Blue Shells Cowl, Hart Labeur in Borgerhout, and a quick stroll around a Fort

Welcome back!

Hope you had a nice restful weekend? I bet you have been busy making things!!! Or did you take advantage of the good weather?

Thanks for all your responses with regards to the Silver Shells Cowl in my last post! As mentioned before, I was a bit unhappy about how the cowl was crocheted in a rectangular flat piece and then had to be joined up.

So last Monday I managed to buy some more of the merino wool (SMC Select Extra Soft Merino Color), this time in the blue colourway (05282) and began chaining the first stitches on the bus later that night.

This time I joined up and began crocheting in the round. It was finished early Saturday morning (after a quick trip to the shop to get extra yarn!) Note that this yarn has about 3 shades of blue and some lovely Magenta, it is quite different from the grey version I used before.

Close up of the new Cowl

03.11.14 Crocheting in the round

04.11.14 Crocheting the smaller Shell stitches

04.11.14 CurrentWIPs

In the above photo you can see the current projects I was working on last Tuesday. Apart from the Shell Stitch Cowl I was also adding more rows to my colourful South Bay Shawlette and I had started some knitting with Drops Alpaca Boucle (I am making a supersoft neckscarf).

Hart Labeur

Here you can see the wonderful ladies from the Knitting Group Hart Labeur who meet in Borgerhout. This was the first Group I discovered about 19 months ago. The ladies have been meeting here a long time and are very friendly! It certainly helped with learning more Dutch, because we all love to chat!!!
(You might spot my colourful Shawlette lying on the table!)

04.11.14 Hart Labeur Knitting Group (Borgerhout, Antwerpen)

...and here photographed from the other side!

 Here are some photos of the finished Blue Shells Cowl - Ta-dah!!!

08.11.14 Blue Shells Cowl finished

Both Shell Cowls next to each other

Modelling the new Cowl

A quick Stroll around the Fort


Saturday afternoon we managed to go on a quick walk around one of Antwerp's forts - Fort 5 in Edegem. It is surrounded by water. I enjoy going for a walk there. The paths had some work done on them and are easy for everyone to walk on, young and old. Usually we encounter plenty of joggers, as well as people with children and dogs, going for walks. This time we got there late in the afternoon and had to hurry, since the gates are being locked at 5pm in the wintertime! We didn't want to get locked in!!!

Here are just a few photos capturing my impressions!

Entering through one of the fortress walls

View from the other side of the walls

Gorgeous Autumn colours

Pretty Seed Heads

These Seed Heads!!! I was so determined to photograph them in close ups, that I never noticed that my long black cardigan was totally covered in them afterwards!!! They cling and stick to anything and are tricky to remove!!!

I was lucky to get these few photos, as the light began to fade quickly!

Hope you enjoyed this little update! I have got more to tell you, but that is for another post!

Please leave me a little comment, I love to read them all!