After Amsterdam

I had *such* a lovely time! The people were really friendly and the weather wasn't so bad and I ate soooo much and saw some amazing things. I don't really know where to start so here is a random splurge of highlights.

Endless canals, bicycles and bridges.

Pondering life from the water on a canal tour.

Visiting the newly opened Tulip Museum.

Bags ancient to modern at the Bag Museum - this one is a sewing set and was about 5" high. So desirable.

Kitchy souvenirs.

AWESOME knitting shops. At Penelope Craft she could see I was having trouble deciding between colourways and offered me the use of her mac to look at my ravelry queue. Now that is someone who understands their customers.

Discovering some new filters on my camera that make it seem less gloomy and rainy than it was.

The Kattenkabinet (Cat Museum) with paintings by Picasso as well as more contemporary pieces.

And then there were the tulips.

I spent a morning at the Keukenhof Gardens and it was just incredible. Millions of the little buggers, which are my favourite flower.

They were arranged in every possible combination and there were hundreds of varieties.

I am so glad I went.

Plus a very nice woman took a picture of me standing in a giant clog.

If you happen to like tulips as much as I do then there are about 120 more photos of them here.

I've got lots more I could share but that's enough for now.

My knitting while I was away was mainly the ripple socks of doom. I talked about them in my last post. I'm about 2/3 done on the second sock and have run out of the contrast yarn and am about to run out of the main yarn too. I think I may just frog and give it up.

They're pretty ugly. So in lieu of those I started a free Drops pattern where you knit the sole of the socks first and the whole thing is done in garter stitch.

I rather like them and it makes a change from magic loop.

I leave you with two of my souvenirs. Someone on twitter thought these were actually wooden ones.

I assure you they're not. The second is rather more tasteful.

My littlest sister brought me back a smaller one of these after a visit to Amsterdam a few years ago which has sat ever since in my pen pot at work. These ones are for me at home. I'm now wishing I had bought 3 times as many but I'd run out of money. I guess I'll just have to go back again...