Twenty four hours in Bath.....

...is clearly not enough! The Sicilian agreed that I needed a 'creative' break and with a free pass from my husband, I booked myself a return ticket to Bath Spa and a night in a b&b. The plans were laid, the weather unfortunately didn't comply - Dante's sports day was postponed due to rain and my departure was delayed by several hours (but then I haven't missed a sports day yet, and this wasn't going to be the first). Luckily for me, the truly inspirational Eirlys Penn, aka Scrapiana, was able to fit into my somewhat fluid plans, as was my wonderful book editor, Eleanor Van Zandt. And more about these two extraordinary ladies later. I'm going to approach this post chronologically, otherwise I'm afraid I'll just waffle endlessly (Eleanor would not be impressed!) - I have so much to report! And having just looked through my photos, I'm going to do a post in two parts, there's just too much to tell!!!

With the early morning sun shining, I hit Bath's cobbled streets, and my first stop was 'Wool'. I spent the previous night at The Henry, a charming b&b just a stone's throw from this hidden haven of wooliness. So, after checking out of The Henry, I peered wistfully through the window of Wool, only for the delightful owner Laura to take pity on me and open her door early. She was still having breakfast and checking in on emails, but was more than happy for me to browse her thoughtfully stocked shelves.
Laura's passion for yarn is evident as you walk around. Alongside well known brands are smaller, independent yarns, natural fibres and fabulous shades. Even better, useful samples hung at regular intervals allow you to feel the texture and see instantly how a project will knit up. And despite being full to the rafters, the shop feels light, bright and so welcoming with a comfy sofa, scattered with gorgeous knitted and crocheted cushions, just an arm's stretch away from a table laden with pattern books. I had sneaked a peek on Laura's website before visiting, so I was really keen to check out her own brand pure Teeswater dk 'Wool' and here it is, snuggled into an old suitcase.
I scooped up some of the Guava pink and Moss green - Pipi will be sporting a new tank-top style sweater come Autumn! But, my stash wasn't quite complete - I just had to have a hank of Rooster Delightful Lace, a blend of baby alpaca and silk and a cute crochet pattern book by Pico (I thought it would encourage Pipi to pick up her hook this summer and make a dachshund or two! See my 'Books to Inspire' list for details). I felt like a child in a sweet shop, I wanted a little bit of everything. Luckily, with a new web shop due soon, I will be able to get my fix of Laura's unique offering, an affordable bit at a time!
And so it was onwards with my day. I had arranged to pop in on Kate at The Makery, Walcot Street - the location for the Mollie Makes film featuring my apple cosy. Another little gem, as delightful on the inside as it looks from the outside!

Kate and her team were busy planning their weekend of creative workshops. I'm afraid I was a bit of a distraction, sorry guys, but I just couldn't help 'ooh'ing and 'aah'ing over their bolts of fabric, sweetie jars filled with buttons and beads, fabulous window display of handmade lampshades....

.....and shelf full of knickers! I have a bit of a thing about knickers; there is a pattern in my forthcoming book for edging a pair of Liberty lawn knickers with fine crochet cotton. I love my knickers, but was very challenged by their creation - not the crochet part, the pattern is quite simple, but the sewing bit. You can imagine my excitement when I discovered that the shelf full of homemade knickers was down to the talented Sarah, manager and knicker course tutor - I'm thinking that two places on said knicker course might be just the ticket for The Sicilian and I to help celebrate our wedding anniversary!!! You see, the Sicilian is a tiny bit envious of my love affair with my sewing machine and I know he secretly wants to get his hands on my Janome, so, what better way to introduce him to sewing than a course in frillies!!!

And it's with that entertaining thought that I'm going to leave you for now. But I will be back soon with the second installment of my Bath adventure, complete with Bea's Vintage Tea Rooms, Scrapiana and her Liberty bead necklaces and lunch with Eleanor Van Zandt at the beautiful Holburne Museum cafe..... xxx