London on a budget (Day 3 and 4)

On day three, we decided that we should just chill out a bit and have a day of window shopping. So we spent the day ambling down Oxford street. It was fun to play the game of, if I had this budget what would I get.

Then in the evening we had our (fancy) meal out for our final full day in London. For this meal we went to pizza hut on Leicester square.

Finally we finished up the day by going to Shakespeare's globe to where we had standing tickets (£5). It did hurt to stand up so long but was well worth it. The actors where amazing and we got to see an iconic tourist attraction for a super cheap price.

For our final day in London we went to Camden market, where we got some good (and not so good) deals.

London on a budget (Day 2)

Today, was all about doing some more stereo typical Tourist attractions. We started off the day by going to the horse guard parade to watch the changing of the guards. We got there 20 minutes early and where able to bag ourselves a good spot. If we'de been any later then we would have been a good couple of rows away from the front. The changing of the guards was very spectacular due to all of the soldiers being on horse back.

After that we went on a lovely walk through James park, so that we could have a picnic in Hyde park. However when we got to Buckingham palace, we where just in time to see the changing of the guards there. We where able to get a front row view by standing to the right of Buckingham palace and looking from the edge. Considering that we had already seen the changing of the guards at the horse guard parade, we where extremely happy with where we were standing.

After seeing the changing of the guards we carried on to Hyde park where we had a really nice laid back picnic.
Once we'd finished our picnic, we took the tube to the British museum. We where just in time for the 14:30 free tour about Ancient Egypt. The British Museum have lots of free tours going on through out the day, so it's well worth having a look when and where they are.

We were planning on going to the Curzon cinema in the evening to watch a subtitled film but decided that we were all too tied. So we just went back to Camden and had an early night.  

London on a budget (Day 1)

Hey! Recently I went to London with 3 of my Friends. All of us are students, which meant that we had to be careful with our money. So aside from a few things we desperately wanted to see, everything we did was either free or extremely cheap.

We arrived by train at mid day. Firstly we went to where we were staying to unpack and to buy all the food we would need for our stay. We based ourselves around Camden, so that we could easily get around London.

Once we had settled in and eaten, we set off for the south bank. My friends really wanted to go to the London dungeons (£28 per person), where as I fancied going to the Tate Modern (free). My Friends got a cheaper rate for the London Dungeons by using the Kelloggs 2 for one vouchers. It actually worked really well. My Friends finished their tour at at around 6:00 pm, which is when the Tate closes, so we just met up again by the London eye.

We were quite tired by 6:30 so we decided to eat out at an all you can eat Thai buffet (£7.50), which was just down the road from Camden tube station.
As a first day, it was fairly expensive for my friends but not that expensive for me. However the London Dungeons was something they really wanted to do and they had a really good time.

My knit and stitch show haul

Hello again! Today I have another knit and stitch show themed post for you today. (If you're interested to know what I posted about last week take a look here.) Today, I thought I might share what I got for myself at the knit and stitch show.

So firstly I want to share this amazing coloured double knitting wool that I got for just £1.20 from a stall, which had just pile after pile of wool. It may not be the best quality of wool but I though that its colour would fit in perfectly with the colours that seem to be in trend this winter.

Then there's the amazing Rowan wool that I got from the Black Sheep stand. If you've ever seen Black Sheep wools, then you'll know that there are amazing deals to be had. So I bought 2 balls of the tumble wool. I'm afraid that I couldn't help but use it straight away and so I've made a cowl from it already. (I may post about that at some point, but I'm not sure, let me know if you'd like to see a post on that).  You may be wondering why I've mainly just got wool at the show and not fabric, but I told myself before I went that I wouldn't buy any more fabric because I already have more than enough.

Whilst looking around a book stall, I found a small stash of vintage patterns and had to stop myself from jumping up and down and squealing with delight. Not only that, but also these patterns are exactly the kind of patterns I was looking for to use up my stash of fabric. So now I can't wait to start my next sewing project (but first I need to finish the half started ones).

I also got a pattern from another stall, which I think would make a good work out top, as well as just a nice t-shirt that has a bit of interest in the back.

So now I'm set for the next couple of months. Let me know if you've ever found any vintage patterns and if so where did you get them from.

I hope this has inspired you! 
(or something along those lines) 

Coats fashion show

So, over the weekend I went to the London knit and stitch show and I had an absolutely amazing time, but don't worry if you couldn't make it, as there are also knit and stitch shows in other places (have a look here to see if there's a show near you). At the show, there was also the coats fashion show, which displayed the new work of Rowan, Patons, free spirit and of course Coats. As well as new patterns from Butterick, Vogue and McCalls.
Whilst watching I also took photos of some of the items, so that I could share them with you, and also where you can find the relevant patterns (this only applies to some items as I couldn't trace all of the pieces on show, but let me know in the comments if you find any of the patterns that I couldn't source).

 Don't you just love the amazing texture in this cardigan and its colours just fit right into the themes you would associate with autumn. Sadly though I couldn't find the pattern for this cardigan.

I'm afraid I wasn't able to get a front row seat, so you may just see some head bobbing into the frame now and then. But don't let that detract from how cool this oversized jumper is. Again this was another pattern I couldn't source.

Normally knitted things for men just look naff but this men's cardigan is not only wearable but also really fashionable. However no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't source this pattern.

With it coming up to Christmas, and the season where I don't know about you but I love to wear a really nice jumper, this no doubt will be a real hit and this style has certainly been making the rounds already. Sadly I was unable to find this pattern.

And of course there's an equally stylish version for men. Unfortunately I was unable to find the pattern for this jumper. 

Sadly I wasn't able to get a full photo on this skirt but trust me when I say that the back is really something. So according to the program, the information is as follows:

Pattern company: Vogue

Pattern: V8882 style D

Fabric: FreeSpirit Elizabeth by Tula Pink Ship Shape PWTP065-SKYXX

The fabric used in this men's shirt really gives it that wow factor and it also reminds me of the 70's style that everybody seems to be loving at the moment. According to the program, the information on this is as follows:

Pattern company: Vogue

Pattern: V8889 Style C

Fabric: Coats Electric Elements by Tim Holtz Cigarbox PWTH015- MULTI 

Okay, just take a minute to appreciate the sheer beauty of this cardigan,it totally captures the autumn colours and how autumn is totally about leaves. This pattern was designed by Martin Storey and you can find information on his pattern here. 

 Look there's yet another cool men's jumper, Rowan are on a roll :) This pattern was designed by Marie Wallin and you can find more information on it here.

This jumper is a really nice take on the oversized jumper trend, as it has a really nice tailoring to it. For more information on this pattern take a look here.

I reckon the cowl styled neck on this jumper could come in really useful come the cold weather this winter. This pattern was designed by Sarah Hatton and you can find more information on it here. 

And here's another really cool men's jumper, you can't say that Rowan haven't catered for men. The pattern was designed by Martin Storey and information about it can be found here.

 This knitted hood has a great comfort meets ready to go style, which is just really wearable. However I was unable to find the pattern needed to make one.

When this jumper came out onto the cat walk, there was a gasp among the audience and I think you can see why. This jumper won't just complement an outfit, it will make an outfit. This jumper was designed by Martin Storey and information on the pattern can be found here. 

This is my personal favourite and I could totally see this item in my wardrobe. The pattern was designed by Emily Platt and information on it can be found here.

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 This is yet another classic jumper that has such as timeless feel to it. This jumper was designed by Emily Platt and you can find more information about it here.

The colour of the wool used here, really stands out and complements the patterns on show here. The snood was designed by Emily Platt and there is more information on it here. The hat was also designed her and information on it can be found here. Although you can't see them in the photo the model was also wearing these super cool welly toppers, which where also designed by Emily Platt and information on them can be found here.

Don't you just get a great 70s vibe from this jumper. This pattern was designed by Kim Hargreaves, if you would like to find out more information of this pattern, take a look here.

Personally, as someone who loves to snuggle up in front of the TV in jumpers and ponchos, I think this take on the classic poncho is really interesting.It was designed by kim Hargreaves and more information can be found here.

So you've seen lots of over sized jumpers in this post but here's an oversized cardigan that I personally love. It was designed by Kim Hargreaves, you can find more information on this pattern here.

Although this may look like your average cardigan, it's actually got some Swarovski beads added to it, which really gives it that extra sparkle, there was lots of murmuring when this came out and I think you can understand why. This pattern was designed by Jennie Atkinson and you can find more information on it here.

As you can tell from the women's faces in the background of this photo, that this jumper really is something. It was designed with Swarovski and again has beads threaded through the jumper. This was definitely the most stunning item in the whole show. This amazing dress was designed by Jennie Atkinson and you can find more information on it here.
I hope you've enjoyed this quick round up of the coats show. Don't forget to join me again next Thursday.

I hope this has inspired you!

P.S. I haven't been asked to or paid to write this post and all the views expressed are 100% my own.

Up coming event

Hi guys, this is just a quick post to tell you about a super cool event coming up in London. It's called the knit and stitch show. I've been a couple of times and it has always been amazing.

This is not a sponsored post, I really did just want to let you know about this cool event.