As promised, here is an image of the lovely travelling tag that accompanied me and my red suitcase recently to two great cities: Berlin and Manchester. Thanks Liz, I have enjoyed the pleasing company of this french-fancy luggage tag plus all the biscuit stickers that you bought me, on my recent expeditions.

In spite of virtual biscuits and cakes, I am craving the long hours of hometime required for actual baking and, it turns out, for many other kinds of making. I have one more trip planned for September, but otherwise I am absolutely ready for a hermetic, Autumnal period of domesticity and solitude. There is work to be done on my thesis, research and planning to be undertaken for Stitch’n’Ditch, and a few substantial pieces of art work to be made. Suffice to say, I will be putting the little red suitcase and joyous french fancy away for a short while.

However none of this is to say that I haven’t immensely enjoyed myself this year with all my travelling, not least of all in the incredible metropolis that is Manchester. I love Manchester. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love it. I’m not sure what it is that I like about it, but something about Manchester is very energising. The massive tram-line building operation currently underway has turned it into a very loud place and somehow in London this would be the proverbial, camel-back-breaking straw of Sonic Death, but in Manchester, the incessant roar of drilling and digging just adds to the city’s atmosphere of aspiration and vitality. Perhaps this mood is caused by the staggering height and beauty of many of the city’s tall, grand buildings. Or maybe this sense comes from the way that so many derelict and abandoned corners of the city are increasingly being colonised by exuberant artworks, like this amazing Saxaphone by David Kemp.

Perhaps I love Manchester because sound and music are evoked everywhere in its signage?

Or perhaps I love it because there are so many beautiful little vintage boutiques, tucked away off the main thoroughfares, containing inexpensively priced teas and jumpers. I especially enjoyed the secret boutique in the Northern Quarter of the city. Indeed it is so secret that it doesn’t appear to be represented on the Internet, so I cannot provide a link. However it was an extremely peaceful place to enjoy secret tea and secret cakes, and to enjoy a quiet pause in what was otherwise a very noisy few days.

The Craft Centre at Manchester is a very nice place also; I especially enjoyed the work of the Calico Angel.

Items made with an extraordinary regard for the provenance and tactile qualities of materials were carefully arranged around this beautiful space, and the palette of colours reminded me of garden sheds, brick kilns, vegetable plots and dusty attics. It was a beautiful selection of items, beautifully made, and beautifully arranged. You know you want a close up of that delectable owl cushion:

I also enjoyed the experience of visiting a Chinese Bakery and sampling walnut cookies and peanut riceballs:

You must visit this amazing bakery!

I also enjoyed the money-saving, no-nonsense restaurant reviews offered by two kind Mancunians concerning the wares being peddled at a far less delicious establishment: ‘Don’t go in there; it’s disgusting. The food is all cold.’ I felt this information was very helpful and it echoed my experience of map-reading in Manchester, which was that whenever I was perusing a map, a passerby would cordially ask me where I was trying to get to, and invite me to chat with them rather than struggle in isolation with a piece of paper. All good.

Finally, I love that the Craft Centre mezzanine railing is being slowly taken over by knitting, courtesy of Art Yarn and I am keen to contribute a strip of my own (time-permitting) celebrating the wonderful time I had in Manchester.

Unfortunately the showcase event I was attending prevented me from exploring the city in more depth, but you must rest assured that as soon as my travelling mojo returns, I am intent on returning to this marvellous place to sew my knitting onto that bannister, indulge in more secret teas and soak up more of that infectious, jubilant atmosphere.