Snowy adventures

Mr Josiekitten and I have just spent a long weekend in Krakow, Poland. It's a beautiful city, packed with history. Despite the rather cold and snowy weather, we made the most of our stay and packed in loads of sightseeing. I was well wrapped up in my Haven scarf and was toasty warm. We visited Auschwitz and Birkenau, a chilling experience. Our guide was excellent, and seeing the camps in such bleak conditions made you appreciate the true horrors of the place. Some of the displays were very harrowing, especially the room full of women's hair, much of it still in plaits, from when it was cut. The sheer quantity was mind-blowing. Equally hard to look at was the display of children's clothes and toys - there were some beautifully knitted cardigans and jumpers, and a lovely Norwegian style baby sock. Each one of these once belonged to someone. We also visited the saltmines at Wieliczka, travelling deep underground to view the amazing carvings and sculptures. We did a lot of walking, and had 2 guided tours - one around the Old Town, and the other around Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarters. Stephen Spielberg used this area for filming some of the scenes in Schindler's List. Again, our guide was excellent, and we came away with our heads buzzing with information. We sampled lots of Polish food - I love zurek, a sour rye soup with kielbasa (Polish sausage) - and we also had placki (potato pancakes), pierogi (dumplings), bigos (a stew of pickled cabbage and sausage) and goulash! Lots of yummy puds too! I justified all this by way of the cold weather and all the walking!!!!

Even though I am currently stash-busting, I was on the look out for yarn shops! And so, I have to say, was Mr Josiekitten! He actually pointed out two shops that he spotted (he's very well trained!) We visited a couple, but they were both a bit of an acrylic heaven, so I didn't buy anything! But I do know the Polish for yarn shop - pasmanteria, just in case you ever need it!

I finished my 2nd pair of lunchtime socks in Poland. I wanted something that didn't require any brain power! They are lovely and bright, and I hope that Michele's Dad will like them.

I'm cracking on with my Salsa cardigan again, and am halfway up the 2nd sleeve. I'm hoping to get in finished in the next week, as long as I don't get distracted by anything else. And of course, my toe-up sock is nearing the heel, which could require a bit of concentration.

I have a feeling that I might fall off the stash-busting wagon tomorrow, as I'm off to Textiles in Focus, in Cambridge. I'm going with Sally, from my knitting group, so I will tell her to speak sternly to me and ask if my purchases are essential!! I promise that I will confess all tomorrow!