Cookie Hunting

I was very excited when I heard Cookie A would be launching her book in Loop on the Sunday afternoon that I was in London.

After leaving my friends in Surbiton I headed up to Angel for the short walk to Loop.

As I trudged up Upper Street, passing the scary 80's playsuits in the windows of the vintage shops, a pair of red Monkey socks caught my eye. I was too shy to stop the person, just in case she thought I was a complete nutter, but I did consider the pro's and cons of shouting "Nice Monkey's" after her!

I reached Cross Street in no time at all. I have been to Loop before, many moons ago, just after it opened, when I still lived in London, so I knew not to dispair as I was walking down a street which seems to have little hope of containing a knitting shop.

I was delighted to see the shop was not TOO full. I was worried my backpack would not have been a welcome addition to a shop crammed full of people. I was even more glad to see a big pile Sock Innovations :o) Yipee, at least one shop in the country had stock of this very sought after book.
I admired the wonderful displays of Cookie A socks from the new book

And got to see a wonderful display of her older designs

I even got to touch the original Pomatomus!

I felt very honoured.

A little chat with Cookie (yes, I got my book signed too) revealed that she thinks that Kai-Mei and Rich are the most fun to knit from the new book and she loved designing each one just as much as the next (hmmm... said with a little bit of sarcasm me thinks!)

I took some pictures, indulged in a cookie (choc chip - it was yum) and was enabled by Jane, she had a collection Norah Gaughan books in her hands and I remembered I wanted number 3.

I headed back to Euston and my train to Wolverhampton ready to start on my favourite sock of the day, Kai Mei, in some purple Yarn Yard solid I had wound specifically for the purpose. However I neglected to bring another sock needle with me, so I had to "make do" with reading Cookie's fantastically detailed notes about sock design and construction and swatch for my Aeolian shawl instead.

More on that tomorrow!