green gardens marrakech - may & october 2017

NEW travel workshops in Marrakech next year!

Besides the Cool Crochet Marrakech workshops, we will organize Green Gardens workshops in May and October 2017.

In the last few years I've visited quite some stunning gardens and oases in the medina and fell in love with the amazing green gardens of Marrakech. For those out there, who can't or rather don't want to crochet, we will arrange an opportunity to discover Marrakech in an alternative way next year.

PROGRAMME:
During the workshop we will visit and explore all kinds of gardens in and around Marrakech; An Arabic garden, a rose garden, botanical gardens, secret city gardens, city parks, hidden courtyards, an art garden, museum gardens and vegetable- and herb gardens.

To make the green theme complete, we will also organize a veggie cooking workshop (including vegetables & herbes shopping in de souk). All the participants will get an herbarium notebook, in which they can make daily sketches and collect green memories, such as leaves and seeds.

You will be surprised how green the Red City actually is. Urban jungle adventures with guided tours and delicious moroccan food, make this green travel-workshop unforgettable!

GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOP
Six days in Marrakech! Green is the theme. Price € 675,00 per person.
The price is based on a shared twin bedroom and excluding flight ticket. It's not possible to book a single room.
It's always possible to book extra nights, before or after the workshop (info@chambresdamis.com)
INCLUDED:
- transfer from airport Marrakech to Riad Chambres d'amis (v.v.)
- shared twin bedroom (5 nights) including breakfast in Chambres d'Amis. (no single rooms available)
- 3 dinners & 4 lunches (drinks not included)
- veggie cooking workshop
- collecting green memories in a herbarium
- all excursions in and around Marrakech

SPRING GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOP arrival: Thursday 11th of May - leaving: Tuesday 16th of May
AUTUMN GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOP arrival: Thursday 12th of October - leaving: Tuesday 17th of October

If you would like to join one of the workshops, please send an e-mail info@woodwoolstool.com for an application form.

Both workshops are a collaboration with my friend Ank van der Pluijm, owner of CHAMBRES D'AMIS, oasis in the Medina of Marrakech and our 'basecamp' during the workshops.

oficina de mi casa

Office update.

A few new items in my workplace.
The steel vintage hospital table serves as my desk and I have turned it sideways so I can look into the living room.
The banana plant on my desk is slowly becoming a banana tree.
The blue A we bought last Friday in Amsterdam (see previous post)
...and the new harlequin herringbone rug fits in nicely anywhere.
I put it on the floor for the occasion, but we use it as a blanket on the sofa, now it's becoming colder.

sarphatipark

Open House

25 - 26 - 27 November
2 - 3 - 4 December

open from 11 am

Sarphatipark 126hs
1073 ED Amsterdam

Maria de Haan - Lammie Snoeken

evergreen since 2007

'Green' handmade T R E E S in the shop!

An unique eco-friendly x-mas tree, that will last for years!

The trees are pet-proof, perfectly suited for the children rooms and front doors too!

[woodwoolstool x-mas tree is up since 2007]

green is the theme

Want a 'green' x-mas tree?
This eco-friendly Christmas tree, will last for years!

Some new T R E E S in the shop!

The woodwoolstool evergreen tree is up since 2007.

t r e e - t r a d i t i o n

New T R E E S in the shop!

harlequin herringbone pattern

A new design.

The harlequin herringbone pattern.
My two favorite patterns meet each other in a new project.

Well new? I have started making a whole lot of white harlequin this summer and in the meantime I've done a lot of side projects, but this week I finally finished the new rug. Also to be used as a blanket.

I'm really excited how it turned out.

I've written the pattern and included a lot of photo's, so you can make your own harlequin herringbone rug or -blanket.

You can find the harlequin herringbone pattern in my E T S Y shop.

dress warmly

There are a few warm B E A N I E S left on the rack.

so many females, so much inspiration

Friday in Rotterdam. Striking words in a blue sky.

so many females
so much inspiration

Over the years I have met so many inspiring women.

Thanks girls, I'm grateful for that.

harira habit

Having a cup of harira soup on the Jemaa el Fna square, is my fixed habit when I visit Marrakech. (we like stall #75)

Perfect soup weather today, so we are having vegetarian harira soup tonight!

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped into cubes
5 large ripe tomatoes with skin removed, seeded and chopped into cubes
1/2 cup of lentils
1 cup of chickpeas (preferably bought dried and soaked overnight. The 1 cup measurement should be the soaked version)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of Moroccan saffron
1/2 cup each of fresh chopped parsley (flat leaf) and coriander
1/4 cup rice
salt and pepper
1/2 lemon


-Take a large soup pot and add the olive oil, onion, fresh herbs, lentils and spices and 7 or 8 cups of water and stir over high heat until the pot is brought to a boil. Include the chickpeas if you have soaked them overnight. If you are using canned chickpeas, you’ll add them later.

-Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. If you are using canned chickpeas, add them after the 30 minute simmer is up.

-Add the tomatoes and another cup of water, as well as salt and pepper.

-Raise the heat again and when your soup is back to a boil, add the rice. Lower heat once more to a simmer for another 30 minutes.

-Serve with fresh parsley and a bit of lemon juice

Bon appetit!

(countless recipes to be found, in all possible variations)

Harira literally means mixture. The word is also used as an expression; Harira! what a mess!

a night in the water tank

Last night we stayed in one of the water reservoir rooms of hotel Villa Augustus.
The Dordrecht water tower was the first with a flat-bottomed iron reservoir and is the last one remaining in the Netherlands.

This time we stayed on the fifth floor in a hotelroom on the original flat iron bottom of the reservoir, which is the most authentic part of the water tower, because this is where the water used to be. The bathrooms of the room is one floor below, in what used to be the leak trap for the reservoir, with a view across the vegetable garden.

It's an annual tradition to stay overnight at my workplace, which still feels like a 'mini break', how strange that may seem.

No matter how many times I've been there already, it remains a special place.

throwback thursday

To brighten up your day!

neon yarn catch from Marrakech
photo: september 2012

wednesday vibes

ginkgo mania

Fell in love with our Ginkgo tree in the frontyard this week (again).
Every year in november I'm surprised by it's golden glow and brightness and excited by the ginkgo tree we planted 12 years ago when we moved in.

Last year I've dried a whole lot(!) of yellow ginkgo leaves in a heavy book. I had to restrain myself not to keep all the leaves, because they were are all differently shaped and too pretty to throw away the organic waste bin.

This season I will try to leave the golden carpet on the ground as long as possible and stop myself from collecting the leaves...

The Ginkgo Biloba or Japanese walnut tree was the favorite tree of Goethe. In Japan they honor the tree as a god; it symbolizes hope, love, magic, timelessness and longevity and is nicknamed temple tree.

into the wool

After a pretty long period of Indian summer days, autumn made its appearance.

All cardigans back on the rack!
The snug wooly cardigan I have already made some years ago and I love to wear it again. Cardigans are my favorite winter apparel.

You can find the pattern of this cardigan in my E T S Y shop. Making your own wooly cardigan is fun to do and nice to wear.

I wish you a warm snug Sunday!

green gardens marrakech workshops 2017

NEW travel workshops in Marrakech next year!

Besides the Cool Crochet Marrakech workshops, we will organize Green Gardens workshops in May and October 2017.

In the last few years I've visited quite some stunning gardens and oases in the medina and fell in love with the amazing green gardens of Marrakech. For those out there, who can't or rather don't want to crochet, we will arrange an opportunity to discover Marrakech in an alternative way next year.

PROGRAMME:
During the workshop we will visit and explore all kinds of gardens in and around Marrakech; An Arabic garden, a rose garden, botanical gardens, secret city gardens, city parks, hidden courtyards, an art garden, museum gardens and vegetable- and herb gardens.

To make the green theme complete, we will also organize a veggie cooking workshop (including vegetables & herbes shopping in de souk). All the participants will get an herbarium notebook, in which they can make daily sketches and collect green memories, such as leaves and seeds.

You will be surprised how green the Red City actually is. Urban jungle adventures with guided tours and delicious moroccan food, make this green travel-workshop unforgettable!

GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOP
Six days in Marrakech! Green is the theme. Price € 675,00 per person.
The price is based on a shared twin bedroom and excluding flight ticket. It's not possible to book a single room.
It's always possible to book extra nights, before or after the workshop (info@chambresdamis.com)
INCLUDED:
- transfer from airport Marrakech to Riad Chambres d'amis (v.v.)
- shared twin bedroom (5 nights) including breakfast in Chambres d'Amis. (no single rooms available)
- 3 dinners & 4 lunches (drinks not included)
- veggie cooking workshop
- collecting green memories in a herbarium
- all excursions in and around Marrakech



SPRING GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOP arrival: Thursday 11th of May - leaving: Tuesday 16th of May
AUTUMN GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOP arrival: Thursday 12th of October - leaving: Tuesday 17th of October

If you would like to join one of the workshops, please send an e-mail info@woodwoolstool.com for an application form.

Both workshops are a collaboration with my friend Ank van der Pluijm, owner of CHAMBRES D'AMIS, oasis in the Medina of Marrakech and our 'basecamp' during the workshops.