My main target in London was the Japanese Center which is located in the Piccadilly Circus area. Unfortunately I only needed 5 minutes to browse the whole lot of 5 knitting and crochet books, mostly dedicated to accessories. And hugely overpriced. Disappointing.
Then I decided to take a walk on Regent Street, in order to discover the Liberty Store. Forgot to say I was on a special yarn shops quest.
The building itself, built in a very authentic Tudor style, is absolutely magnificent.
The rear part was built in 1924, from the timbers of two ships: HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan. The frontage at Great Marlborough is the same length as the Hindustan.
Here is HMS Impregnable before becoming Liberty:
More about the store from their website:'The shop was engineered around three light wells that formed the main focus of the building. Arthur Liberty( the owner) wanted to create the feeling that you were walking around your own home when you came to his store, so each of these wells was surrounded by smaller rooms to create a homely feel. Many of the rooms had fireplaces and some still exist today. The wells created a wonderful environment in which to drape exotic rugs and quilts, whilst the smaller rooms allowed the display of smaller items.'
That's a picture inside the store, taken from the last floor.
The yarn department is the Rowan empire. Every single yarn,every single colour, every single book you could imagine.At the back of the room, an old glass window ornament, 400 years old.
I didn't buy much (a few buttons and some soft 4ply for a swatch) but I spent hours in the store just browsing and walking around different rooms on all levels.
I usually hate big department stores. Takes me less then five minutes to get a headache from the bad energy surrounding these kind of places. What's different in Liberty I wonder. Maybe it's its past, or its history or the beautiful items on display ? Or is it the love and passion which was put into this store for centuries now? Or all these together. Liberty is a store with a heart. I will definitely visit again.
Back to knitting.
I am on a program of stash reduction so I'm doing this as a fast knit - my own pattern - if you want to called it a pattern. Really I should have put a bit more effort into designing something a bit more elaborate - anyway ...
I might just have it finished during the weekend. The weather is atrocious and this might help to keep me indoors.
1 comment:
Oh dear, car repairs seem like such a waste of money don't they.
I haven't been to Liberty's for years and years, when I did go I was too young to appreciate it!
Lou
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