Knitting and Tatting - well, I haven't done anything else lately

That's how it is when you are learning a new skill. Keep starting new little projects, some are finished and some end in the bin because your knots were too tight to be undone. This heart is almost fine, I still have to learn how to hide the last ends of my thread.

While in Germany, I finished the light green bed socks. Our trip was to the same event and same places as in earlier years so I will not bore you with the same photos again. The trip was fine, the fair was excellent and the weather could have been a lot warmer.

They are very comfortable, and I like the longer legs for a change.

Some yarn was left, so I knitted a tiny baby hat. I think I will make some more, and when I have knitted enough, I can take them to a local hospital for their newborns as a gift.

I have started working on a new old quilt, something I cut up years ago and my squared for HST blocks were cut too small so I put it all in a box. Now I'm saving all the blocks I can and cutting the rest to a smaller size. I have material for new larger squares so I think it can be finished almost to the original plan, and then I have all those smaller HSTs for another project.

OK, just one photo from the Fly Fishing Event. The Finnish casting demonstrator Antti Guttorm was wearing his traditional Sami outfit after having seen the Scots in their kilts and the Germans in their leather pants:

Munich, a touch of Spring and a happy end

After the weekend in small towns and at the fly fishing event, on Monday morning we took the train to Munich. The weather was warming up and the sky was blue. Here is the Cathedral, Frauenkirche, built in 1468-1488.

 

 

 

We were walking in the city centre, Marienplatz, originally a market place. I zoomed my camera to look at  one of the many gargoyles on the New Town Hall building. New is a relative word, it was built between 1867 and 1907.

 

 

Here is a picture of the building, and you can see how many people have taken their coats off as the day was getting warm.

 

The Glockenspiel was playing, life size figures of people and horses. You can read about the plays in the link.

 

We were not just tourists looking at attractions we had seen already, but we were on a mission: I needed some red (304) DMC embroidery floss. We looked for it in the big department stores, some of which actually had a fabric and hobby department. But all they had was Anchor floss, and no conversion chart like this link I later got from Melanie: http://www.willowfabrics.com/shadeconverter.shtm. We looked into shopping arcades in hope to find a quilt shop, embroidery shop, anything. No luck. Such a big, big, city, and they don't have a quilt shop where one could find it and have some fun, and they don't even sell red floss. And that was almost all I really wanted!

 

 

Then we walked past the Fishing and Hunting Museum, another familiar place we already visited twice.  

 

This time I didn't dare go in, the exhibition was about life with Wolpertinger! You can see how awful they can look. (Yes, they are all different.) They may have a hare's body with antlers, feet like a waterbird and maybe even wings.

 

I have learnt at the museum that they specialised in eating "North German soft sculls", and one can't be sure how well they know their geography. Finland is even more in the North than North Germany! You can imagine how I was scared when I saw this creature through my kitchen window just after arrival:

 

Brown and white hair falling out, and the ears look a little like antlers when you are scared, don't you think? Originally the Wolpertinger were made in the 19th century by taxidermists from parts of actual animals, as a joke to fool tourists in restaurants and inns.

 

After coming back home I went to Hyvinkää just 15 minutes away by car, and bought the floss I needed. For those who should need Anchor floss, the nice lady at the shop had colour charts and conversion tables both ways! I packed my new floss in my new kit Melanie made for my birthday, and it was packed full with a matching project bag, scissors, ribbons, pins and needles.

 

 

Pincushion, needles book and scissor holder.

All holders with stitched names.

Some of the books she brought - I have read one and I'm reading two at the moment. The most gorgeous mug for my tea. I feel all girly!

 

Now I'm prepared for the next row of Kaaren's Happy Scrappy Spring next week. Happy End!

 

 

The snowdrops were in bloom when we came home, and now most of the snow is gone too.

 

 

Munich in Spring

Today I will take you on a walk in Munich. Mr. K and I visited his sister in this area last week, and while she was busy with her studies, we enjoyed a day in the city. On the S-Bahn we met a big party of people dressed in Tracht, their traditional costume. I tried to take a picture, but they were in a hurry to get to the Cathedral on time for a First Communion. I love the long skirts of the ladies, worn with pretty aprons and short jackets. In my next post you will see some of the men's clothes a little closer.

This is where they were going, to the Frauenkirche behind the houses:



 

From the train we walked to Viktualienmarkt. It is a large farmers' market with all kinds of specialities. If you are interested, there is a lot of information in the link.

It is asparagus season, many stalls had this delicious treat beautifully displayed. Guess what I made for lunch today? Asparagus with Hollandaise sauce and prosciutto.

Fruit and vegetables.

Ornaments made of dried flowers and fruit.

Meat and sausages - the regulations must be different here where the meat is on the table and not cooled. The shops around this market had meat hanging in their window too.

There are six memorial fountains for folk singers and comedians around the market place, all donated by citizens of Munich. This one is for Liesl Karlstadt.

One of the many beer restaurants.

Turning back to the city

where we needed to sit down for tea/coffee and Apfelstrudel mit Eis und Sahne:

Rested and nourished we walked on to visit the Hunting and Fishing Museum.

The bronze boar

 and wels catfish, both about their natural size, guarded the entrance.

Inside the museum we concentrated on the fishing gear from stone age to early 20th century. We have been here before, so we skipped the hunting department. We had perfect timing: it rained while we were in, but it had stopped by the time we came out.

On the way back to the sister's home we noticed this lawn covered in tiny flowers.

I had to have a closer look. Veronica!

Next time I'll take you to something different, and show my latest finish which is just one block of the Scandinavian Christmas.

Short travel report

Long time since I last posted! We had a five-day holiday in Germany over last weekend, and you all know how it takes some days to get back to the everyday routines.


In the first mail I opened after the trip was an envelope from the USA, with this sweet house:


It was from Stephanie, our Time for Tea Swap hostess. You may have seen them on other blogs as well this week: she made one for each of us! On the other side there is a pocket just big enough for a tea bag. Mine was white tea with raspberry! Go and see Stephanie's blog, she is making the most interesting blocks with ladies with personality!


Now I'm going to take you on a little tour to Germany with me. This was my third time ever in Munich, Mr. Kotkarankki's sister lives in a small town just outside Munich. My first visit was to her eldest son's christening 28 years ago, and on the second visit we only saw the airport. Mr. Kotkarankki has been there a lot, so we went shopping alone on Friday. It was 12 o'clock when we emerged from the S-Bahn. First we saw the Cathedral with one of the towers hooded for some renovation work, and the City Hall in front.

The musical dancing figures of the City Hall tower are a tourist attraction. It was raining lightly, so we didn't stay long watching them.

Thi last picture is from Saturday, when we made another trip there with his sister. We went to the Alte Pinakothek and saw lots of old paintings from Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, and some less famous painters. Afterwards we enjoyed coffee and tea with big pieces of cake at the Wiener Cafe.

I have more pictures from our Sunday excursion, but they will have to wait.

I had another special mail, from Melanie, but at the moment I can only say the things were wrapped in red! Thank you Melanie for your Random Act of Kindness!

Between laundry, cleaning and ironing I have been sewing my first ever quilt-as-you-go blocks for Jan at Ozcomfortquilts. She uses 10.5" string blocks to make quilts for the Victoria bush fire victims in Australia. I used mostly strips from the bag I received some years ago with the half-finished quilt top I called the stranger quilt because I didn't know who originally started the quilt.

I hope to get the blocks mailed tomorrow, and then I will try to catch up with my Country Calendar blocks - February and March!