London Knitting

I should have learned by now that I never get as much knitting done on vacations as I think I will (on the other hand, I tend to get more reading done than I think I will... at home I'm more likely to pick up my knitting rather than a book, and on vacation I'm more likely to pick up a book rather than my knitting! Go figure!), so out of the four projects I took with me to London, I only did any work on two of them! Never mind - it's not like they took up much room, and I like having alternatives ;)

I got quite a bit of knitting done on my socks on the plane ride - it doesn't really look that way though, as stranded knitting is quite a bit slower for me than just plain vanilla. No matter - I like the way it looks, and will enjoy having it on the needles for awhile longer.

Nora's baby blanket was perfect for the evenings though. Hardly required any thinking at all! ... I'm not going to tell how many time I messed up the counting due to being too caught up in our games though ;)
I've just started the 8th square. Think I need 64 in total, so there's awhile to go yet.

But though I didn't touch the Hitchhiker at all while away, I've done quite a bit of knitting on it since then, and finished it last night! :) Still need to block and weave in ends, but I expect to get that done tomorrow night :)
Since there's no varigation in the yarn colour, I decided to knit every second tip in stockinette instead of garter. This means it isn't reversible any longer, but I actually really like the way it turned out :)

Finally I've gotten quite a bit of knitting done on the Rye Field Pullover. Only need another 10cm or so before the end ribbing! Can't wait to see it done :)
It's funny - while knitting the top part, I thought it looked so smooth and even already that if it hadn't been for the lace part I hardly felt it needed blocking... but then I blocked the top part (to see if I could get rid of the wrinkle - fortunately I could!), and now it is SO obvious what I've knit since then! Blocking definitely makes a difference!

Stash Stories
Of course I couldn't go to London and not come home with souvenir yarn! And it turns out that Henni is an excellent enabler, as she kept asking me "Is that all you're getting?" and suddenly it seemed reasonable to get more! Sooooo I went kinda crazy in Loop, Islington (HIGHLY recommend this shop BTW!), but as the cashier commented, "What happens in a yarnshop, stays in a yarnshop". ;)
MadelineTosh and Koigu. Love it :D The "Unicorn Tails" are for my Cozy Memories Blanket. They'll look AWESOME in there :D

I'd also checked google to find a place to purchase fiber for my spinning wheel, and managed to find one that seemed to have quite a good selection. It was a bit out of the way, but I figured it'd be worth the visit - and I was right! They had TONS of fiber - both dyed and natural, and in heaps of different materials. I stuck with merino though... I'd love to try bamboo, silk, cashmere etc. at some point, but I asked the owner, and she recommended I stick with the basics while I'm still a new spinner. The rest can come later. They have an online shop too, and ship to Denmark! :D