Deutschland, Deutschland über alles

I know it's been awhile; I hope you're all still there.  I got back from Germany on Monday only to discover that the building manager neglected to pay the cable/Internet bill.  Fun times.

Germany, in a word, was lovely.  Even though I was born there, Germany never called me.  When it comes to Europe, I'm much more of a France/Portugal kinda girl.  I was pleasantly surprised at how warm and friendly most people were, funny even - not at all dour or stuffy.  They paint their buildings in bright, cheery colors giving the mostly landlocked country a Mediterranean flavor.  I kept feeling like I would turn a corner and end up at the beach, which is funny since I live five minutes from the beach and you'd never know it.

Germany has interesting art, great musical traditions, nice architecture, castles at every turn, great wine and beautiful countryside.  Germany is also very dog friendly.  Several restaurants had "dog stations" set up with fresh water and treats.  Shop keepers had treats on hand!  On hand!  Seriously, they'd go into a back room or rummage through a desk and reveal dog snacks.  Nigel loves Germany.  What more could you want?

Yarn?  What about the yarn, Jen?  What?  Oh that.

First thing's first:  Sock Yarn

In Cologne, Nigel and I stopped and lingered in Maschenkunst, a shop run by Daniella Johannsenova, creator of the Secret Knitting Podcast.  Daniella has a big selection of sock yarn including these pretties: 

Colinette Jitterbug in the Marble 88 and Bright Charcoal 87 colorways.

Can I just tell you that this sock yarn means bidness.  Seriously.  It's soft and silky.  Merino.  Yum.  The darker color is for B and I'm not sure what I'll do with the lighter one.  I'm thinking: Mother's Day present.  A little late, I know, but I need her measurements first.

Zitron's Trekking Pro Natura in Silver 1511 and Light Blue 1510. 

Pro Natura contains 75% new wool and 25% bamboo fiber, which Daniela said was stronger than the bamboo material used in other yarns. 

I love the very idea of bamboo yarn because the stuff grows like weeds, eminently sustainable.   I deliberately selected solid colors that I could use for more intricate, interesting patterns.

Not Just Any Other 

I didn't just want to buy sock yarn, but without a big project in mind I was reluctant to buy anything else.  Yet I asked Daniella what other tempting treats she had around, and this is when she pointed me to the Malabrigo Worsted Merino.   I bought two skeins in the Tuareg 98 colorway.

Wow.  When I touched it, I thought I'd died (dyed?) and gone to merino heaven.   Man, this stuff is soft, soft, soft AND the kettle dyed color is so rich.  My point and shoot digicam does not do it justice.  If you can imagine, the color is more like a deep-sea blue - the fashion industry would call it "petrol blue." 

Malabrigo, btw, comes from Uruguay and is hand dyed by a women's cooperative.  It's not even expensive.  This yarn should be high on your tick list if it isn't already.

What am I going to do with it? you ask.   Daniella suggested a felted bag.  What?  Felt this awesome stuff?  Shouldn't I just roll around in it instead?  Then she brought out a bag that had been felted in just the same yarn.  It was exquisite; the softest bag I'd ever touched.

So add "felted Malabrigo bag" to my list of projects.   

I also picked up a couple pairs of Addi circular needles, so I'm not as restricted to one sock project at a time you see.  ;)  I try not to buy metal needles because mining is so awful for the environment, but she only had metal ones in 2.5mm.  I cast on my May Socktopia socks yesterday, and I have to say that these metal circs are like butter.  So smoof.  When it comes to magic loop knitting, metal is the way.  It makes a huge difference.

Wineland

After B's conference ended in Cologne, we headed down to Koblenz - a town where the Rhine and Mosel rivers meet.  From there we drove the winding road along the Mosel to the Roman city of Trier.  This is German wine country, and it's nothing less than stunning especially this time of year.  Word to the wise:  take several days to make the journey so that you can stop off in quaint little towns for wine tastings (the Germans call it weinprobe, not kidding) and castle touring.  It's so worth it.

We wrapped up our tour in Bonn, where B had another conference to attend.  Don't let anyone tell you that Bonn is dull.  It's a vibrant, beautiful, tree-lined city, definitely worth a visit.

I leave you with a few more photos.

Funky house in Trier:

Gladiator prison beneath Trier's Roman Amphitheater:

Bonner Markt, Bonn:

Comments

[Elinor]

I"m glad you had a good time! And your pictures and loot look great!!!

[Jen]

Elinor - I'm thinking the Trekking has your cable sock pattern written all over it.

[becky]

Welcome home Jen! I kept checking, waiting for your return. I love Nigel. He's my new favorite dog. What a mug. The yarn looks wonderful. I've left India and am now just beginning in Indonesia. This may be one of those life-changing read (listens) for me. I actually think it's sinking in more because I get to hear her read it.

[Heather]

I have always surprisingly liked Germany too! Also, that Trekking Pro Natura is a great yarn, I'm sure you'll love it...

[Jennie]

Absolutely Gorgeous photos! Love them. Oh my, Malabrigo, I've been hearing so much about how incredibly soft it is. I need to get me some, I could start making awesome scarves with it lol. Can't wait to see your felted bag. And Jitterbug, dang girl, that's some nice stuff. :)

[Jen]

Becky: I'm really glad you like the book. For those playing along at home, I highly recommend "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. I happened to get the audiobook, and she does the reading which brings so much life to it. I think you'll like Indonesia, it's very light and cute.

Heather: Germany gets a bad rap, but it's really very nice. I also liked the food, but it reminded me of growing up. It was like visiting grandma's (oma's) again.

Jennie: I probably (probably) won't start the malabrigo bag until later in the summer. I need to line up my projects and sort out what I'm going to do. But yeah, malabrigo = ultra ultra nice.