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2008-10-16T16:23:00.000+02:00

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Our Heater Control Looks Like the Hadron Collider

2008-09-23T12:01:00.006+02:00

I hear that most of the world (well, at least the parts I used to live in) is at about 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit right now. Lucky bastards. Is this how it always was and I just don't remember it?

Well, we have been freezing here. It has been in the 50's, which isn't too bad, but when your heater isn't working and you have thick-ass cement walls, your flat kinda goes into hibernation and begins to get colder. Pretty soon, hubbo and I were wearing sweaters and hats in the house wondering at what point we would see our breath.

At the end of last winter I made sure to not permanently turn off the heat because I knew I would not remember how to turn it on again come this year. I mean, look at this thing: I am scared to touch a single button on it. I swear one must control that Hadron Collider in Switzerland.
So I get the help of our neighbors, the Klauss's, upstairs. We surmise the problem is that there is no water in the boiler (see the round gauge at the left--it was at zero). Long story short, we fill it up to get pressure, next morning water is all over our floor, but now it is fixed. Turns out two knobs were kaputt so they were replaced. Oy vey.

But now we are toasty warm. I explained to Herr Huhn that I am always cold and could he please program that thing (see above) to be as warm as humanly possible, which he did. It only took pressing of about 7 buttons and turning 2 knobs to do it. Only.

But the impending winter inside the flat got me cracking on some socks that have taken me too long to finish. I bought this sock yarn a long time ago at Stitch DC (Capitol Hill) in Washington, DC, where we used to live before coming to Germany. It's Lana Grossa Meilenweit Mega Boots Stretch. I knit them up on US 2 dpns--the pattern is mine. I've made so many socks now that I don't even bother with a pattern unless I'm looking for a special stitch. They are started from the toe with a middle eastern cast on (see Anna Zilboorg's Fancy Feet) and knit with a 3x1 knit/purl ribbing till about two inches from the heel. From there I did a short row heel and then continued up the leg with the established ribbing and finished up with a hemmed top of all stockinette stitch for ten rows, one row of purl for the fold line, then another ten rows of stockinette, did a bind off, and baste stitched the edge down for a sturdy edge. Oh, and I also increased four stitches as I approached the calf (I did this in the knit section of the ribbing) so it wouldn't be so tight. All in all a very comfortable knit, and I still have a good chunk of yarn leftover from the ball.

I also started a Finnish lace pattern called Revontuli, meaning "Northern Lights". Several people on Ravelry have used Kauni, a Danish yarn, for this, and I had enough in my stash to try this. A few months ago I bought some Kauni at a LYS in Nusssloch and so this was my first time to use it. It's a very rough wool initially, and seems to have a lot of lanolin in it (unless it's oil from being spun?). I suspect that it's lanolin, though, and it makes my hands soft as I knit it. As with all lace, it'[s looks like a clump of dump now, but when I block it I'm sure it will turn out beautiful. The Finnish patterns on Ravelry are so impressive.

I'm also knitting a Finnish sweater...for the second time. First time I didn't trust my gauge (a theme of mine lately) so I frogged it). Now I am on the second go and I noticed a mistake in the garter yoke section...arrrgh..so I think I'll try fixing each stitch by dropping it and using a crochet hook to turn it around. I am so pissed about that.

Finally, my friend, Sara, who I was in the Peace Corps with, is coming to visit us tomorrow and she is staying for a month. Yay! We'll hang out here in Heidelberg for the rest of this week and then Monday we are off to Munich for Oktoberfest, then Salzburg, Austria.

Baby Bamboo Wraplan

2008-08-25T10:12:00.001+02:00

Baby Bamboo Wraplan
Originally uploaded by heidelblog

Knit in Snuggly Baby Bamboo (2 balls--I think I had 6 inches left), and based on the pattern "Offset Wraplan".

This pic is post-blocking, pre-buttoning. Now I just have to find the perfect buttons. Thanks to some info my friend, Siga, picked up when we went to the local LYS, there is a great shop up the street that sells loads of buttons. I should definitely be able to find some buttons for this baby sweater there.

Dining at the Fascist Cafe

2008-08-05T14:08:00.002+02:00

After buying some discounted Angora over at Stikkestek, Hubbo and I decided to get a snack and a beer at a local cafe down the block. So we go in, sit down, and the waitress comes over to us (no menu or anything) and asks us what we would like (this always amazes me, as if I am a psychic as to what they offer).

We ask, "Do you have any food?"

Waitress: " We have spaghetti, croque monsieur, hot dog and pizza baguette. But you must drink."

Me: "Ok, we'll have two beers."

Hubbo asks me what the heck she said (she had a thick accent) so I repeated it back to him.

Hubbo: "What the hell is a croque monsieur?"

Me: "It's a grilled cheese." I learned this from watching Julia Child.

So we laughed a little bit on the fact that they were serving a kiddies menu at this bar and forcing us to drink beer (not that we had a problem with this last bit). I was kinda hoping the menu would be something like mussels, frites, waffles and chocolates, but no, apparently, off the tourist track the fare at Belgian pubs in Bruges is the kiddies menu with beer. What the heck is up with that? Is this really true?

Speaking of beer, drinking beer outside of Germany can often be a letdown. Here, you get half-liter tall glasses of wonderful stuff. It really is good. When we went to Spain, the alcohol content was low, and the glasses so small my first thought was that the waiter was serving us a sample and I was about to go off on him for ripping us off. In Bruges, however, beer was certainly a treat. Not any of the mega-quantities that you get in Germany, but the quality was high and you should drink plenty of it if you ever happen to go to Belgium.

As for the kiddies menu, if you are ever looking to go off the beaten path, let a menu like that be your guide. Land on something like that and you are truly away from the tourists.

Frogging is Good For The Soul?

2008-08-04T17:29:00.005+02:00

I can just hear my friend, Julie, saying "It's about time you blogged something." So here it is, my dear.

So I finished the body of my February Lady Sweater, which I posted in a previous entry, and as I suspected it is way to big for my body (and I even knitted the small!). Oh well, no matter. With all the lace I have been knitting lately, worsted weight yarn feels like fat-arse rope so I am fine with frogging it out and reknitting it with some modifications that I read about on the FLS thread on Ravelry.

My bus and S-Bahn knitting is the ever-lovely Anne Hanson Lighthouse Gansey Sock which was posted in Knitty some seasons ago. I'm knitting it with Louet Gems fingering weight in colorway Indigo on US 1's. The pattern is originally meant to be knit with a heavier weight yarn for a man, but you can make it for a woman's foot using smaller needles and lighter weight yarn.
For a history of ganseys, or guernseys, see this entry.

I also finished the Fiddlehead Scarf, also an Anne Hanson design, and wore it to Bruges, Belgium this past weekend. Hubbo took me there for my birthday. Did you know Bruges is a UN World Heritage Site? The whole town seems to be surrounded by a double moat. We went to Choco-Story, which is a museum dedicated to, you guessed it, the chocolate trade. But best of all was the brewery tour at De Halve Maan (The Half Moon). For 10 Euros you got a tour of their brewery and a beer afterwards. Not only did we learn a lot, but the beer was incredible. If you ever find yourself going to Bruges, I would skip Choco-Story (which is not worth the 6 Euros at all) and do the brewery tour.

For yarnies, I did find a yarn shop in Bruges, called Stikkestek. You can go to Knitmap.com and enter in Bruges, Belgium for the info. I did manage to pick up some discounted Angora and some neat buttons, but on the whole I was not impressed. The stock they carried was mostly what I can get in Germany, plus some Rowan.

One place that was a wonderful surprise in the yarn department, though, was right near De Halve Maan (hey nothing like good beer + yarn) called "Couture Marie Brat". From the outside of the shop it looks like they sell shawls and tapestries, but in one corner I saw a skein hanging near a knitted hat. I went inside and there was an old man sewing something. I saw to his right a box full of local yarn (score!). Turns out the yarn is from Belgian sheep near the coast, and he had it in all colors. I picked up two 100-g skeins--one in blue and another in green to make some mittens. Here's the address for this place:

Couture Marie Brat
Walstraat 12, Bruges 8000
Tel: 050/33.18.76

Fiddlehead Blocking

2008-07-29T12:36:00.001+02:00

Fiddlehead Blocking
Originally uploaded by heidelblog

If you know anything about me, you know that I just love love love Anne Hanson's patterns. Go to knitspot.com now if you don't know about this fabulous woman.

Here is Fiddlehead Scarf, one of her scarves from her "Little Nothing" series. I got this pattern, with a beautiful, handdyed yarn from The Woolen Rabbit.

I just blocked it last night and the size came out to 56" x 11.75". This is much longer than the pattern called for only because I loooved the yarn and could not stop knitting with it.

FLS In Progress

2008-07-29T12:30:00.001+02:00

FLS In Progress
Originally uploaded by heidelblog

This is an adaptation of Elizabeth Zimmerman's February Sweater on Two Needles from "The Knitters Almanac". This version is by Pamela Wynne of Flint Knits, and is called February Lady Sweater. I am knitting size small using Cotton Fleece in Mariner Blue (Thanks, Julie!) that I got at Downtown Yarns on a recent trip to NYC.

Sorry the picture is so shaky--pre-coffee is something my Photoshop abilities cannot even fix.

Woolen Rabbit Whisper Laceweight in Tupelo

2008-07-03T15:04:00.001+02:00

Woolen Rabbit Whisper Laceweight in Tupelo
Originally uploaded by heidelblog

It came! It came! It came! My kit that I ordered from The Woolen Rabbit!
Kit: Fiddlehead Lace Scarf Kit by Anne Hanson of knitspot.com
Yarn: See title above
Where you can get one: www.thewoolenrabbit.com

Brain Damage Causes Knitting of Doily

2008-07-02T17:24:00.005+02:00

It's hot here. No AC (not even a choice in the matter). This is how people die in Europe, my friends.
It's obvious that this heat is causing some brain damage because I have done the unthinkable: I have knit my own doily.

But it gets worse.

Why would I do such a thing? I didn't like the doilies for sale. Please somebody get me more than the three cubes of ice I am allotted when I go out to eat and put my brain in the cooler.

In case you were wondering, here is what it looks like with the blocking wires and pins still in it.

I Bought A Dress. On Purpose.

2008-06-24T12:34:00.004+02:00

I can hear all my friends gasping on that one.

I had to buy one. Not as in I-had-to-because-it-was-calling-to-me-from-the-sale-rack-had-to, but because next month Hubbo and I are going to one of his best friends' wedding and he is in the wedding party which means I should try to look presentable. I have been putting off looking for a dress for a long time. My friends who are reading this know of one time when I have worn a dress and that was at my wedding. But even then I was practical with the whole thing and wore sneakers underneath.

So yesterday, I sucked it up and went out looking. I don't like clothes shopping something real bad. I would pick having my legs waxed, pain and all, any old day.

Why I Hate Clothes Shopping:
It's inefficient--all the effort you put into looking to get one thing only to have to get it tailored anyway.

In the end it's just a covering for your body so you don't get arrested for public nudity, so why spend so much money to avoid a fine.

With everything you will buy you will always gravitate to a favorite outfit and let everything else languish in the closet.

I'd rather spend my money elsewhere.

Finally, I don't like dresses.

This is part of why I like knitting so much, I guess. My socks always fit and my feet are never cold. But whenever I bought socks the heels were halfway up the back of my leg. Ugh. I can make sweaters the color and style that I want with sleeves that fit and when I am tired of the style years later I can frog the sweater and reknit it into something else. All I need then is a pair of Birkenstocks and a pair of jeans. Easy. Whoever said you can't hike up a mountain in Birkenstocks (clogs or sandals) is a flat out liar.

So you must be wondering what this dress is that I bought. Would you believe that it was the first dress I pulled off the rack at the first store I went into and it fit like a glove? That never happens. I went home very carefully making sure I didn't get hit by a bus. I got it at a store called Mango. It's a Spanish chain owned by, of all people shoot-me-now, Penelope Cruz. Here it is.

Slow Knitting

2008-06-10T14:40:00.012+02:00

This year one of my resolutions was, no is!, to keep my works in progress (WIPS) limited to just a few. It's now June and I am actually succeeding at this. I tend to have three going at one time--one that's good for the train (i.e. socks), one that's mindless, and one that's my long haul (i.e. lace). One sock pattern that I am just loving right now (which means I will knit this several times) is Clementines Baltic Socks. Here's mine, knit up on US 1's in Louet Gems Fingering Weight in colorway Eggplant. I'm about a third of the way through on the second sock. The only adjustment to the pattern I made was increase the pattern by four stitches for the first two pattern repeats to allow for a roomy calf.Here's my long haul: the Catalina Shawl by G. Bella. The pattern is different from most lace shawls. I wanted it to be a denser shawl so I am knitting it on US 2's with JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool 2/18 Laceweight in colorway Juniper. Out of eight repeats I am halfway on the third. I adjusted the pattern by adding another pattern repeat in the middle to make it wider. What I also like about this shawl is that since I am no where near getting close to finishing this, I can actually enjoy the process of lace knitting. One day, when I am eligible for retirement I may actually notice it's time to cast off and add the fringe.

There was another Raveler in town so of course I had to take her (and reluctant hostage-to-yarnies husband) to the yarn shop. She and I got some great goods, and I found out there is a back room full of handdyed sock yarn they were holding out on me (not anymore!). Good God. Not only was it full of sock yarn, but it was organized in Ikea tupperware. In other words, my perfectionist organizational mecca. Yeehaw! The stuff I got is a wool, silk and ramie blend. I can't wait to put them to the test next winter (ok, I can literally wait till next winter, but I'm just saying I will be prepared).And I also picked up a ball of Kauni 8/2, which is this wonderful colored yarn from Denmark. This stuff is crazy. I never knew about Kauni till I moved to Germany and hopped onto Ravelry. I already have enough of the bluish yarn to make a shawl, but I wanted to get some other color to play around with, so here is the second batch:

I Ride the Dirty Little Bike

2008-06-04T16:08:00.004+02:00

I finally got around to getting the brakes on my bike fixed.

Yeah.

Nine whole months after figuring out how to say "My brakes are squeaky." And I couldn't even remember the "squeaky" part so I had to rely on charades evil twin, the noisemaker. So I pushed my bike around the corner (much to the amazement of two older folks--it was either that I was pushing it, that I have a little folding Dahon bike that isn't common, or that it was completely engulfed in green pollen).

Me: "Hallo. Meine bremsen sind weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" (Hello, My brakes are making noise--but I make the noise)

German owner: Die bremsen sind kaputt? (the brakes are completely broken?)

Me: Nicht kaputt, nur weeeeeeeeeeee!" (no, they just weeeeeeeeeeee)

And then he said something that I'm sure meant, "Oh they're making noise when you use them."

After a back and forth of confirming that my brakes were in fact only two years old, they made some adjustments and had me try them out. They thought I was nuts (ok, I admit that making the noise would at least render me peculiar). But you know how it is--the noise only happens with you alone, when you take it in to be fixed it doesn't happen, which is what happened here. So I took it out for a test drive, lo and behold it didn't make any noise (you just watch, it will tomorrow!) and the guy waved me away with no charge.

Vay-cay to Nap Land

2008-06-03T15:12:00.009+02:00

That's right. We went to the southwestern part of Andalusia, starting in Madrid (which must mean "nightmare to drive around in, even with GPS" in funky Spain Spanish). Lola, our faceless GPS lady-voice also went on vacation with us to Spain, and took her siestas quite seriously, often taking them between tall buildings and only waking up after we passed the turn. I'd tell you her last name, but I think it's against blogger rules to post such a vile thing.

Lola aside, we drove from Madrid to our base, Canos de la Meca (imagine the squiggly thing over the n, please). This is a traditional Spanish fishing town. No tourists (except us). No English (except ours). Good thing I remember Spanish. For dinner (mind you places don't even open till 9:30 pm if you're lucky) we ate at this crazy little place called La Pirata, The Pirate. It was right on the beach (talk about your fresh fish), and the bugzapper kept us awake, if not the constant self-slapping from what the zapper missed. Luckily, I must still be full of quinine from living in Africa years ago that the mossies stay far far away from me. I ate Tortilla Espanola (again, imagine the squiggly thing on the n), which is potatoes in an egg omelet, not like the tortilla you think of that comes from Mexico. Steve and I ate more olives than should be allowable or possible by two human beings, but hey, they gave them away like pez and we didn't want to be rude.

After a couple of days of olive gorging, we decided to drive towards Gibraltar. It's that tiny UK territory on the bottom tip of Spain. You can see Morocco as you drive there. That's kinda weird. We get there, walk right in with our passports, and get on a bus that will take you across the landing strip. You can walk across the landing strip, but we didn't know that. Plus it was hot. And I was lazy. So we get dropped off in the center of town and eat at the Casements. Everybody speaks English (soo nice). I had jacket potatoes with cole slaw, which luckily my stomach decided not to regret later. No yarn shops on Gibraltar (what do those people do there?), FYI. Oh, and the beers, like the beers in Spain, are so teeny tiny! I guess all beers will seem this way after Germany.

So we go back to Spain, stupidly trusting Lola again who just seems to aim us into accidents (Spanish drivers don't really stop at red lights--it's more like a yield sign to them). After chewing her out and shoving her back in the glovebox we head back home. I think it was this night we tried a restaurant outside of Canos, and the boys had sangria (which we discovered is not on the menu but everybody has it). This place down the street had the best sangria--something coconutty in it (or kokosnubby as beginning German speakers would say). Again, more olive gorging with Steve (above) and a great potato salad thing that had tuna in it and I ATE IT. And I didn't want to wipe my tongue off with a paper towel after. It was that good. So I had to drive us home. Not a long drive, but I am short, the dashboard is high, it's a stick shift, and reverse is where first gear should be. But remarkably I get us home without hitting anyone.

The trip is thus ended with a drive to Jerez de la Frontera (where they have all the sherry places--scroll down on the link to see the horse walk Andalusian-style) to dump the car in a garage and we take a train to Seville to see the Real Alcazar. That place was amazing and if you ever plan on going to Spain you must go here. I have more pictures on my flickr page here. After we wandered around there for a while we headed back on the train to Jerez (pronounced Herr-eth) to see a flamenco performance, which was fabulous. I tried sherry again for the second time, thinking it would be the best place to have it and I have to say I didn't like it again for the second time. Tastes like old raisins; this must be an acquired taste.

All in all an amazing trip. Beautiful sites, nice people, fantastic food, and a culture that is built around napping. How can you not love this? Plus they have fantastic coffee, fried pastries, and olives. All you can eat. Which makes me wonder: has anyone ever brined themselves on vacation by eating too many olives?

Nutkins

2008-06-02T13:34:00.001+02:00

Nutkins
Originally uploaded by heidelblog

Pattern: Nutkins by Knitzi.com
Yarn: Weiner Art colorway by Tausendschön
Needles: US 1 circulars

I knit these during our recent trip to Andalusia, Spain. The pattern is very easy to memorize. I found the pattern biases a little bit, but with a good soaking and minor blocking (I just used some pins) they turned out perfect.

Alhambra on the back of a chair

2008-05-14T11:45:00.001+02:00

Alhambra on the back of a chair
Originally uploaded by heidelblog

Just finished this quick lace knit for our coming trip to Spain. The pattern is by Anne Hanson at knitspot.com, and is called Alhambra. I used less than one skein of Knit Picks Gloss Lace in colorway Port on US 4 Addi Turbo lace circulars.

Finished meaurements are 45" x 12.5"

This Is So Interesting!!

2008-05-13T13:22:00.006+02:00

Or at least I hope so. The cheap things I will say to get you to read my blog--it's like I am a politician. But seriously, an update from this corner of the world called Germany.

There was a major religious holiday in southern Germany called Corpus Christi (as a Catholic I should have known this, but I digress). So again, we had the typical characteristics of the German holiday which perplexmetothisday--i.e. where does everybody go?? Streets are quiet. They even turned the church bells off. I couldn't sleep--too bloody quiet. Chico the dog, from upstairs, is on holiday in Italy. Yes, even the dog.

Tuesday (today). Still quiet. Me thinks the Germans made a long va-cay out of it.

Now onto the knitting. I have been knitting mad, wicked fast. Oh thank you, Elizabeth Zimmerman for creating patterns out of garter stitch that actually look good so I can zoom away on some baby gifts for my pregnant friends.

A while ago I bought some lovely handpainted sockweight yarn from a place online (but here in Germany). Here is what it looked like still in the skein/hank (never quite sure what to call it when it looks like this):Hmm, yummy. But even yummier when I found the perfect pattern for it: Nutkin (Ravelry link). Usually I am not a fan of semi-striping yarns and sock patterns that call for anything beyond a simple ribbing. But Nutkin is IT. It goes soo well. I'm so pleased.
Ahhh, a turned cuff and everything. No cable needle! And yes, those are Knit Picks circulars, which I dare say are much better than the Addi Turbos. But get this--I lost my Addi Turbos (the sock ones) and for months refused to buy replacement circulars. I got the Comfort Plus ones (which I like) but just wanted my damn circulars back. Wouldn't you know that, like, three weeks after caving in and buying some the old ones resurface? I swear we have a ghost in our apartment but whatever.

Today I am blocking Alhambra (Ravelry link here)by Anne Hanson. I used less than one skein of Knit Picks Gloss Lace in colorway Port. I liked knitting with it, but we'll see how it holds up to being pushed and pulled constantly out of my bag (I don't like air conditioning, which is why I like Europe so much--hard to find AC--but it does pop up). Right now it's a plop of glop in the sink, but here's what it looked like as a WIP:
Finally, this past week I met my first Raveler, or is it Ravelryer? Her name is Jenn. She bravely endured my driving on the autobahn and we hit the yarn shops in the area, eventually finding one that was open (ha!). She and I are thinking of doing the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, Vienna. (In between hitting the yarn shops there, of course!).

Kirschweizen--or Cherry Wheat Beer

2008-05-04T16:43:00.001+02:00

Kirschweizen--or Cherry Wheat Beer
Originally uploaded by heidelblog

Today we went to Medoc, a small restaurant on the Bismarckplatz, and I got a Kirschweizen (cherry wheat beer), which was bright purple from the local cherries. A normal hefeweizen is behind my beer. It tasted really good--not too sweet or sour--just beer with the hint of the local cherries.

Swallowtail Shawl

2008-04-29T11:06:00.004+02:00

It seemed like everyone but me had knit this beautiful pattern so when Interweave Knits put it out as a special for free, I pounced! This is the Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark.
It took one week to knit (I know, can you believe it?). Originally the pattern calls for a laceweight yarn, but I decided to use a heavier sportweight DROPS Alpaca that I bought in Sweden earlier this year. It used up about 2.25 balls of that--slightly more than 400 yards. This was also my first chance to try out my new Addi Turbo lace needles, US 5.

The nupps were easy to handle with the Addi Turbo lace needles--don't skimp here. But the nupps are definitely arthritis-aggravating so go slow in that section if you are unlucky enough to have this affliction. Or buy more Bengay.

I did notice a few times that I either forgot a YO here or there or I accidentally let it slip off the needle. But I managed to jerry rig a solution that's hard to see afterwards, though I did use a lifeline.

All in all it was a very fun and entrancing knit. Addictive even. Easy to block, too. What more could you ask for?

Knitting the Catalina Shawl

2008-04-12T10:29:00.003+02:00

Last week I started knitting the Catalina Shawl by g. bella knits. I was hugely attracted to this lace shawl because it was knitted more densely than other shawls and the design was different from anything I'd seen (Anne Hanson excluded, of course!). There was just something about it.

I don't know about everyone else, but with lace patterns I always have to knit about 4 inches or so to figure it out; I never get it right on the first try (not yet, anyway). In these 4 inches I mess up but always come out learning how the pattern works. The same happened here. I wasn't sure how to handle the two yo's on the next row, despite the instructions. Just slip it over--that's it, nothing more. I was golden from there.

Pattern: Catalina Shawl (click on g. Bella knits for web link to pattern) or here for the Ravelry link.

Yarn: JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk 2/18 in Juniper (pattern calls for 600 yards, but I have a second skein to accommodate my modification, below)

Needles: US 2 in 24" length

Modifications: I added two pattern repeats to section B to make this a wider shawl.

This is probably going to take me a couple of months to knit considering that the picture above is about50 rows and only about 4 inches long or so, pre-blocking. But it's a very fun knit, so I don't mind.

Inside Casemates

2008-04-06T14:33:00.001+02:00

Inside Casemates
Originally uploaded by heidelblog

On Friday we went to Luxembourg for the day, and checked out the Casemates near the outskirts of the city. The casemates are listed as a UN World Heritage site. Some spaces are large like this, others are so small you would have to crawl on your stomach.

Dead Socks

2008-04-01T14:08:00.004+02:00

Hubbo recently came back from a three-week training in the states, sans moi (I do not handle jet lag well anymore) and aside from the offering of Dunkin Donuts coffee (I got the shakes just holding the dang bag), I was presented with this:

The Dead Sock.
2005-2008.
Formerly Koigu PPPM
First pair of socks made for Hubbo.

I'm guessing the non-knitter would think coming home with a sock like this would make the person who knit this (me) mad. Quite the opposite; it makes me happy. He loved these socks to death. He took them everywhere. Wore them all the time.

For me, as a knitter, I don't spend hours making something so someone can put it in a drawer. If you do that, you can be sure the next time I am over at your house I will find where you're hiding it and take it back--you'll never notice it's gone anyway (you'll just think you forgot what drawer you put it in). The best compliment a knitter can get is a hole in the sock. A dead sock, a dead blanket ravaged with holes, a scarf with tattered ends after repeated wear. If you love something that much that you come back to me with it and it's in tatters, I'll make you more till the end of time (and I won't snoop in your drawers).

Finished Clapotis

2008-03-26T12:56:00.001+01:00

Finished Clapotis
Originally uploaded by heidelblog

I am so happy to be done with this knit--didn't gel with me like it did with most people. The pattern is written very well and I am a huge fan of Kate Gilbert's other stuff, but miles (ok, not miles, but it felt like it on my hands) of the pattern drove me a little batty.

Nevertheless I am very pleased with the end product, and can't wait to wear it.

The Entry In Which I Try To Sound Interesting

2008-03-24T15:55:00.002+01:00

...so please help me and pretend to be amused. Southern Germany shuts down when there is a holiday and this time it is Easter. And with Hubbo gone on business I may be going nutty with the easter candy I bought myself.

A friend asked how Germans celebrate Easter. Well, it's not so different than how Americans do it except they get more days off and relax better while doing it. Here in Germany, the Easter weekend started Thursday afternoon; people started shopping for last minute items (food, any small gifts) as everything (and I mean everything except for the streetcars) would be closed by late afternoon. Then it is like a ghost town--no people to be seen until Saturday morning. People are off visiting with family and friends.

Then on Saturday things open up again. I had to go to the Lidl (the name of the grocery store around the corner from us) to get some of those Nutella-filled croissants (god help me if I have to cook for myself when I wake up in the morning), get some milk, and then I just start grabbing food as I remember that things will be closed for two more days.

Sunday--Easter Sunday. How do I know this? Two things: no people are out and the church bells are ringing like they are trying to play every song in its playbook by sundown (we live on the block across from it). Oh, and add a third thing: Elvis movie marathon all day on tv.

So today is Easter Monday. This is something we don't have in the US (but should if you ask me). My upstairs neighbors have been gone in Italy all week (they even took the dog, Chico) and will still be gone all of next week. It's an annual thing they do. I wonder if Chico went to mass at the Vatican. He was probably so pissed that it rained. He hates the rain.

Tomorrow everything will open up again and people will reappear. I will attempt for the third time to get the car out of our Easy-Bake-Oven-sized parking spot in the underground garage without dinging the fender and go do some errands. Which reminds me, I need to get my bike to the repair shop so I can stop driving when the weather gets better (it has been snowing or hailing here for the past 4 days or so).

Rhabarber Plunder

2008-03-18T17:54:00.001+01:00

Rhabarber Plunder
Originally uploaded by heidelblog

Breakfast in Heidelberg. Baked fresh daily using seasonal fruits, the "plunder" is like an open-faced pie with custard and powdered sugar. This one has rhubarb.

I admit I have never met a plunder I didn't like.

Ei, or Egg to You and Me

2008-03-15T13:10:00.001+01:00

Ei, or Egg to You and Me
Originally uploaded by heidelblog

I went to the Apotheke (pharmacy) yesterday to buy some facewash and this was their giveaway that day. Usually I get free tissues but since Easter is this weekend, everyone got ceramic eggs.