Two Great Finds In One Day

After finishing my baby bobble blanket I felt a little lost.  I had gotten so used to plunking down in my chair and picking up the blanket to work on that when it was finished and I had nothing to do, I got grumpy.  I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to work on next and although I had a few unfinished projects that I could have picked back up, what I really wanted to do was continue crocheting.  With what though…?  All I had left were a few bits of leftover yarn from the blankets I’d made.

I started looking around for new projects to start, but before I could even think of that I had to find somewhere to get the materials. I knew that there certainly was no abundance of craft shops in Rotterdam, especially shops that sold yarn.   That’s when I found Ravelry…

Sweet baby Jesus, how does anyone in the world knit or crochet without belonging to this website?  It’s like Mecca for knitters, seriously.  God, what is it with me and the religious stuff today.  I just did it again!  It’s like I have tourettes or something!

Anyway, I’ve been completely obsessed with the site ever since.  I am constantly going through other people’s projects looking for ideas and seeing what interesting color combinations the come up with, chatting on the forums, joining groups and even getting to know a few fellow crafters here in Rotterdam.

Before I really got heavily into this hobby I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to go crazy trying to find the things I need, as can often happen when trying to do things in the Netherlands.  That makes me cranky and if I wasn’t going to be able to find the things I needed without paying an arm and a leg to ship it from other countries, I didn’t want to start it at all.  If you are into biking, you are in the right country… Football, you’re on!… but if you are into crafts in the Netherlands, you need to meet other people in the area who are into it too because otherwise you’ll have a hard time finding some of the necessary items to really enjoy it.

Through my searching I found the website for a shop here in the Netherlands called De Schapekop.  Like with other shops I heard about I went to Ravelry and did a search to see what people were saying about them, and they got rave reviews.  Everyone who has been there said that if you are within driving distance, you should go.  Nobody had a single complaint, it was all WOWOWOW.

I had to see this for myself.

So of course I immediately went to my husband, gave him the eyelashes and asked him if he wanted to go for a drive, I don’t know why I bother with the eyelashes after 10 years, I mean he always knows I’m up to something… but it can’t hurt, right?

So after the zoo was out and fed we hopped in the car with our not-so-trusty GPS and headed off to Nieuwpoort.  It was a lovely drive in the countryside and when we arrived I was off on a string of oooh’s aaaah’s and omgggg’s with the odd I want to live here thrown in for good measure.

Cutest city ever!!!  Yes, I know you think I’m crazy for calling it a city, but apparently it is!  Although the amount of inhabitants would lead you to believe it should be called a village, in fact it was given city rights back in 1283 and has held those rights ever since.

The building you see straight ahead is the former town hall.  Apart from a few side streets I don’t think there was a whole lot more to see.  Granted, we didn’t walk around very long as I had spent quite some time in De Schapekop being schooled on yarn by who I think must be the sweetest, friendliest, and most patient yarn store lady on the planet.  By the time I was done in there I had only a few minutes to snap some photos as proof of how sweet this place was before hopping in the car to head home.

This tiny city has quite a history as well.  When driving in we noticed that it is surrounded by a moat, and on the way out my husband told me a few bits and pieces about how the city was under seige quite often in the past.  Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about it:

In the 13th century, the current location of the fortress Nieuwpoort was created by Lord Van Liesveld and Lord Van Langerack. The two lords wanted a settlement and in 1270, they both gave some of their property to make this happen. In 1283, the fortress was given the privilege of a town.

After a turbulent genesis with lots of sieges and devastation, with the 17th century more peaceful times started. The city ramparts saved the city from floods in 1809 and 1820. Due to an economical crisis in the 1930s and World War II, the city decayed. In 1970, the Provinciale Staten of South Holland initiated a reconstruction and restoration of the fortress and the city. This work was finished in 1998.

What a great job they did too!  It’s such a lovely little city with so much character… and to think had I not happened to be looking for a craft shop that day I may have never gotten around to seeing it.  I found a great craft shop with the side bonus of being in a beautiful city, talk about killing two birds with one stone!

I have to get back to how much I loved this shop for a minute…  It was big and spacious with everything you could need for not just knitting but also quilting, cross stitch, embroidery and any other hand-work type of hobby you may be into.  The shop is set up beautifully, there are 2-3 people working at a time it seems and a steady flow of customers.  Everything about the place tells you that they really know their stuff.  From the minute I walked in until the minute I left I had one of the ladies’ full attention as she pulled different yarns off the shelf, explained to me about the weight and different materials they were made of and answered even the smallest and silliest of my questions.

She was nice in that want to stay there all day and just hang out with her kind of way.  I love that in a shop lady.

I’m the type of person who will be faithful till the very end if I find a person, place or thing I really love.  Whether it’s a type of shoe, a hairdresser, a salad dressing or a shop, if I like it I will go back to it again and again and again… and I LOVED this shop.  It’s 45 minutes drive from Rotterdam but it’s a trip I’d happily make anytime I needed anything.  My husband agrees wholeheartedly and has already offered to drive me there anytime I want.

Although that may have more to do with the fact that the lady also gave him coffee, cookies and a puppy to play with.  No lie, she really did!  Now that’s a smart businesswoman!