Keep Calm and Carry Yarn

Monday, February 03, 2014


A lovely bundle of Drops Fabel sock yarn arrived by post on Friday. Which was just as well, as I had the most awful afternoon. 

Our knitting group was chatting, after having lunch at a lovely gastro pub in Wanstead. Everyone left, and we were getting through our last rows before packing up and heading back. Before we finished, two thugs came in and started asking us for money. We didn't realise it at the time, but we were being mugged. They took our mobile phones and left us feeling violated and harassed. Worst of all, the people in the pub did nothing. Nobody asked us if we were okay. Nobody came to check up on us. Nobody offered us a glass of water. 

We spoke to the police. It happens, they said. 


They didn't take my yarn. This lovely self-striping/patterning yarn is Drops Fabel in Green. It reminds me of moss. Keep calm. Breathe. Knit.


I'm attempting a pair of two-at-a-time toe-up socks with blue toes, heels and cuffs (also Drops Fabel) - ravelled here. I think it's awfully clever how it knits up in faux fair isle! I carried these along with me the whole weekend. Toes and feet done on Friday night after The Incident. Then, I realised that they were slightly too big (note to self: 70 stitches is TOO big for man-sized feet). On Saturday morning, I pulled it all out and started again with 60 stitches. Much better. 

This yarn is lovely to knit with, but tangles really easily if you're carelessly knitting in bed under a pile of magazines and other lazy-morning paraphernalia (TV remotes, blankets, sock blockers for comparison).

And then, on Saturday afternoon, we had a little adventure. I met up with some of the loveliest ladies and we went on a whirlwind tour of Hackney Artisans. Barn the Spoon, a man who whittles spoons 9 - 5. Wall & Jones, couture dress-makers and jewellery designers who upcycle second-hand items. Caroline Bousfield's Pottery Shop, potter and gardener extraordinaire. And, sock knitting in a cafe. 


I almost forgot my little misfortune entirely. 

It's funny how productive a weekend without technology can be. As I didn't have my phone, I wasn't constantly checking my emails. I wasn't able to send and receive messages. I wasn't on the phone. Nobody called me with any work emergencies, which happens every weekend. Instead, I was able to carry on with all of the things I had planned and actually get things done.

I hope that my insurance will replace my phone so I can connect with the real world again soon. But for now, I may just enjoy it.

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