Alexandra Palace 10 October 2015

Well actually it was The Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, but would that have encouraged you to read this post? I don't think so. Now that I've got your attention though, hang in there, there are some quite interesting bits.

It was a cold and misty day, but no rain.

I've never been to this side of London and isn't that view quite something? I bought a Network Railcard which gives you 30% off normal rail fares in and around London, outside of working hours. Definitely worth it and I'll definitely be making some interesting trips.

The Palace is quite spectacular. It's been around since 1873, having been rebuilt in 1875 after a fire and has always been a venue for entertainment and exhibitions. The BBC had a big presence there for a long time but all that remains now is the radio and TV mast.

 

The exhibition hall is enormous and the great hall was absolutely jam packed with hundreds of exhibitors selling anything you could possibly need for your next handcraft project.

This will be my next project, probably a blanket.

 



There must have been thousands of people there. Some of the stall holders were very creative.

 



The best part for me though was the West Hall which had a textile gallery with some of the most incredible works of art.

This looks like it was inspired by images from the Hubble Telescope.

This collage is by Kate Jenkins and the title is "Kate's Plaice, The Stitchmongers" - how quirky and amusing and she even found a tin of Lucky Star Pilchards!

These, from a distance, looked like a modern take on a ruff, but up close you see that they are zips!

It hardly looks any different to the ruff in this picture of Elizabeth I.

And then there was one of the most incredible murals - inspired by Cinque Terre, a coastal area of Northern Italy, this group of artists from DAMSS Fibreart, using only recycled materials, put together a (at least) 20 metre long wall hanging which from a distance looked like a painting but up close it's all hand sewn.

 

 

Lunchtime... pulled pork sandwich with apple sauce. Not bad.

 



Some more wandering around but then the crowds were getting a bit much so I went and had a look around the grounds of the palace.

Besides an ice rink, a boating lake where there was a duck race going on ...

there is also a deer enclosure. They do look quite sad though.

So that was my day and six train/tube trips later I was home with my feet up and drinking tea. Ok, wine, but that came after the tea.