Yep, All I Do Is Drink Coffee & Knit.

 

We started Christmas shopping sensibly early this year, as we send a package to Australia. The Craft Fairs run by the March Hare Collective have really nice things - and lots of lightweight things suitable for posting! Jane Crick prints badges, journals and papers and we bought some jewellery from another stall too. Since I've started selling my knitting (in a very small way!) I've become much more appreciative of the time and effort it costs people to make such good quality things themselves, so I was glad we supported this. It was really busy and had a lovely, jolly atmosphere so I hope they all did well.

 

I feel I've spent most of my time recently squirrelling away Christmas presents and having coffee in various places, like our local Costa:

 

 

But also the lovely Coffee House where they had some fab KeepCup decorations:

 

 

I've managed a trip to Lavenham, too, to Cafe Knit, where Victoria had a gorgeous, Christmassy window display:

 

 

Crochet snowflakes on the left, knitted trees on the right . . .  beautiful! Victoria had some new Artesano yarn, made from British wool - it looked gorgeous and the colours were really luscious, dark, rich shades. A nice pattern book, too. It's a bit too late for my Christmas list, sadly, but if I get a voucher, I may be heading back for that lovely wool.

 

I always pop into Lavenham's St Peter & St Paul's church, too, and this week they have a really lovely but slightly sad memory tree in the churchyard:

 

 

In the wooden box are gift tags and a pen, so that you can write the names of people you remember and tie them to the tree. Lots of people had done this, and I wrote one, too. A really nice experience, and a poignant one, too, among all the excitement and bustle of shopping.

 

I feel I should mention the Works I Currently Have In Progress - but it's clear from this post that, er, I've been out and about rather than getting on with my Christmas knitting! I have finished a couple of things, so will write another post soon with some pictures!

 

 

Buying Local in Lavenham

My resolution to buy local was so successful in Lavenham yesterday! I needed a day away from the crochet dress, so decided to go to Lavenham. As I've mentioned before, Cafe Knit on the High Street has skeins of knitting wool spun - and, in fact, reared! - in Orford, Suffolk, as well as offering delicious carrot cake made locally too! But as this was more of a sight-seeing trip with my Mum and Dad, after a trip to the cafe, we went to the Tourist Information office and came away with the lovely terracotta plant markers above - made in Suffolk - and soaps from Watkins, a company based in Woolpit. It was a beautiful sunny day to see the Guildhall and the church, too - both built as a result of the town's medieval history as a 'Wool Town', spinning, weaving and dyeing cloth until Dutch cloth became more fashionable in the seventeenth century.

Sadly, my seeds seem in danger of being washed away in the rain so I might not need the markers after all! 

But I wonder what else I should be buying locally?

I Venture Cross-Country to Cafe Knit!

Yesterday, I headed off, clutching my OS maps, for a trundle around Suffolk (partly unintentional), to meet up with my friend, Steph Knits,  in Lavenham at this gorgeous cafe.  Victoria Beech opened this cafe, on the High Street, in November and it is just lovely. I don't know Lavenham that well, but it was beautiful on this sunny, Spring day: all gorgeous, ancient, timber framed houses and wide, grass lined streets - and it has masses of free parking! The cafe is in a prime position, looking out on picture-postcard houses.

Inside, the walls are lined with wool, tending towards the classier makes: Debbie Bliss, Louisa Harding etc. In this picture, just by the till, are balls of fantastic DK wool produced in Orford, by sheep farmed (I think) on National Trust Land. I saw these advertised on Cafe Knit's website and I want to plan something to knit with them: it's a shame if all wool comes from Turkey or Peru. Lavenham's history is in the English wool trade, so it seems appropriate that Victoria stocks local wool!

Now: the coffee. I'm always apprehensive about this part - I really want to like a cafe, especially if it's an independent - *especially* if it stocks wool... but I am prepared to make a mental note to have peppermint tea next time, rather than endure watery, murky 'coffee' .... but, luckily, Cafe Knit did not disappoint - phew!

Can you see the word, "Gaggia", on this machine?! Hooray! The cappucino was just what I was hoping for: dark, bitter and strong. Fabulous. I'm glad I didn't wimp out and opt for a lemonade. I didn't have a cake because I'd, er, only just had a few pains au chocolat for breakfast - but they looked lovely too.

Back to the wool: lovely leaf-green Louisa Harding wool for gloves in the sale? Check. Pattern for crochet bridesmaid dress currently under discussion with bride? Check. Unnecessary but cute reuseable cloth bag advertising said cafe? Check.

Steph Knits goes pretty much every Saturday; the Lady Friend may not agree, but  -  I want to join her! 

http://www.cafeknit.com/lavenham_suffolk_yarn_shop.php