A new and rather striking housey project is on its way. I’m very excited about this one. More designing of stranded motifs: happy days. Here’s a quick and sneaky glance at a preliminary sketch of part of it.

You’ll be the first to know when it hits the needles.
Meanwhile, we all trooped over to Hay-On-Wye the other week, for the literary festival. It’s a happy pilgrimage that we make most years. For those who’ve never had the pleasure, Hay is a hilly, sheepy, rainy Welsh town of 1900 people and 30 bookshops, mostly second-hand. One bookshop per 63 people sounds like a pretty decent ratio that should be replicated everywhere, upscaling to 132 000 bookshops in London, for example.
Anyway, with interesting speakers, quirky bookshops, and friendly people milling around, it’s all kinds of bliss. But I missed blogging and I thought of you, so I brought you back a couple of photos. Look! Here’s a cool concept: poet for hire.

Isn’t that cool? I was tempted to employ him, but then I overheard him trying to persuade an impoverished-studenty-looking young woman that his brief commission for her was worth at least £50, so I thought I’d save my hard-earned cash, because unless he’s going to re-write Beowulf or summat, that’s a lot of cash per rhyming couplet.
Talking of (not) saving cash, there’s a scrumptious yarn shop in Hay, selling hand-dyed local wools, amongst other yarny pleasures. Friends, you’d love it. But I’m incapable of buying yarn without a specific project ready to begin, so I merely browsed and sighed.
Anyway, I promised you two photos from Hay, so here’s the second. I do love a funny parking prohibition:-

More soon, lovely people. Happy knitting and crocheting.
I love Hay-on-Wye. I haven’t been for a while, but in the past I’ve picked up books there that I couldn’t have found anywhere else… not even on Amazon!
Good luck with the new project.
Thank you. And yes, Hay is unique and quirky and wonderful. And if a book isn’t there, it probably doesn’t exist.
Your new project looks intriguing–and it matches the mosaic background you have it on! And the literary festival looks amazing–to think of a town with so many bookshops! Makes me happy, really happy!
Yup. Bookshops, yarn shop, literary festival. Why on earth don’t I live there?!
I haven’t been to Hay for years… and now I know there’s a lovely yarn shop the next trip is going to be even more expensive…
Yes, it’s not a financially health place for knitters-cum-readers.
He’s pretty dishy …….. might be worth 50 pounds, depending on where he would recite the poem ……….
Ha ha! And he was quite charming, too.
🙂
Another amazing creation in progress!!! Best wishes… I liked the way you clicked the design on the tiled floor!
Regards,
Sindhu
Tantu
The Arts & Me
Sounds delightful. I love your mug for tea. All of mine are hand thrown pottery.
Yes. I was given gorgeous hand-thrown mugs, plates and bowls for my 40th birthday. Was rather happy about this fact. 🙂
My apologies for the random comment ~ but my sister has a coffee cup (tea mug?) almost identical to your – I love it. I use it every chance I get when I’m at her house. Such good humor in the signs…I may put up a Poet for Hire stand myself and see what happens…
Some chap in Cornwall made the mug. Hope you do the poet-for-hire thing: I bet you’ll have some stories about it afterwards…
Hay looks like my version of heaven… now if only it wasn’t an ocean away…
Trust me, it’s worth crossing an ocean for. It really is that lovely there. As long as you don’t mind the rain.
That sounds like a delightful town with quirky and sincere citizens all enjoying the day. Thanks for the chuckles, your 2 photo are so comical.
Your new motif is going to be amazing. 🙂
Awwwww, thank you. I’d better get on with it, then. 🙂
I love Hay on Wye. I had a trip there for a birthday present one year. I came home with the car boot full of books, and I mean full 😀
That sounds like a pretty good birthday. 🙂
Can’t wait to see what your design turns out to be; and (sigh) I need to travel more. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a town with a hyphenated name…seems nice. 🙂
I love that No Parking sign. I almost spit my coffee.
ooh very jealous! no chance of getting to anything like that when living in Germany…looked like fun. is it negotiable via pushchair?
Must’ve been great! Wish I could be there 🙂 ❤ <3