Between blotch and blok

So here's the thing. The cold was (and still is a little bit) not something to take out and about, not with the streaming (bleeding) nose and the tendency to head towards a fever. But today's my holiday: my annual trip on the glitterbus (the company both ways and the pile of purchases on the way home definitely add to a sense of sparkle) to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally. And I'm not on the bus. Not late and nearly missing it like last year, but at home having sent my excuses.

I'm going to have my day all the same. Not all of it: even Ravelry's forums aren't quite a replacement for the craic on the coach. But I can browse, shop, fondle yarn and floof, do a workshop, find some exhibits, from the comfort of my <strike>armchair</strike> posture stool and laptop. I'm getting quite excited.

(The photos might not be all that interesting.)

Onwards.

Part the first--getting ready

Dress the part, smart but comfortable. Seasalt courduroy skirt, bright red cashmere cardie, favourite green sampler shawl (have to wear a hand-knit of my own), and socks (also hand-knit). Earrings, non-dangly, don't want to catch on all those dangling skeins. Don't need to choose boots or shoes; don't need to ensure the Kindle's charged; don't need to panic about whether I've got enough cash; don't need to find a bag big enough for the camera, or spare batteries for the camera. All set, in fact.

Part the second--planning

On the agenda:

1. Practising parsimony (workshop). OK, this is merely darning some holes in M's best sweater. But it does mean going through the stash to find a likely match for the darn.

2. Learn to use a lucet (workshop). I found an email tutorial for this. And I've let the first few pile up. So I'll tackle at least a couple of these.

3. Fondle yarn. Part of 1. to find the darn yarn, but I might cross check the piles of stuff against my Ravelry stash to make sure it's up-to-date. Sort out what is stored where.

4. Buy yarn and floof. I have a list, but I'll wait to buy from that (many of the vendors are at Ally Pally). Instead, I may check out folk destashing on Rav. I may see what offers I get in my Inbox. I will have to order new face cream. (What? It's neither yarn nor floof, but I do buy it regularly at K&S. Last year I bought a duvet, too.)

5. Find an exhibition.... This one's more of a challenge. <strike>Google</strike>DuckDuckGo may have to be my friend.

6. Eat, drink.

7. Take photos of Ally Pally. Hard to do if I'm not there, but I could upload some of the past years many shots to share with other folk.

Part the third--I'm off. Back later with a news of my progress.