers from my Vintage Crochet book.

After a quick sandwich stop in Borders on Charing Cross Road, I made my way up to Liberty. It was to be a one-stop visit to the haberdashery department. As always, it was full of temptation, but I resisted and came away with just 3 half metre pieces of Amy Butler fabrics in greys and lime greens. Leaving the shop by the main door, I found myself in a noisy, colourful crowd. Unbeknown to me, I was in the thick of the Pride London parade - so that was it! Momentarily, I got caught up in the fun and laughed to see Boris Johnson, our new mayor, leading the parade wearing a pink stetson. I have to confess to loving Boris - he is quite mad and I'm all for it! After seeing him host Have I Got News For You, I think he is the man for the job...

Anyway, time was pressing on and I had a party to get to last night, so I headed northwards to Oxford Circus so I could nip into John Lewis and buy the yarn that was also on my shopping list. The crowd that had been all laughter and gaiety (if you'll excuse the pun) soon turned into The Crowd From Hell and I found myself in the thick of a mass of humans who were pushing and shoving but with no apparent direction. The police presence didn't seem to have much of a handle on the situation and anyone who knows what it's like at Oxford Circus at the best of times can maybe imagine what it was like. I was pressed up against a wall, getting pushed from every angle. I was terrified and on the verge of a panic attack, I think. To make things worse, the sun was blazing down. After what seemed like ages, the police managed to get some control on the situation and I was able to move forward and escape. It all sounds very dramatic, but I really got scared at one point. Once I had some space around me, I realised that my lovely purple Liberty bag was empty. In the squash, the bag had been pulverised and the bottom had fallen out (it was one of their lovely paper bags!) and my new fabric purchases were gone...

On shaking legs and with a pounding heart, I headed to John Lewis as planned, hoping to take comfort from the calming qualities of wool. It was so calming in fact, that I filled a basket from the sale bins of odd balls of Rowan yarns which are perfect for doing amigurumi or making more Easter Eggs for next year. And all less than half price! Small consolation then?

I think I may have enough yarn to keep me going for a while. This is a quick list of my projects in the pipeline:

• Crocheted heart for my friend to carry at her wedding - I'm hoping to adapt the sweetheart bunting pattern here. I'll use Debbie Bliss pure silk, such decadence!





• Another Syd Rabbit. This time for my friend's almost 2 year old, whose birthday is coming up in August, using the Rowan Classic Baby Alpaca.





• A crocheted bag for another friend's almost 5 year old daughter, this time from this book, which I've just ordered from Amazon. I'll use the Rowan pure wool DK.

Remind me to check for events in Central London, next time I decide to brave the crowds...