Advent

As usual, the last month of the year goes over the fastest. We just lit the first candle on our Advent-wreath (bought, not home made I should say) and now it's only a day left before we leave for India!

Maybe it's my German heritage that makes me appreciate all things Christmas so much, no matter if it is Glühwein, Christmas Markets, or baking cookies. But the funny thing is that I really enjoy it in the weeks before Christmas and the actual Christmas celebration usually results in a lot of stress and I actually like it less. In any case, I managed to tick most things off the list before leaving so for now I've already done all of the above plus a lot singing of Christmas carols with my choir and various dinners with friends and family.

But now I'm looking forward to almost a month of travelling, doing something completely different from what I would normally do this time of the year. 

Unilintu II

Inspired by the green I saw all around when we were spending a weekend in the Belgian Ardennes back in September, I started knitting a second Unilintu because I liked the pattern so much! This time I chose a heavier yarn and bigger needles because the lace yarn in my previous project was not exactly my favourite to knit with. I also wanted a proper warm shawl for the winter and I think that's what I got.

I added the border with grey yarn of a similar quality because I ran out of green and I like the contrast. I found the pattern as part of the "shawl en mousse et vagues" (available in French and English) and it was very easy to just add it to the Unilintu pattern. I'm starting to appreciate the simplicity of shawls which you can almost put together like lego bricks.

It's actually a Christmas gift (but I'm not saying yet for whom it is) so I will not be able to enjoy it for long but I hope the recipient will appreciate it as much as I do!

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Pattern: A combination of "Unilintu" by Luminen and the border of "Shawl en mousse et vagues" by stipa and alpaga

Yarn: Not quite sure but probably "Sia" by Limbažu Tīne

Ear candy

By reading other peoples' blogs I realized that I'm not the only one who is an obsessive podcast-listener when I'm knitting. I think it goes with the job where you have your hands occupied but your mind blissfully free of anything else, plus I like to multi-task - I also listen to podcasts when I'm cleaning, ironing, washing the dishes, or driving.

For those who don't know it already: a podcast is kind of like a radio show that you can listen to and download from the internet. The list of topics is endless and if you're curious you can just have a look at iTunes, where you can download and subscribe to regular podcasts.

I recently read a list of great podcasts, many of them were new to me and I keep this as a back up in case I get bored at some point. But  most podcasts I listen to are recommended to me by friends and fellow crafters. Here are some of my favourites:

• This American Life: THE classic podcast with lots of great stories and just the most amazing of all presenters, Ira Glass. This was the first podcast that got me hooked and despite its name, which suggests a very USA-centred narrative, most of the stories appeal to a universal audience. I like it because it has a mix of stories about "normal people", extraordinary events, and good analysis. I'm now listening to old episodes from the online archive all the way back from 2003 and most of the content is still applicable, it doesn't seem that outdated at all. 

• Death, Sex, and Money: Similar format to TAL but more recent and more focused on the essential themes of life, as the title suggests. Anna Sale is lovely and does a really good job in presenting those controversial issues in a neutral way. It's like the TAL stories that I like the most put into a separate podcast. 

• BBC Radio 4: Usually something pensioners and boring people listen to but I love their mixed programme of plays, audiobooks, debates, documentaries and news. Some of my favourite regular shows are "From our own correspondent", "History Hour", "Crossing Continents","The Moral Maze" and the "The News Quiz" but most programmes are interesting. You can also download all of those programmes as podcasts. The only two shows where I switch station are "The Archers" (the mother of all soap operas, set in rural Yorkshire - how can this be good?) and "Gardeners Question Time". Although even the latter one can sometimes be amusing and talking about the correct pot ground for your dahlias for an hour has something strangely relaxing to it... BBC programmes also have the advantage of being free of advertisements, which the other listed podcasts here aren't. 

• Stuff you missed in history class: Part of the "How stuff works" franchise, this is one of my favourites. Holly and Tracy have a bit of an annoying American accent but they're just so friendly and present it so well that they can get a way with it (I admit, compared to BBC Radio 4 that's of course a shock). They get straight to the point and pick out interesting topics that usually try to reflect more than the standard history textbook content, including stories about minorities and lesser known events and people. They try to keep a gender balance and the content is always well researched, as far as I can tell. 

• Stuff you should know: Similar to "Stuff you missed in history class", this podcast is part of the same franchise but the format it longer and there is more general blabla besides the facts. That's why it's not my favourite but I still like it mainly because of the presenters, Chuck and Josh, who have a really good sense of humour. For my taste, they could come to the point quicker but once you get used to the slower pace it's fun to learn about all the random things that you thought you knew but actually there's much more to it!

• Radiolab: More focused around scientific themes and research and less about the narrative this is a nice podcast to learn about interesting facts. The only con is that I think it has too much background noise and different sounds that distract from the content - I like my quiet, soothing narrator voice. 

Reading this list you were probably wondering: where did she mention "Serial" - wasn't that the most amazing podcast of all times?! Well, despite it being a spin-off of TAL I didn't like it at all. I found it extremely boring and disappointing. Many people will disagree but I found it too slow, too sensational, riding around on the same few facts, and, worst of all: NO CONCLUSION. Well, that's probably just the little OCD part in me speaking, but I like myself a good end to a story, not going back to square one after spending hours investing in this "mystery" which it doesn't turn out to be. 

It's funny that "Serial" out of all podcasts became one of the most popular ones but I see it a bit like the Harry-Potter-Phenomenon: It's not the first one of its kind, and by far not the best one, but they just managed to take advantage of a certain momentum and once it became popular it was more a sense of "now I have to read/listen to it myself to understand what all the fuss is about". Take that, "Serial"!

Of course you can also listen to audio books, which is a similar concept, but instead of a programme of 30 minutes or an hour you can listen to an entire book being read out loud. Incidentally, I love that, too. But that's maybe for another post. 

Zeeland

To get some fresh air once in a wile it's good to cross the border and head north to the Netherlands. Besides, it's also a good opportunity to purchase delicious "drop" aka sweet and salty licorice which you cannot find anywhere else and eat some fresh fish.

We did all this over the first weekend in November, enjoying the luxury of a holiday home including a sauna, 5 minutes walking distance from the beach. It was very windy as you might expect at this time of the year but at least the first day we had wonderful sunny weather and spent a lot of time outside. The second day - well, let's say it was less sunny, or to be more precise: we got wet down to our underwear in a downpour of dimensions that I haven't seen in a long time.

Still, it was a lovely weekend and it's good to know that this beautiful beach is less than 2 hours drive away. And I'm sorry Belgium, as much as I love you, but your coastline just doesn't compare!

Autumn colours

It's not every year that you get such beautiful autumn colours all the way into November but this time we were lucky. A whole week (and a long weekend) full of sunshine, rustling leaves, walks in the woods, smelling the (compared to Brussels) clean air, and peace. We took the opportunity to take a stroll in the Flemish region of Kempen near Antwerp, where we took the bottom half of the pictures. Ok, you can't see in the pictures that it's basically next to a motorway but as soon as you walk for a few minutes the trees cover you from the noise of the cars. So it's relative peace, let's say.

The first couple of pictures were taken in the Botanical Garden of Meise, just outside Brussels. I had been there before but this time we decided to cycle. Taking the "scenic route", it was quite a trip up and down the hills via Wemmel but we could enjoy already the beautiful trees on the way there. It was about 10 km so by the time we reached the Botanical Garden and walked around for a couple of hours I was quite tired. The greenhouses are not as nice as the ones of the King in Laeken but the café in the Orangerie makes up for that in a lovely setting.We took the (surprisingly) fast way back which led us, again, via a motor way. On a safe cycling path though. 
 

Branches & Buds

As mentioned before, Carrie Bostick Hoge's "Branches and Buds" is the second pattern I knit from the first issue of "Making" magazine. After "Marigold" was a full success I thought I'd quickly follow up with the second one, which I started to like even more.

In order to reduce my stash I decided to go for some thick wool yarn from Montenegro (most probably hand spun) which is very similar to my favourite Létt-Lopi. For the pattern in the yoke I used some leftover Plötulopi from my "Berlin" jumper. For that I also had to adjust the pattern and I decided to go for a bottom-up version instead of the top-down method suggested in the pattern. I also altered the number of stitches.  Bref, I ended up with a completely different garment from the one in the pattern except for the chart of the yoke pattern!

To get the right gauge I had to experiment a bit; it was somewhere between the Létt-Lopi and the Plötulopi so none of my traditional patterns matched. But I got it right eventually. I knitted the sleeves first because I wanted to test first how the unknown yarn behaved after washing and blocking and it turned out very nice and fluffy. To make it extra soft I rinsed it with hair conditioner - and it works!

After I had worked out the basics it was a quick knit, as all those amazing Lopipeysur. Oh, and as you saw on the photos, I went for a cardigan again instead of a jumper. Simple steek procedure as explained in this post. Actually, this was probably the best steek I ever managed to make - maybe I'm getting the hang of it now. Although the button holes are still not matching; I'm kind of hopeless in that respect. Practice makes the expert, I guess...

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Pattern: "Branches and Buds" by Carrie Bostick Hoge
Yarn: Of unknown Montenegrin origin but similar to Létt Lopi

We are going to...India & Nepal!!

After a loooong decision-making process on where our next big trip should be to, we have finally settled for something completely new for both of us: India & Nepal. I'm not joking, it took us probably a good three months to settle for the destination and we only solved the dilemma by doing a secret vote with weighted criteria (yes, between the two of us!).

Even though we both love to travel, it has definitely gotten harder to decide on destinations as a couple because we have to factor in a lot more: has one of us been there? (we both want to go somewhere new) What's the climate like at that time of the year? (neither of us likes hot countries) What's the security situation? (I'm usually a bit more on the adventurous side but some countries are def off limits at the moment). And so on. First world problems!

Fortunately, we both also like to plan. So I didn't mind doing some research on the most important factors and even though it doesn't sound very adventurous to go about in such a systematic manner this was the way we narrowed it down to a few possible destinations and finally to Northern India & Nepal.

Also new for this time: we'll be travelling over Christmas and New Year's because that allowed us to take a whole month off work to make the most out of this exciting trip. I'm not sure if I'll miss it. I definitely don't care about New Year's because I never liked it and the pressure that comes with it to have fun because everything has to be "special".

But Christmas could be a different story.... At the moment, I'm totally fine because I hate the stress and the shuttling between 4 different locations and celebrations in 2 countries within 3 days. On the other hand, I love the baking and the lights and the atmosphere so we'll see. I'm just telling myself that we can catch up with everything next year and then it'll be even better because we really look forward to it.

Now it's time for preparations! Any good advice for things to see & do please share with us. 

Holiday knit 2016: "Unilintu" shawl

Finding a good holiday knitting project is not that easy. I used to go for socks but I'm bored of that and in the end, how many pairs of woolly socks can you actually wear? I've had a pair for more than 10 years and it's not worn out yet.

So recently I've been going for shawls, mainly for the following reasons:

• The project has to be lightweight. Max. 100 g! Who wants to drag half a kilo of yarn around when you're backpacking?
• It has to be a simple pattern that you can learn by heart quickly. I hate reading complicated instructions on a bumpy bus ride which usually means I'm getting sick sooner or later. 
• Ideally, it can be knitted on my wooden knitting needles to pass airport security without problems (and yes, I've had needles confiscated in the past).

At the moment, I only have smaller sized wooden needles but I'm planning on investing on a kit in different sizes to make it easier to choose. But in the past years, I haven't had any problems with metal needles in my carry-on luggage either, it seems to get more common or maybe security staff just thinks its funny to see somebody knitting who is under 60. 

Anyways, this years' holiday knit was therefore once again a shawl (after both my Peru project and my Iceland project) and it turned out well. The pattern is called "Unilintu" and you can get it for free on Ravelry. It's a very simple but it looks great when it's finished. I like the geometric shapes and that it doesn't have too much of a "lacy", frilly, look to it. That's how I like my shawls!

I actually already cast on a second shawl with the same pattern, this time in a thicker yarn for the winter. Depending on how much I will travel under the autumn, I'll hopefully finish it before Christmas.

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Pattern: "Unilintu" by Luminen
Yarn: Reclaimed  "La Doro" lace yarn by Wollgarnspinnerei Ferner, from my frogged "Birch" shawl