Now, Where Was I...?: Dutch Things

the hague, 1600

In with the new, out with the old...  erm... well, no.  In with the old and out with the...  No.  Ach. See, the trouble with moving back to a place where you've lived previously is that you presume you already know about the area and the art, architecture, and other pretties that you're moving back to. Then you realise you the extent of your knowledge is based on either 12 year old memories of your very first visit, or blurred remembrances of places seen whilst whilst singing on tour.

Memory 1: Grote, of Sint JacobsKerk in Den Haag.  Dubbed 'The Place With The Longest Curtains In The World', The Great, or Saint James' Church was a highlight of my first visit to The Hague in 1998.  It seems it was only open a few days of the year, but we found it on one of those rare days.  I didn't remember anything of the interior except for a pair of the longest white curtains I had ever seen in my life, separating the choir from the rest of the church! Going back with my LS last month, I was pleasantly surprised - yes, the long curtains were there, now changed to a fetching mustard yellow colour, but there was so. much. more!

Well, yes, for me that did mostly mean mmmm-scrummy stained glass, but I have to say it was a beautiful space and very peaceful.

Of course, there are many more things to see in The Hague, and no doubt I shall be showing them to you in the future, but I had to include the visit to one of my favourite Dutch towns here: Delft.

delft, 1580

Memory 2: The Great Delft Tea-Shop Hunt.  Rumour has it that there's an absolutely amazing tea-shop in Delft that serves the most delicious scones with cream and jam that you've EVER tasted.  Yes, in Delft.  And on my numerous visits to this beautiful town, I have never found it.  I've found numerous shops selling antique Delft tiles and Delftware, even more numerous tourist shops selling modern (and somewhat tacky) 'Delft' ware, some lovely little cafés and restaurants, and several beautiful churches, but no sign of the Tea-Shop From Heaven.  But hey, the churches aren't really a booby prize!

oude kerk, delft

The Old Church of Delft is a charming, charming building, dating from the 13th century.  The most charming of its charming aspects has to be the leaning clock tower, which was begun in 1325.

And the stained glass wasn't bad, either!

Sister church to the Oude Kerk, is the Nieuwe Kerk.

Set at one end of the market square, and begun in the late 14th century, it's really only new in relation to the other church, though!  This is the church that's related mostly to the House of Orange, the reigning royal house of the Netherlands, and inside can be found the recently restored, and rather austere, tomb of Prince William of Orange (d. 1584).

And of course, there is a multitude of stained glass on offer, too...

I'm also a fan of antique maps.  Can you tell?!

Now, Where Was I...?

... the last time you heard from me was yonks ago.  Between then and now Things Have Been Happening.

Oh yes.  Things.  

But before I bore you with exactly what Things, we'll take a commercial break.

Abbaye de Villelongue, Longuedoc, France

Come and visit the beautifully kept ruins of the Abbaye of Villelongue.  Resting at the foot of the Montagne Noir (Black Mountain) in the Languedoc Roussillon region of Southern France, this ancient abbey of Villelongue is one of the few cistercian abbeys left in Europe.

You may even happen across a concert of English Baroque music in the beautifully restored Refectory...

And welcome back...

Things indeed.  Things like moving to Holland.  Such a little statement for such a huge undertaking.  Details of finding said flat, deposit, removals (movers, for you non-UK'ers) firm and pick-up and delivery by said firm shall be spared, worry not, but I shall divulge some more pleasant happenings which include covering up the repulsive peach and red earth walls in the living room with a nice clean white and cheery sunshine yellow (although I have to admit that separated as they are in the hall and the bedroom, they aren't horrific at all), purchasing my very own fridge-freezer (and discovering a plethora of fabby second-hand shops into the bargain) and the compulsory visit to IKEA for things I didn't really need, but had to have, anyway.  

I shall only add that I don't intend to stray from this new flat for a Very Long Time.  (It's very nice, though, so I don't think I'll mind too much...)

Things.  Yes,  Other Things like singing in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with The Orchestra of the 18th Century.  Rameau, no less.   With a live radio broadcast thrown into the mix!  Oh.  And if that wasn't nerve-racking enough, I was covering one of 2 roles of one singer who developed some mystery throat infection one day before the concert.  But, OH, how enjoyable!  I mean - Rameau, Concertgebouw, Orchestra of the C18th?  And all over my birthday week.  SWEET!  (Apart from Ill Singer, but one mustn't look a silver lining in the... erm, stitching...)

Things like travelling back off to France for concerts with Le Petit Ensemble in the Abbaye de Villelongue, and with Ensemble Jacques Moderne in the Loire region.  (I find it moderately amusing that I decide to relocate back to Holland, only to get asked for a Summer's-worth of music in France - the exact inverse happened when I moved from Holland to France in 2003!)  

But that's all we have time (and patience) for this post...  Do join us again for the second and last episode of Now, Where Was I: Dutch Things 

:: cue cheesy music and cut to commercial ::

Hidden Chateaux of the Loire

The Chateau de la Chatonnierre lies near Azay-Le-Rideau in the Loire Valley.  Nestled in twelve gardens dedicated to Science, Intelligence, Elegance and Silence, amongst others, this Renaissance chateau also plays host to a Summer music festival, where you may find an international cast of singers and musicians.  

Within a stone's throw of this garden delight, you will find the grand manor house of Les Douves, which was built on the remains of the Chateau of Onzain.  Surrounded by its own moat and gardens, the house, which is privately owned, is home to exhibitions and small music festivals the year 'round.

This post was brought to you by The God Thor, his Thunder Bolts and Lighting Sticks, Lack of Sleep, and Much Coffee

Holy Fairy Godmothers, Batman...

See this?

Hmm, possibly not...  Hold on...

No, you're just going to have to click on it...

Why?  Well, my gob has been smacked with a random (or perhaps not so random) act of kindness.  There was I, merrily replying away to posts in a Pointless and Arbitrary forum on Rav when my eye was caught by a pretty advert at the bottom of the page.  It was the colours, I think, that grabbed my attention first, as they were the same colours as my Strawberry Mojito Socks, the pattern of which has, as you know, just been published.

Well bugger me if it isn't an advert for the self-same socks! Someone has been busy making up an advert for the Mojito Socks and arranging for it to be shown on Ravelry!  I'm delighted and stunned at the same time!

Thank you, Fairy Bobmother.

Garnished For Your Pleasure

The Summer is just around the corner and it'll soon be that time of year to drink cocktails in the garden.  Or the balcony.  Or you might already be  sipping drinks in the comfort of your own living room while the snow swirls around outside.  (Seriously, what is with the weather just now?)
 

Whatever the time of year you prefer to indulge in a little cocktail therapy, how does a splash of Strawberry Mojito sound?

strawberry mojito socks by yours truly
beyond basics superwash sock by knittingdiva in love struck
lang yarns jawoll superwash solid in green

Knit from the toe up, this is a lacy sock with an afterthought heel with a contrasting mint-leaf-like garnish for the cuff.

slurp

I suggested using a Turkish cast-on, but to be honest any cast-on will do that gives you the correct number of stitches.  The afterthought heel was a revelation to me and I may have to use it for every sock I ever knit from now on!  Seriously - what an excellent invention!

turkish toe

afterthought heel - before

afterthought heel - after (heh!)

The sock is finished with some ribbing (for hold-up power) and a contrasting mint-leaf-like lace fold-over cuff with a picot cast-off.

it's all in the garnish, dahling!

The method of making these little babies can be yours for only $3.50 (roughly €2.40 or £2.00) through Ravelry downloads!  I know!  A steal!  I can't remember exactly how I managed to link everything up before, but bear with me - there should be a wee sales button to click at any minute!

(Go on, you know you want to!)

strawberry mojito socks and dm's ftw!

Finishing Touches...

... are being made to another alcoholic sock pattern!  Oh yes indeedy!  Involving yarn in these colours:

Mmmm...  fruity, do you think?  Could be...

a little toe-instep action

Toe-up?  Ooh yes.  Afterthought heel?  Very possibly.  Contrasting cuff? Does the Pope pray?

yes, the pope prays

I'm pleased with these babies, and in the process of making the pattern I've added two new knitting devices to my repertoire. WIN!

Beware the VLT:  I shall be canvassing for test knitters in the very near future!

Elation. An Elegy, Part the Second.

Otherwise entitled: "The Sock Support" surprise: The Reason Behind Writing the Last Post of DOOOOM.

Ravelry never ceases to amaze and astound me.  Yes, there is a wealth of patterns to be found.  Yes, there is technical help and advice around every corner.  Yes, you can join a group with fellow fibrists who share your love of socks, 'Lost', David Tennant, or playing the mouth organ.  Okay, I'm not positive about that last one, but if there's not one now, it can't be long...  But above all, yes, you can find friends.

Today I have been humbled by the kindness that has flowed over the intertubez from people in Ravelry.  I don't really have the words for this, which is most unlike my normal verbose self, but I am above all buoyed-up by their support.  I'm almost embarrassed with the attention, in fact.  So, thank you to everyone who was involved in the Sock Support project (for want of another name) and especially to Scrubmonkey and Craftswoman who, legend has it, masterminded the whole shebang.  I have no idea how they did it, but gift horses were never meant to be orally examined!

Thank you!

And in the true spirit of Completely Pointless and Arbitrary, I give you skipping electricity pylons.  Because I can.

Down In The Dumps. An Elegy, Part the First

marjory the trash heap

Now, as you all know, I'm not one for parading my innermost feelings about on the interwebz.  Well, at least not on something as public as my Wronicles, at any rate.  Saying that, I do wish my three avid readers to know that the reason I've not been keeping up-to-date, Wronicles-wise, is not because of you.  It's truly not you.  It's me...  But don't worry, this isn't going to be a 'Dear John' post, in fact, just the opposite.  But you need to read on to see whether I've finally flipped or not...

So, where was I?  Oh yes, it's not you, it's me...  And it's The Fates.

red shakespeare

The Fates and I are not on the best of terms at the moment. They seem to take great pleasure in scaling tremendous heights then dumping crap on my life from the icy regions above.  But let's be honest here: with the current state of financial crap-dom and the knock-on effects, Fate is having a WHALE of a time, least of all with me.  But, as all things must be worn-down by the ceaseless pounding of Time and Murphy's Law No. 332 (the one involving saving up to buy a pint of beer but tripping up over a bar-stool and watching said beer go flying onto the local thug's brand-new leather jacket), so has this Fraggle's spirit been ground down.  Or as much as something so ethereal can be flattened. Hmmm, might have to go back and change something to include the Wind of Fate instead.  Although, no - being blown away by Murphy's Wind of Fortune smacks of something altogether of a more unsavoury olfactory theme...

But I digress.  Slightly.  Really, this is just a little post to say that things are on top of me at the moment that make functioning on a normal level slightly tricky.  My poor Wronicles are again falling by the way-side.  I've barely knit anything for months and as for designing?  Well, I've started to pick up my latest alcoholic sock pattern again, but mostly have just looked at it and put it back down.  I have, however, figured out what to do with the heel.  So all is not lost.  I may have even figured out what to do with the cuff.  We shall get there in the end...

chanter

 [ʃɑ̃te]
verbe transitif 

1.	musique [chanson, messe] to sing qu'est-ce que tu me chantes là? (figuré) what are you talking about?

2.	[célébrer] to sing (of) chanter victoire to crow (over one's victory) chanter les louanges de quelqu'un to sing somebody's praises

(or so LAROUSSE.fr tells me...)

Well, singing is, after all, my means of earning enough to keep a roof above my head.  (Except for dabbling in the odd spot of sock designing, of course...)  I, as the the saying goes, sing for my supper.  Apart from the ever-present worry about working free-lance (or trying to) in an economy that dislikes the arts, it ain't so bad...

I get to sing in places like this:

la grand'chambre du parlement de bretagne

and this:

salle gaveau, paris

singing stuff like this:

'twas within a furlong of edinborough toun' by h purcell

yours truly and le petite ensemble (live 2009)

'when i am laid in earth' from dido and aeneas by h purcell
yours truly and musica ad rhenum (2006)

'più non si trovano' from 6 notturni by wa mozart
moi, h rasker, k-j de koning, stadler trio

'spruch' r schumann
moi, k landshamer, i danz, j hantai (piano)

excerpt from 'where shall i fly' from hercules by gf handel
moi and the junge kantorei, frankfurt

excerpt from 'ich hab'ein glühend messer' from lieder eines fahrenden gesellenby g mahler - moi and the nijmeegs studentenorkest

in places like this:

hitomi memorial hall, tokyo
(that's me in the silver and black gown)

and this:

teatro communale di ferrara, italy

and in places like this:

auditorio alfredo kraus in las palmas de gran canaria

and this:

l'abbaye notre-dame d'ambronay, france

I know, it seems incredibly glamorous and indeed, it can be for those at the top of the ladder.  The rest of us grab the oo-shiny where we can and struggle on trying to make ends meet the rest of the time.  I'd say it balances out...

Occasionally!

p.s. many apologies for the nasty, nasty style, font and other blogger issues.  This thing seems to be getting harder and harder to use and make something pleasing to the eye...