Epithalamion

A knitted wedding cake in honor of the Royal Nuptials, featured at London's All the Fun of the Fair.

Loe where she comes along with portly pace

          Lyke Phoebe from her chamber of the East,

          Arysing forth to run her mighty race,

          Clad all in white, that seemes a virgin best.

          So well it her beseemes that ye would weene

         Some angell she had beene.

         Her long loose yellow locks lyke golden wyre,

          Sprinckled with perle, and perling flowres a tweene,

         Doe lyke a golden mantle her attyre,

          And being crowned with a girland greene,

          Seeme lyke some mayden Queene.

          Her modest eyes abashed to behold

          So many gazers, as on her do stare,

         Upon the lowly ground affixed are.

          Ne dare lift up her countenance too bold,

          But blush to heare her prayses sung so loud,

          So farre from being proud.

         Nathlesse doe ye still loud her prayses sing,

         That all the woods may answer and your eccho ring.

--Edmund Spenser, Epithalamion

Gentle readers,
Perhaps some of you, like me, will be glued to the tv starting tomorrow morning at 4 a.m. EDT.  An event such as the wedding of  Prince Wills and the iconically-named commoner Kate Middleton offers us six or so hours of nonstop knitting time, as well as inspirational pageantry. For those of you who work quickly, you might have a look at the patterns in Knit Your Own Royal Wedding by Fiona Goble (Ivy Press, 2011).

Whether or not you can spare the time tomorrow, the publisher's video will undoubtedly help you appreciate the seismic  event:

Yours, knitting regally,

smw

Knitting Old England

or, Postcards from London

by the Wood

I left this river

by the Thames

for this river. Although January, it seemed like early spring.

Camellias bloomed in someone's garden.

I hit the yarn emporia, and was largely surprised.

John Lewis

Liberty of London

I Knit London

Loop

All the Fun of the Fair, in Kingly Court

Knitted pastries at All the Fun of the Fair

Shilisdair cochineal-dyed merino-angora-cashmere DK from Loop. A lovely souvenir.

It was a short but excellent trip.  Non-knitted highlights included Royal Shakespeare, the Old Vic, The Tate Gallery, The Tate Modern, and the British Museum. And excellent Indian food, particularly at Palms of Goa on Charlotte Street.