I’m about to leave for vacation, so I can’t list them yet, but I just spent the last 2 days counteracting the fabulous massage I got on Monday by cranking away at the old carder to produce these honeys:
I’m leaving around 4am for almost 2 weeks aboard the Marco Polo with Kristi on a little something called Treasures of Germany and the Baltic II. The “II” part is just because it’s the 2nd one of the summer, not a sequel to our original Treasures of Germany and the Baltic. Sweden, Latvia, Estonia, Germany & Denmark. Of those, I’ve only been to Denmark and Germany, and Denmark was only for the music festival at Roskilde, and last time I was in Germany, I was probably 12, not a prime appreciation age. While cruising isn’t the most authentic way to travel, it is the easiest, and in our case (mom’s an airline employee and gets supercheap remainder rooms on cruises), the cheapest. And I love spreading out in our little cabin and visiting a bunch of different cities without having to pack up my gear and drag it around in between. And since you don’t have to schlep all you crap around, shopping’s only limited to what you can check or ship home.
If anyone has any can’t miss fiber (or non-fiber, of course) recommendations for Stockholm, Riga, Saaremaa, Gdansk, Berlin, or Copenhagen, tell me now!
Now I just have to figure out what knitting I’m bringing along. I’ve got a bunch of bulky shit going right now, and I’m not dragging that with me. I need to figure out a few small little things instead.
Oh, and I just received my fiber washing bag from Ozark Delights and it’s freaking genius. I’d highly recommend it to anyone washing a lot of fiber. The mesh is a bit finer than I’d like, so I might make another one for coarser, more VM-y fibers, but this should be outstanding for all my alpaca, and especially for machine felting. It will be really easy to make, but I don’t want to give the design away, because you should buy one! It’s such a clever notion, she should be rewarded for it.
Have fun on vacation!
Just thought it was cool that someone else had their name spelled like mine…..LOL. Love your site!
Have a wonderful trip!!
dear nikol,
can’t believe it: you will be in germany!? it would be so great, if you could visit me in frankfurt. but you will be only in berlin, won’t you? :-(
otherwise, please, please let me know, i’ll organize a big knitting-party for you at my store ;-)
greetings, diana
p.s.: did you ever receive the pattern for my sweet-valentine-something?
Hi Nikol
Copenhagen used to have lots of amazing yarn shops but there are two that are still there. The boat stops in the harbour (Norreport) so the shops are walking distance, from the boat you can walk to the main shopping street Strøget – however on the way if you go along a road called Fiolstræde there are two quite good LYS, one stocks Hanne Falkenberg kits and lots of really interesting yarn and the other is a little bit more ‘European’ and has yarns from all over the place.
I’ll also be in Copenhagen from the 24 – 31 August visiting my family, if you’d like a tour guide i’ll be happy to oblidge – I hope you have a great time :)
Ooh, pooh! We’re leaving around the 20th, I think. Too bad!
Oh, I wish I had seen this post before now! I was just in Riga and Saaremaa in earlier this summer– I was living briefly in Riga and got a chance to visit Saaremaa. In Saaremaa, I definitely recommend a little yarn shop called Talupood (sp?)– I bought so much yarn there (locally produced wool stuff) that I had to ship it home from the Estonian post office. In Riga, there are beautiful Latvian mittens to buy by the ton…as far as yarn goes, I didn’t see a lot of locally produced fiber there but there are plenty of yarn shops in town. I am sure that there is great local wool to be had in other parts of Latvia, though.
Hope the trip was great…
It’s for the best I didn’t know, because the bus into town from the dock left without us and we were stranded on the shore. I’d’ve been in tears, had I known. Of course, if I’d known about the yarn bounty, I would have gotten up at the ass crack of dawn and on the first bus into town…. In any event, I did get some splendid local wool pencil roving in natural dark brown and tan from some local sheep farmers who set up a little table of wears on the dock. And a suitcaseful of that sturdy plain wool 2ply they sell by the kilo at the Central Market in Riga.
Oh I love these batts!! and would love to know where you sell them??? and hope you enjoyed Germany!!! I haven’t been back in a long time but it is beautiful!! and love your blog!! I will be back found you on Craft Magazine!!! awesome sweater and shawl patterns!!! too fun! thanks and sorry if I missed where your shop is or where you sell your batts?? likely under my nose!! Hugs Linda
hello ….umm, just a question. I was looking on the internet for someone i cud learn to knit/crochet from as a hobby. I am in Germany, solingen and have always wanted to learn it. Tried in high school but I guess I dint pay much attention then! Know anyone in the area who cud give me a hand?? Thanks