Wednesday April 26, 2006
Knitting? What's that?
Actually I have been plugging along on the pinwheel blanket (a.k.a. "the black hole of knitting, v.2")... I've switched to the solid colored border and one round takes a billion years. I've had to buy 120 cm circulars! Imagine!I'm also well into the second skein of Kidsilk Crack on Birch, but I knew it was a black hole before I started.
In other news, I went pro on flickr and uploaded a bunch of pictures... of Vigeland park, random pictures of Stewart and of a trip around Norway in 2003.
Sheep! Yet another reason to visit me Norway... where, in the summer, it's not cold at all for the most part usually.
Posted at 2:21 pm |
Monday April 17, 2006
Ingenting er som påsketur!
[Has been updated, with more pictures - which are fully clickable to make bigger - added...]Last Sunday we left Oslo at 8:20 pm destined for Amsterdam.
And arrived at 11-ish, after a slightly nerve wracking tram ride, at the hotel.
We went out looking for something liquid and wound up at the Hotel Americain bar, where I peeped in the windows of the closed café and decided we'd have to come back.
Then, shortly after midnight, at the Burger King off Leidseplein.
Next morning, we woke up to this view from the hotel window...
and these views in the hotel breakfast room.
Then I wandered down to Vondelpark and back. None of the shops were open - they apparently open later on Monday mornings - and thought I was hallucinating when I saw the feral rose-ringed parakeets flying around. Wild parrots? In this weather?
Collected the husband and together we wandered up to Eetcafé 't Gasthuys at Grimburgwal 7 where we had a coffee, a beer and lunch.
We met some really fat cats.
Tuesday morning we had breakfast in our room.
Then I rented a bike.
And did a bit of shopping for shoes.
And, of course, yarn! Where I ran into Hinke, bought some Rowan Cashcotton and a Norwegian book. (Details forthcoming, just not right now.)
Later in the afternoon, we headed back to the Centraal Station.
And caught a train to Leiden. (Tip: just go into the office to buy tickets and find out which platform and time... much easier. But they don't take credit cards.)
And then a bus to Keukenhof - this is my husband, companionably chatting and sharing a smoke with the bus driver - Richard - while I try to warm up on the bus.
The flowers were amazing. The ones outdoors weren't quite at their peak - it's been a cold spring apparently - the greenhouse displays took my breath away.
There was - very appropriately - also a windmill.
When the wind and the rain finally drove us back towards the bus, I got to try some (heavenly!) poffertjes.
We had a very entertaining ride home chatting with an eccentric English woman while the bus driver took us a different route back to the train station to avoid a traffic jam on the highway and so we could see more of Leiden.
Back in Amsterdam, we stopped in at a Mexican restaurant I had read good things about - Los Pilones at Kerkstraat 63. The food was excellent - the margaritas even more so - and the waitress was just adorable.
Wednesday, after breakfast, I took off on the bike again for a few hours, going up Leidsestraat to Kalverstraat, into The American Book Center then up towards Dam Square.
------
While biking on Kalverstraat at 10:15 am, I was stopped by a police lady walking in the opposite direction.
Her: This is a walking street after 11 am, just so you know.
Me: *looking at my watch* Okaaay...
Her: There is traffic on this street until 11 am, then it's a walking only street. Just so you know.
Me: So it's okay to bike here now.
Her: Yes.
Me: Okay! Thanks! *thinking YOU STOPPED ME NOT BECAUSE I'M DOING SOMETHING WRONG NOW BUT BECAUSE I MIGHT BE DOING SOMETHING WRONG LATER!?!?!!? $%&#/!*
Her: *walks off*
Me: *steam comes out my ears*
------
And found the narrowest house in Amsterdam, #7 Singel.
I collected the husband, and we had a lovely lunch back at the Café Americain.
Then walked to the Rijksmuseum.
Inside it was a bit crowded and a bit too warm, but with lots of lovely things.
And paintings.
We walked along the Singelgracht and then up Vijzelgracht to a Café Mulder which was situated in a patch of sunshine.
There was lots of interesting traffic to watch.
And I got a whole repeat of Birch finished!
Then we took the tram back up to Centraal Station.
And walked and walked and walked through Jordaan back towards the hotel.
We stopped in a little pub near the Houseboat Museum ...
...where the bartender recommended a Thai restaurant, Rakang, just around the corner at Elandsgracht 29.
And there went the rest of the evening on a marvelous 4 course dinner.
Thursday morning - our final day in Amsterdam - I got up early and went for a final bike ride. (By the way, I rented the bike at Mac Bike and it was just under 20 euro for 48 hours, with insurance.)
After packing our bags and leaving them at the desk, we boarded a 75 minute Canal Cruise.
I didn't want to leave.
Until we got pickpocketed on the tram on the way to the airport...
Posted at 12:23 am |
Sunday April 9, 2006
SnB, April.
Posted at 5:13 pm |
Wednesday April 5, 2006
Seaming aid, revealed.
As you may be aware, I'm not a big mattress stitch-er. I was struggling along yesterday, and suddenly had one of those aha! moments that I love so much, and thought to myself - darning mushroom! (If I had a dime for ...)Grab the mushroom with your non-seaming hand...
Stick it up the sleeve...
And mattress away!
Don't have a darning mushroom of your own? Try moving to Norway, spending several years learning enough of the language to feel comfortable going places alone (try saying "antique fair" and watch my husband's eyes glaze over) then searching for 3, 4 hours for anything knitting related at said fair.
Or just buy one off Ebay.
Posted at 12:59 pm |
Tuesday April 4, 2006
Start date: December 31, 2003.
Nearly finished...
Button close up...
And seaming aid...
Posted at 11:58 pm |
Saturday April 1, 2006
Flashing my stash.
Okay, but that's not all of it... there's more to be seen here... along with yarn names and other details.
Now if you're not a knitter this may seem like a lot of yarn. I am a knitter. I have seen the stashes of others.
I need to buy more yarn.
Posted at 3:06 pm |
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