The alligator

Ever since he won it at some game at the fair my son has been carrying around this little stuffed alligator. He takes it to school in his book bag, he takes it on car rides, he sleeps with it, he even took it on our last trip overseas.

So last week he told me about the mama alligator and the babies that were part of his imagination which prompted me to find a pattern for an alligator. I found this really cute pattern here: http://www.topcrochetpatterns.com/free-crochet-patterns/crochet-crocodile-pencil-case

I changed it to fit my needs and made a smaller version as well. See for yourself:

It has been a lot of fun creating these two. 

Gregor's first impressions of Germany: 

I don't get it: some of the signs are in English. Why is that? 

Very good question indeed. With all the great German words why are so many English words being used instead? 

I have no idea.

The first thing he told his dad was: we walked and walked and walked. Which we did. 😉 Because we can, not because we have to. So I feel like I lost a million lbs in 3 short days.

My first impression: 

Feeling like a stranger in a land that used to be my home. It was a totally unfamiliar experience of cultural shock. Many things seem strange and  unfamiliar. People seem rude and mostly are though, some are really just using common sense, like holding open the door but not saying 'please' and 'thank you' then. I'll get back to that in another post.

Not needing a car in the big city because you walk everywhere or use public transport. People dress properly! I mean, kids wear proper winterclothes. No one walks around in sweats or with curlers in their hair, or wears flip- flops in the middle of winter and no tights.

And the books. It was one of the first things I noticed about most American homes I've been to (I noticed that when I first came to the US 11 years ago). The rooms are big and only filled with a few chosen pieces. Rarely is there a book shelf and if, it only contains a handful of books. (I am generalizing here as I have been to several houses here in the states that have bookcases filled with books).

Mainly I was just shocked at how different both countries really are. Now that I am more familiar with life in the US and I hadn't been to Germany in a little over 3 years. I don't recall experiencing a cultural shock this severe due to the fact that I actually didn't go back to Germany after my 2 years were up, but stayed in the US right away.

Gregor's erste Eindrücke von Deutschland:

Ich versteh' das nicht. Warum sind so viele Schilder auf Englisch hier?

Eine sehr gute Frage. Die deutsche Sprache verfügt über mehr als ausreichende Wörter, warum also die englische benutzen? 

Ich weiss es leider auch nicht.

Das erste was er seinem Papa am Telefon erzählte, war: Wir sind gekaufn und gelaufen und gelaufen. Und das taten wir auch. 😉 Nicht weil wir es mussten, sondern weil wir es konnten. Ich fühle mich, als hätte ich in nur 3 Tagen 1000 Kilo verloren.

 

Mein erster Eindruck: 

Ich fühle mich fremd in einem Land, das meine Heimat war. Es war eine mir unbekannte Begegnung mit Kulturschock. Viele Dinge waren fremd und unvertraut. Die Menschen scheinen unfreundlich und sind es oft auch, mit einigen Ausnahmen, wenn z.B gesunder Menschenverstand eingesetzt wird, (was hier in den Staaten oft fehlt) und die Tür einfach aufgehalten wird, ohne gross 'Bitte' und 'Danke' zu sagen. Aber darauf werde ich in einem späteren Blog nochmal näher eingehen.

Dass man in der Grossstadt kein Auto braucht, weil man überall hin laufen kann, oder öffentliche Verkehrsmittel benutzt. Die Menschen ziehen sich ordentlich an! Damit meine ich, dass Kinder Winterbekleidung tragen. Wenig Menschen laufen im Jogginganzug oder Lockenwicklern im Haar durch die Stadt. Oder tragen Flip- Flops mitten im Winter- bei Schnee- und keine Strumpfhosen.

Die Bücher! Das ist eines der ersten Dinge, die mir aufgefallen sind in amerikanischen Häusern. (schon als ich vor 11 Jahren zum ersten Mal in die Staaten kam, fiel mir das auf). Die Häuser sind sehr geräumig und oft befinden sich nur ein paar ausgewählte Möbelstücke in einem Zimmer. Selten findet man ein Bücherregal und wenn, dann sind dort meist nur eine handvoll Bücher zu finden.  (Ich verallgemeinere hier, da ich auch schon in vielen Häusern war, in denen das nicht der Fall ist).

Im wesentlichen war ich geschockt darüber wie unterschiedlich die beiden Länder doch sind. Jetzt, da ich viel vertrauter bin mit dem Leben in den Staaten und ich vor ein bisschen mehr als 3 Jahren das letzte Mal in Deutschland war. Ich kann mich nicht erinnern, davor Kulturschock so extrem empfunden zu haben, wohl deshalb, weil ich nachdem die 2 Jahre um waren nicht nach Deutschland zurück bin, sondern gleich in den Staaten geblieben bin.

11 years in the USA- 11 Jahre in Amerika

When I boarded that plane in Berlin on a cold and rainy day in late November 2003 I didn't know that my life would change forever; that I would not come back to live in Germany. 

It was a tearful goodbye and lasted for most of the flight to London.

After boarding the plane in London, however, my excitement grew and I was eager to start my year as Aupair. It had only been my second flight, so I was nervous too, not to mention that it was my first trip to the US.

As a child I had travelled a lot to different European countries for family vacations (Austria, Bosnia, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland) and also for school exhange (Cech Republic, Poland and France), so I was no stranger to foreign cultures or languages- I lived in France for one year while studying at the University in Rennes (Université de Haute- Bretagne) and it was an enriching experience! But leaving Europe was totally different again!

Upon arrival at Dulles airport I was greeted by my host family and it was a warm welcome- as much as it can be with people you've never met before. On the ride to their home I was impressed thinking what I saw was the Washington, DC skyline. How wrong I was. What I saw where the office buildings of the Tyson's Corner area.

We drove into downtown DC later that day and went for a walk along the Potomac. We stopped by the Lincoln Memorial and the Roosevelt Memorial! I was stunned. The sheer space and vastness was mindblowing!! Everything seemed so much bigger and it still does- even to this day!

Stay tuned for more adventures to follow.

First Thanksgiving in the US, November 2003

Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC

Jefferson Memorial, Washington, DC

Als ich in das Flugzeug einstieg an einem typisch deutschen graunassen Tag im Spätnovember 2003, wusste ich noch nicht, dass sich mein Leben für immer verändern würde. Auch, dass ich nicht nach Deutschland zurückkommen würde, um dort zu leben.

Es war ein tränenreicher Abschied und ich brauhte den ganzen Flug nach London, um mich zu beruhigen. Als ich dann im Flugzeug sass, auf dem Weg von London nach Washington, DC, blickte ich aufgeregt dem Jahr als Aupair entgegen das vor mir lag. Gleichzeitig war ich nervös, da dies erst mein zweiter Flug war und meine allererste Reise zu den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika.

Als Kind bin ich viel in europäische Länder (Österreich, Bosnien, Kroatien, Italien, Schweiz) gereist zum Familienurlaub. Auch als Teilnehmer beim Schüleraustausch war ich im europäischen Ausland (Tschechien, Polen und Frankreich), so dass mir fremde Sprachen und Kulturen nicht neu waren. Ich habe ein Jahr in Frankreich gewohnt, während ich an der Université de Haute- Bretagne in Rennes studiert habe. Und das war eine bereichernde Erfahrung. Aber Europa komplett zu verlassen, war ein grosser Schritt!

Bei meiner Ankunft am Flughafen Dulles wurde ich herzlich von meiner Gastfamilie begrüsst- so weit das eben geht, wenn man sich nicht kennt. Auf dem Heimweg war ich schwer beeindruckt von der Washington skyline. Wie sich allerdings später herausstellte, waren das Bürogebäude ausserhalb Washington's in einer Gegend, die sich Tyson's Corner nennt. 😉

Etwas später am selben Tag sind wir nach Washington, DC reingefahren und am Potomac (Fluss) spazieren gelaufen! Das Lincoln Memorial (Rede von Forest aus Forest Gump) und das Roosevelt Memorial waren atemberaubend! Alles schien so weitläufig und riesig im Vergleich zu dem, was ich aus Deutschland gewohnt war.

Schaut bald wieder vorbei um von neuen Abenteuern zu lesen.

The Scarf Story

I love scarves! A lot! In winter I wear one every day and sometimes in summer too!

But, would you believe it, so far I haven't knit a single one for myself. Ever! Sure, I made a short one for my son to match his hat and mittens, but I shied away from 'the big size'. I just assumed it would take forever and I'd run out of yarn (I'm notorious for that, by the way, just ask Pam at Never Enough Yarn).

So, last summer we spent a week on Chappaquiddick with my sister-in-law and her family and, naturally, we had to check out the local yarn store. I immediately saw a scarf on display there that I liked.

And I picked out the yarn: Angel, by Debbie Bliss and Cascade Yarns Jewel in Charcoal.

I didn't get to start it till Fall, though, and when I looked at the two yarns together I changed my mind and bought a different worsted weight yarn at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival in September. It was perfect! On a side note, this is a wonderful festival to check out if you are in the area! There is lots to see and learn for kids as well!

I already blogged about the scarf's progress in my last post, so I won't go into detail again. It took me longer than I thought but it turned out wonderful! See for yourself!

Meanwhile my dear friend's birthday came up in March and I wanted to surprise her with a cowl. She just discovered them last winter and choosing yarn was easy. I knit her the honeycomb cowl in Madelintosh SteamAge. What great yarn to work with! I loved every stitch, so much that I looked forward to working on it and of course I finished it all too soon! Needless to say my friend loved it! And the credit for those two photos goes to her as well:

I liked this pattern so much that I have another cowl on my needles currently. So, stay tuned for more scarves... The next winter is coming! ;)

The biggest and the smallest needles

I do have a big variety of needle sizes because you need different needle sizes for different yarn weights.

The smallest size is usually used to knit lace and socks.

For quick projects with thick yarn the bigger the needle the better (and faster).

I have never been a fan of really big needles, but I found a pattern for a really nice scarf so I decided to do it. I've been working on it occassinally for the last 6 months and it is far from being finished. Why is that? For one, I had a few other projects, gifts and special orders to work on and second, because the main yarn is lace weight and should be knit with the smallest needles, however the scarf gets is loopy texture by using really big needles which in turn makes knitting it rather challenging.

Take a look!

The loopy and luscious scarf found on knitty.com

A little doll dress knit out of sock yarn

Side by side of the biggest and smallest needles I own.

There are bigger needles acailable, I just don't own them.

Knitter's block

I haven't blogged in a while because I've been suffering from knitter's block. It's like writer's block. You just can't seem to make anything....

So I spent a good deal of my time indulging in another favorite pastime of mine: reading. I LOVE to read! I always have and I hope our son will pick up on it! He already loves going to the library on a regular basis and also 'reading' books by himself. Now he's starting to read in kindergarten and it is so exciting to follow his progress.

He does like it when I knit for him and he keeps requesting certain things. I made him a set of matching hat, mittens and scarf last fall. Then he kept asking for socks, which I made him of the matching yarn and since then he keeps asking for a sweater... Unfortunately I don't have enough of the yarn left to make an entire sweater, but he will get one....

Take a look:

Winter Knits

This winter season the most popular item seems to be the fingerless mittens or gloves.
I've knit up several pair of both and it is a lot of fun to experiment with different color combinations and yarns.

Here are a few pictures;