I am totally supposed to be learning Dutch right now. But it makes my brain hurt! So of course I procrastinate by writing a quick post since I'm usually procrastinating blogging.
I am pretty much through all the difficulties of "settling in." I think. My permanent residence card should be arriving any week now.... But everything else is taken care of and that is a relief. All I have to do now to fit in is learn to speak the language. Sure... Well, it's slow going but I am trying. I've never been very good at languages. Sigh.
I also want to say to anyone thinking of moving to a new country: it's a giant pain in the ass. No really, it is. Since I didnt know any Americans who had done this before me (I know they are out there, I just didnt know any personally) I didnt really have anyone to ask advice. But just so that everyone is aware: countries do not want you to move. No matter where you are from, no matter where you are going, I'm convinced its a shit fest. Everything is difficult. Everything will give you headaches. Just know this and take comfort in the fact that you are not alone.
Once you get through all the initial paperwork crap though, it gets better. It's still not "easy" but hey, life never is. I am starting to actually enjoy my life here. Having a bike really helps. the fact that I love to ride helps too. Here, a bike = freedom. At some point I'll sit down and type out the specifics of the insanity I went through as an ex-pat/immigrant from the US to the Netherlands, in case anyone in the future is curious. But it will have to wait. I should really go learn the question words. And conjugate some verbs and such.
Tot ziens
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Potato chips
About 3 years ago I began an unnatural love affair with potato chips after having not eaten them for over 10 years (not out of dietary concerns, i just wasnt interested). So of course when I moved here the potato chip selection was one of the first things I checked in the supermarkets.
They do of course have Pringles and Lays and Doritos here, but they are really expensive, so I've been sticking to local brands. And they are a bit odd. In flavor choice that is.
Common potato chip flavors here:
Paprika (really? that stuff doesnt really have a flavor....)
Bolognese (A potato chip flavored like a pasta sauce? Weird, but not bad tasting)
Cheddar Onion, or Onion Cheese (again, weird, but not bad tasting)
and finally...
BBQ Ham
wait, what?
BBQ ham???? Sure, real BBQ ham is great if you get it from the right place that knows what they are doing.... but a potato chip flavor? In the Netherlands no less, not exactly a place renouned for their BBQ.... Yeah, I'm going to stay far away from that one. I cant imagine anything less palatable than a potato chip fake flavored like ham. blech.
They do of course have Pringles and Lays and Doritos here, but they are really expensive, so I've been sticking to local brands. And they are a bit odd. In flavor choice that is.
Common potato chip flavors here:
Paprika (really? that stuff doesnt really have a flavor....)
Bolognese (A potato chip flavored like a pasta sauce? Weird, but not bad tasting)
Cheddar Onion, or Onion Cheese (again, weird, but not bad tasting)
and finally...
BBQ Ham
wait, what?
BBQ ham???? Sure, real BBQ ham is great if you get it from the right place that knows what they are doing.... but a potato chip flavor? In the Netherlands no less, not exactly a place renouned for their BBQ.... Yeah, I'm going to stay far away from that one. I cant imagine anything less palatable than a potato chip fake flavored like ham. blech.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Sorta FO
I keep meaning to post about my moving adventures, and I just never get around to it. Soon, I promise. Maybe. But anyway, here is a finished sock. It's not exactly a proper FO as it is only one sock of the pair, however it is my third sock ever, so I'm excited. Even more excited that it actually fits! Even better.
The pattern is Jaywalker by Grumperina and details of course are on my Ravelry page.
The pattern is Jaywalker by Grumperina and details of course are on my Ravelry page.
Monday, May 4, 2009
weekend away
After a hellish homestretch, my thesis was printed and submitted on Friday morning. I am so beyond relieved that it is done. Then I packed and took the train down to southern Maryland to visit Amanda and Jason.
I knit them a beer cozy as a thanks for having me over for the weekend. Do you recognize this yarn? (: It's ChOrG! My Kool-Aid hand dyed! I love this yarn. It's so soft and smooshy. It's very pretty all knit up.
On Friday night the three of us went out to dinner, Amanda got her 3rd tattoo (some stars on her wrist), and then we went back to the restaurant (next door to the tattoo parlor) and had celebratory drinks.
On Saturday Amanda and I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool. It was dreary, chilly, and pouring rain when we got there which was a giant bummer. But luckily around noon the skies cleared and it got sunny. I didnt get any pictures of the yarn because the festival was jam packed. I could barely get in some of the stalls to look at the goods!!
Sadly I did not find yarn for specific projects, or a shawl pin that I liked, but I did get some beautiful yarn. I tired to take pictures of it, but it was so bleak today that I couldnt get good ones.
Here are some sheeps for you to enjoy. I didnt see a whole lot of alpacas. There were some bunnies too but all the little kids were crowding around them so, no pictures.
After the festival Amanda, Jason and I went out for yummy Thai food. Here is the appetizer platter - it's a party on a plate! Notice the random party explosion coming out of the shrimp thingy. It was very nom nom.
Today brought more rainy, depressing weather so Amanda and I decided to spend some quality time crafting. Here is Sydney claiming the ironing board as his own while Amanda quilts. I sewed up a new WIP bag.
For the WIP bag, I used this tutorial that I had used before..... But... either we read it wrong the first time or Amanda and I were doing something wrong today, b/c the pattern as written didnt work. The 21 inches of the big rectangle doesnt fit all the way around the 6x6 inch bottom square. Both Amanda and I tried. I ended up having to cut the bottom squares down to 5.5 x 5.5 inches.
It's a beautiful bag though. Muchas gracias to Amanda who let me dig through her fabric stash for this!
And here is the inside fabric.
It's definatly not fabric I would normally buy for myself, but when I saw it today I really liked it. I dont know what's up with me and red lately. But whatevs, I'll run with it.
Here it is next to the first bag I made. I think my sewing today was not the best quality, but I think non-crafters would have a hard time finding fault with it. I really like that it's taller. Now I just need a cord to cinch it up. I thought I had a light blue shoelace but I dont, it's purple. So I might knit a brown I-cord.
All-in-all, a lovely weekend! And as soon as the sun comes back I will post some pictures of the crazy awesome yarn I bought at MDSW!
I also finished one shawl, and made serious progress on the never ending stole of grey. But the damn thing still isnt close to being done and I have 4 days! Yikes! - I gotta run now and go knit some more!
I knit them a beer cozy as a thanks for having me over for the weekend. Do you recognize this yarn? (: It's ChOrG! My Kool-Aid hand dyed! I love this yarn. It's so soft and smooshy. It's very pretty all knit up.
On Friday night the three of us went out to dinner, Amanda got her 3rd tattoo (some stars on her wrist), and then we went back to the restaurant (next door to the tattoo parlor) and had celebratory drinks.
On Saturday Amanda and I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool. It was dreary, chilly, and pouring rain when we got there which was a giant bummer. But luckily around noon the skies cleared and it got sunny. I didnt get any pictures of the yarn because the festival was jam packed. I could barely get in some of the stalls to look at the goods!!Sadly I did not find yarn for specific projects, or a shawl pin that I liked, but I did get some beautiful yarn. I tired to take pictures of it, but it was so bleak today that I couldnt get good ones.
Here are some sheeps for you to enjoy. I didnt see a whole lot of alpacas. There were some bunnies too but all the little kids were crowding around them so, no pictures.
After the festival Amanda, Jason and I went out for yummy Thai food. Here is the appetizer platter - it's a party on a plate! Notice the random party explosion coming out of the shrimp thingy. It was very nom nom.
Today brought more rainy, depressing weather so Amanda and I decided to spend some quality time crafting. Here is Sydney claiming the ironing board as his own while Amanda quilts. I sewed up a new WIP bag.
For the WIP bag, I used this tutorial that I had used before..... But... either we read it wrong the first time or Amanda and I were doing something wrong today, b/c the pattern as written didnt work. The 21 inches of the big rectangle doesnt fit all the way around the 6x6 inch bottom square. Both Amanda and I tried. I ended up having to cut the bottom squares down to 5.5 x 5.5 inches.
It's a beautiful bag though. Muchas gracias to Amanda who let me dig through her fabric stash for this!
And here is the inside fabric.
It's definatly not fabric I would normally buy for myself, but when I saw it today I really liked it. I dont know what's up with me and red lately. But whatevs, I'll run with it.
Here it is next to the first bag I made. I think my sewing today was not the best quality, but I think non-crafters would have a hard time finding fault with it. I really like that it's taller. Now I just need a cord to cinch it up. I thought I had a light blue shoelace but I dont, it's purple. So I might knit a brown I-cord.
All-in-all, a lovely weekend! And as soon as the sun comes back I will post some pictures of the crazy awesome yarn I bought at MDSW!
I also finished one shawl, and made serious progress on the never ending stole of grey. But the damn thing still isnt close to being done and I have 4 days! Yikes! - I gotta run now and go knit some more!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Happy colors
My thesis pretty much imploded on Friday. I had a reader tear it apart at the very last minute and of course, instead of being productive, I've wallowed in depression this weekend. And a little bit of anger too. I've worked on my thesis yes, just not on her corrections, yet. So on Saturday when I noticed that the grocery store had a big stand with all sorts of Kool Aid flavors (previous weeks it had only 4, yes kids, 4 flavors), I knew it was time to scratch the Kool Aid dying itch.
First I washed the Knit Picks Bare Superwash merino/nylon yarn in gentle shampoo and left it soaking in water.
Then I mixed the Kool Aid packets (black cherry, orange, grape) into cups of water and "painted" the yarn. I found out that my brand new baster does not have a seal (grrr) and had to spoon the dye onto the yarn. Also, I used waaayyy too much liquid and had to sponge it up repeatedly.
But the end result was a beautiful skein of happy colored yummy smelling (and still a bit sticky) yarn. Red and orange are not my usual colors but I just adore this yarn. It produced the desired result and has indeed given me happiness.
Sure, there are some white spots, but I actually dont mind, I think it gives the yarn character. And it reminds me that it's "hand-painted."
I named it ChOrG. Ugly name for a beautiful yarn.
In fact, I just started knitting with the yarn and I adore the colorway even more! None of the pictures really
captures the brightness and saturation of the yarn. It's very pretty and complex and somehow manages to self-stripe very nicely, without much pooling.
Happiness all around.
Well, except for the fact that I still have the never-ending stole of gray to finish in TWO WEEKS. Ugh. Cross your fingers! (I'm halfway done).
In other news - the BRUINS swept the Canadiens to make it to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs!!!!
First I washed the Knit Picks Bare Superwash merino/nylon yarn in gentle shampoo and left it soaking in water.
Then I mixed the Kool Aid packets (black cherry, orange, grape) into cups of water and "painted" the yarn. I found out that my brand new baster does not have a seal (grrr) and had to spoon the dye onto the yarn. Also, I used waaayyy too much liquid and had to sponge it up repeatedly.
But the end result was a beautiful skein of happy colored yummy smelling (and still a bit sticky) yarn. Red and orange are not my usual colors but I just adore this yarn. It produced the desired result and has indeed given me happiness.
Sure, there are some white spots, but I actually dont mind, I think it gives the yarn character. And it reminds me that it's "hand-painted."
I named it ChOrG. Ugly name for a beautiful yarn.
In fact, I just started knitting with the yarn and I adore the colorway even more! None of the pictures really
captures the brightness and saturation of the yarn. It's very pretty and complex and somehow manages to self-stripe very nicely, without much pooling.
Happiness all around.
Well, except for the fact that I still have the never-ending stole of gray to finish in TWO WEEKS. Ugh. Cross your fingers! (I'm halfway done).
In other news - the BRUINS swept the Canadiens to make it to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs!!!!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Excitement
I have to admit, I keep seeing Amstel Light commercials on the TV and I get really excited. Like, goose-bump excited. Holey-cow-I'm-going-to-live-there-excited. I don't even like Amstel Light. But the commercials are chock full of Amsterdam, football, and Dutch awesomeness.
It reminds me of when I was in Utrecht last summer and Holland was playing Russia in the Euro Cup. I went to a bar with a Canadian couple to see the game. I had gotten a Holland shirt at a tourist stand and the guy had gotten free lederhosen at the bar (it had a tail on the back for the lion). Here are our best lion grrrs. haha. Too bad Holland lost and the streets were full of madness.
It reminds me of when I was in Utrecht last summer and Holland was playing Russia in the Euro Cup. I went to a bar with a Canadian couple to see the game. I had gotten a Holland shirt at a tourist stand and the guy had gotten free lederhosen at the bar (it had a tail on the back for the lion). Here are our best lion grrrs. haha. Too bad Holland lost and the streets were full of madness.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Happy Bobmas
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Ruined
That's right. Knit Picks Harmony needles have ruined me. And caused me to do something I thought I would never do: alter knitting needles. What am I talking about? Well, you see KP Harmony are very pointy. After I got used to the pointy-ness I started to like it. I recently went back to my Takumi bamboo needles (b/c I only have Harmonies in a couple sizes) and they were way too blunt! I couldnt knit! Well, at least I couldnt do twisted knit stitches fast on a shuttle bus.
So, I sanded the bamboo needles to a better point! Crazy I know. Then I oiled them up with some jojoba oil, but they werent slippery enough. I i rubbed them on a natural candle. The pointy tip is so much better! Except, it is a bit pointier than the KP even, so I have to be careful to not split the yarn.
Here is a pict of the SM shawl so far. The Sea Pearl is super shiny so the flash bounces right off of the yarn - but it's very pretty in person! Cant wait to drop all those sts at the end
(:
So, I sanded the bamboo needles to a better point! Crazy I know. Then I oiled them up with some jojoba oil, but they werent slippery enough. I i rubbed them on a natural candle. The pointy tip is so much better! Except, it is a bit pointier than the KP even, so I have to be careful to not split the yarn.
Here is a pict of the SM shawl so far. The Sea Pearl is super shiny so the flash bounces right off of the yarn - but it's very pretty in person! Cant wait to drop all those sts at the end
(:
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