yellow

Saturday morning 28th of November

Hello yellow!

We made an appointment to pick up a vintage italian design chair and ended up on this beautiful courtyard covered in a yellow ginkgo glow.

I collected some of the 'fruits' of the Japanese nut tree (which are botanically the seeds, but because the seed coat is fleshy, they look like fruits). The seeds are apricot shaped and when the female seeds fall to the ground in autumn, the fleshy seed coat starts to rot and falls off and smells like rancid butter.

I want to try to grow some mini ginkgo trees.

new collection

For the ones that can't crochet, I've made a new collection diagonal stiped fingerless mittens.

One pair in black & off white, another pair in anthracite grey & off white.
And for those who don't shy away from a little color;
burgundy red & turquoise blue
yellow ocher & bright pink
orange brown & cobalt blue

You can buy them in my ETSY SHOP.

If you rather want to crochet the mittens yourself, you can find two different crochet patterns for fingerless mittens in my Etsy shop. A fast, fun and easy crochet project. And the mittens are very practical, warm and unisex. Moreover, it's an excellent handmade December gift.

Oh and the top pair on the stack (rusty brown & lilac) didn't make it to this blog post. Sold 3 minutes after I listed them in my etsy shop yesterday.

cold crisp day

We cycled to town for a coffee to go and pastel de nata at Nobel's Brood this morning.
On the first really cold and crisp day, warm wool mittens were no luxury on the bike.

The first handmade pairs of the diagonal striped mittens collection are ready. (only have to weave in the loose ends, the least fun part)

The black & white tweed yarn mittens, like the ones i'm wearing, and another antracite grey & white tweed yarn pair, are already for sale in my Etsy shop.

The rest of the tiny collection ready-made fingerless mittens, will be added soon.

I'm an addict of woolen winter accessories; throw in a beanie, mittens and scarf and i’m good to go. How about you?

the waiting booth

Saturday 21st of November

In the waiting booth at the ferry to the Biesbosch national park.

Going to get some fresh air in nature.

PS: moreover also in the waiting booth for 2021, haha

rotterdam - sunny stripes & warm wrists

The lilac & orange brown stiped fingerless mittens I made yesterday. Even two(!) pairs in one day.

Actually i made the first pair for myself, and i received a request via instagram, so i made the same pair again.

It's a quick and fun crochet project and I certainly intend to make a few more in the coming weeks.

Do you want to surprise someone with a handmade gift or treat yourself to woolly wrist warmers?

You can download two different crochet patterns for fingerless mittens in my Etsy shop.

Today we took advantage of the only sunny day this week and had lunch with a super tasty sandwich from Koozie at the quay of the Maas.

diagonal striped fingerless mittens - crochet pattern

A new project on my crochet hook; fingerless mittens in a cool colorbination.

Earlier this year I made a similar pair in black & white tweed yarn.

This time I'm making a colorful variant, with lilac and orange-brown yarn.

The first one I've crocheted in no time and because it turned out surprisingly cool, I wanted to share it with you straight away, even before I'm starting the second one.

If you want to make the diagonal striped mittens yourself, you can download the crochet pattern in my Etsy shop.

It's available a DUTCH and ENGLISH version.

A fast, fun and easy crochet project.
The fingerless mittens are very practical, warm and unisex.
You can make the mittens from yarn leftovers, as you will need very little yarn for this project.

Moreover, it's an excellent handmade December gift. Everyone likes to get a handmade gift!

b l o e m

Remember the massive neon sign b l o e m , written in italics with beautiful loops?

Bloem is the dutch word for flower, a word that suits me well.

My dear and very handy colleague Sjaak came to fix it on the wall this morning.

And look how cool it turned out!

I climbed on the kitchen counter to take this photo, with lousy November light, because I wanted to share the end result today, nonetheless.

A grand wall flower between the houseplants, Urban Jungle at the kitchen table!

concrete jungle & coffee to go

Delfshaven - Rotterdam - Sunday 8th of November

Sunday afternoon walk & coffee to go along the quay in historical Delfshaven.

A mild temperature for November, perfect to drink our coffee outside on a bench, for the restaurants and terraces are still closed.

Artist Eelco van den Berg gave two walls and two facades on the Watergeusplein in Rotterdam-Delfshaven this tropical metamorphosis in 2015. The name of the artwork is Concrete Jungle, based on the song by Bob Marley.

Oh and I recently got bangs ;-)

marvelous marrakech 2021 - travel workshops in may & october

Marvelous Marrakech! Seven days in Marrakech with a distinctive workshops program.

Explore Marrakech every day in a different way. We have combined new places and topics with the best of our programs from previous years.

What's Marvelous Marrakech about? An immersive travel, creative & culinary experience to sate your wanderlust.

We will stay at Hotel Chambres d’Amis, an oasis in the Medina, located just a stone’s throw away from the beating heart of old Marrakesh, the Djma el Fna Square and the Souks! Despite this, it’s as quiet here as if you’re in the countryside, greenery and birds all over the place. We want you to feel at home in this green oasis, right in the middle, but far away from it all. Chambres d'Amis is exclusively reserved for participants during this retreat. This intimate, week-long retreat will be open to only 12 guests. You will stay there with an international group of women, from all over the world.

We have composed a week-long retreat with a different theme every day, the perfect way to explore Marrakech in an authentic, special and unique way.

Let’s get away together for an entire week to recharge, with relish and delight for a slow living, creative escape!

The longer stay is designed to provide you with ample time to explore your creative goals, soak up the red city, get to know your fellow travelers and find down time to recharge or explore on your own. This promises to be a transformative, once-in-a-lifetime journey. The Marvelous Marrakech retreat is a unique opportunity to be both restored and inspired.

Off the beaten tracks with workshops and exciting adventures while discovering Marrakech and surroundings. Where everyone else goes to the right we go to the left. By showing you the real Marrakech, your visit to the Red City will be a much more precious experience!

Price € 795,00 per person (excl. tourist tax € 2,50 pppn)

The price is based on a shared twin bedroom and excluding flight tickets.

INCLUDED:
- transfer from airport Marrakech to Riad Chambres d'Amis (v.v.)
- shared twin bedroom (6 nights) including breakfast in Chambres d'amis.
- 2 dinners & 5 lunches (drinks are not included)
- 4 workshops and a daytrip to the desert

CRAFT-WORKSHOP
Buying wool, cotton and yarns in the souk. Moroccan craft class in the open on the colourful Place des Epices, where Aisha will teach you different characteristic Moroccan craft techniques (materials are included). After lunch we will continue the Moroccan craft class with Aisha and practice different crochet and embroidery techniques in The Secret Garden. (Needless to say, I will give a crochet class aswell.) At the end of the afternoon we will visit the Carpet auction in the souk, an unforgettable and colorful experience.

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

INSTAGRAM-PHOTO WORKSHOP
Street photography in the medina. Learn how to anticipate the moment, to identify locations with suitable subjects and develop confidence in photographing on the street. Learn to select and frame a moving subject and explore color to create impact. A visit and lunch at Maison de la Photographie.

VEGGIE COOKING WORKSHOP & BERBER CARPETS
Vegetable shopping on the locals markets in the Medina and souk. Cooking class by Moroccan women under the banana trees at Chambres d'Amis. Home cooked lunch on the rooftop terrace.

A DAYTRIP TO THE DESERT
A daytrip to a the desert with a fabulous Moroccan lunch in the shade of a berber tent. Imagine a charming bivouac with a couple of berber tents and a view to completely unwind. You don’t often find yourself at such magical surroundings that it makes you wonder… Is this a movie set? The light, changing skies and views are astonishing! A day in the Agafay desert is a great way to experience the Moroccan desert without having to travel too far!

DAY OFF
Halfway the week we have planned a day off! We can suggest a visit to the luxurious Beldi Club, a visit to Jardin Majorelle and Yves Saint Laurent Museum or you can use the day for shopping in the souk (optionally with personal shopper). This week is a real treat for travellers, who would like to discover the real and authentic Marrakech. An adventurous journey, you can make on your own, while you will be 'pampered' and only have to enjoy and relax.

7 DAYS IN MARRAKECH MAY 2021
Arrival : Wednesday 19th of May 2021
Leaving : Tuesday 25th of May 2021


7 DAYS IN MARRAKECH OCTOBER 2021
Arrival : Wednesday 6th of October 2021
Leaving : Tuesday 12th of October 2021
The workshop will start with a welcome dinner on the rooftop of Chambres d'Amis at 7PM on Wednesday. For early arrivals Chambres d'Amis can offer you a small program on the first day.

Each morning will start with a traditional Moroccan breakfast on the roof terrace at our base camp Chambres d'Amis.

If you would like to join one of the workshops, please send an e-mail info@woodwoolstool.com
I will send you an application form and more information about the travel workshop.

The Marrakech travel workshop 2020 is a collaboration with Ank van der Pluijm, my friend and owner of hotel CHAMBRES D'AMIS, oasis in the Medina of Marrakech and our wonderful green 'basecamp' during the workshops week. You will, of course, be overloaded with impressions in Marrakesh, and Hotel Chambres d’Amis will be your quiet home to return to. Our street Derb Moulay Abdelkader is located in a very quiet and safe residential area, and very easy to find.

It is possible to book extra nights, before or after the workshop (info@chambresdamis.com)

today is a good day

7th of November 2020

Happy for the United States.
Happy for the world.

What a relief!

Best news of 2020.

Photo taken in New York City - september 2018

new on the art wall

Two new art posters on the wall.

Portrait of a lady - Klimt
Like an elephant in a porcelain shop - Grønholdt

Two poster from Danmark arrived yesterday. Small change, great joy.
We have poured a friday afternoon drink to toast to the weekend.

In the meantime I'm working on a new chevron pillow! Fun crochet project to work on.
You can download the crochet pattern in my Etsy shop.

dolce far niente

An attempt to master the art of doing nothing.

Doing nothing, or dolce far niente in Italian. It seems rather easy in theory, but in practice it's quite difficult.
How long has it been since you did nothing, really nothing?

I'm always working on something, preferably several projects at the same time. Therefore I already condiser reading, crocheting or watching a movie as doing nothing, but of course that's not the case, it's merely relaxing.

Do nothing. Really, it seems so simple, but I fail every time.

I'm no good at doing nothing and whenever I decide to do nothing, I let myself be distracted.

Even without my phone within reach, I can just think of something 'very important' to do or to check right now.

Or else I realize this serene do-nothing scene needs to be accompanied by a matching piece of music, which means that I can go through Spotify, looking for a playlist that suits my mood.

Or I start reading a book or magazine that is in front of me within seconds.

For me personally it's easiest to do nothing in the early morning. Everything is still quiet and I'm not yet absorbed by the hectic pace of everyday life.

I consider my free mornings as the sacred time to do nothing. To get that done, I have to avoid the things that keep me doing that. Therefore, I have to make sure that I don't check my mail and messages and don't read the news or social media.

Just sit down and breath in breath out for only 10 minutes.

It calms, gives space and ensures that you can take meaningful action afterwards. Doing nothing sets you in motion. Our natural state is that we are always on the move. But in order for that movement to go in the right direction, you must first stop.

Practice makes perfect, so maybe I should put it on my to do list from now on: try to do nothing for a while every day.

Especially in this weird period, where we can't do much anyway, that whole dolce far niente is so good for just anyone.