’Haagsche Hopje’ is a candy with the taste of coffee and caramel. It was invented by coincidence in the 19th century by baron Hopje (who lived in The Hague > ‘Haagsche’ means ‘from The Hague’) when he forgot to take his leftover coffee from the stove all night. When he found it the next morning, it was turned into a hard, tasty piece. With t...

Advent 2020, the past. We were in the middle of the pandemic. I wanted to give my students in the Online Brei Campus (my Online Knitting Campus, where knitting workshops can be found, and knitters can connect and ask all their knitting related questions - Dutch only for now) something extra for the Holidays. Because so many of us couldn’t spend...

Aagje is a character from the children’s book Pluk van de Petteflet (translated in English as Tow-Truck Pluck). The book is written by Annie M.G. Schmidt (1911-1995), one of my favorite children’s book writers of all time (Jip and Janneke - in the UK edition translated as Bob and Jilly) is her most famous book, and even nowadays this is probabl...

After Alice falls down the rabbit hole, her adventures in Wonderland start. Things get ‘curiouser and curiouser’. One of the most significant themes in Alice in Wonderland - I find - is the importance of embracing your true self. Alice struggles with the expectations and constraints placed on her by society. As she navigates the strange and unp...

Go knit (and spread) some love!

Knitting experience

A warm fireplace, lit candles, knitting away through Advent: these socks will keep you cozy through this jolly season!

When learning to knit socks, a clear pattern for basic socks is the best way to start. You can knit a basic sock a few times to learn all about your tension, gauge and size. A basic sock pattern can teach you about the construction of a sock: knitting a cuff, leg, heel flap, heel turn, gusset, foot and toe, and how to close the toe without a vi...

Knit up as many flags as you like for this knitted garland to decorate for a birthday party or wedding. It also makes a perfect newborn gift!