So there I was, happily planning my Saturday shopping in my head (including 'ooh, I must go to Daisy's before I go, and also get cashmere + from Lydia) when my colleague and fellow knitter stormed into my office: 'you have infected me' she lets out (cue very puzzled looks from my colleagues)...'I started knitting again'...ah..RE-LIEF and the others go back to their task.
If only that had stopped there. She then proceeded to tell me about the yarn barn in Leiden. Barn you said? Surely you mean 'shop'. No no: BARN.
After some chatting, beer and bitterballens I manage to convince my non-knitting-but-could-be-convinced-to-try colleague to come along to check out the place. In return for taxi driving I will teach her to knit...fair enough I think!
Got there about 2PM on Saturday and as R pointed out a large warehouse we decided it could be the place. As we saw emerging 2 ladies with yarn there was no possible doubt...the large building was indeed the place. I cursed my lack of cash for the day (no ATM in the middle of residential Leiden) and hoped the yarn was either very dear or very very cheap...or possibly non interesting.
O-M-G...
Tis the warehouse for Wendy, King Cole, and the Italian brand with the Panda on it that makes it looks like WWF yarn.... floor to ceiling... About 10 x 8m long shelves... cotton, acrylic, mixed wool, mixed alpaca, all in price range between 1 and 2.5 euros/ball (100g) unless you go for the big fat balls.
And near the till Addi needles on their familiar black background for about 3.5euros.
I only bought 10 balls of alpaca mix yarn and 1 circ 4mm...all for just over 22 euro. It will be a jumper in the softest brown colour.
R settled on 2 balls of yarn to make hand warmers and a 5mm circ.
The rest of the afternoon was spent covering the basis of K, P, K2TOG, M1, KFB, cast on, bind off, rib and EVEN circ knitting...not without copious amount of ice tea and apple cake.
I gave her the Encyclopedia of Knitting in Dutch that came from De Slegte and got her started on the arm warmers, hoping that they would not be stuffed in a drawer as soon as she got home.
My evening and my Sunday were filled with a little shopping and some knitting for my friends who are leaving work when I get back to the UK. I am on target, but it still makes me sad that I am knitting for people to take away...well at least with the current weather i am guessing the mittens will be well received!
When I came into work today, after cursing profusely at my enabler-colleague who had directed me to the big yarn WAREHOUSE on the LAST weekend i am in the Netherlands for DESPITE knowing of my knitting habit I found out that R had been making progress on the hand warmer.
Curious, I went to see...
The hand warmer is finished!
The bright pink 2 x 2 rib that I suggested (as for project) has been knitted and stitched on the side, and instead of the simple gap for the thumb I had suggested to not overcomplicated, she had used the Magic Loop (as I had shown her Saturday) to pick up -very neatly, especially for a 1st timer- and knit a thumb for the fingerless glove.
It's official: a new knitter is born!
I will try and bribe her to send me a pic of the completed pair!
As the hail fell all morning on the balcony next to my desk i believe she will use them soon.
And the warehouse i hear you ask impatiently? It can be found on Rijndijk, next to the bus bridge in Leiden. Red-ish brick and building materials on the other side.
Don't rush though...it's only opened Wednesdays and Saturdays, until 2.30 in the summer...bring cash...LOTS of it!!!!!!!!!!!
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