Antique Antwerp

Vrijdagmarkt (Friday Market) in Antwerp

Antwerp, Belgium, is antique city!  And I'm not saying that it's old, I mean that this city is Mecca for antique hunters and vintage shoppers alike.  There are streets lined with antique shops and every hotel room has business cards from antique dealers.  I can only imagine this is where the Anthrolopology shoppers come when they have a new store to decorate!  If you really love antiques and vintage finds, the streets around Kloosterstraat will keep you very happy.  It's also worth checking out the Friday Market (Vrijdagmarkt) even just for novelty value alone.  The Friday Market is a live auction every Friday where you can buy whatever junk the auctioneers seem to have gathered that week.  I almost accidently put a bid on this fishing rod (above) when I put my arms up to take this photo.  Thankfully someone else bid, and were the lucky new owners of a fishing rod for 2 Euro.

If you're into vintage and second hand clothes shopping, Antwerp also has some great places to shop.  The Think Twice (T2) stores have great collections, and I was able to put a new outfit together for 8 Euro.  Episode is another one worth sifting through, and there were many more that I didn't go near because I was already experiencing suitcase overflow.

Stitchybritt checks out a toy horse at the Antwerp Design Centre

Antwerp is a very relaxed city and it also has a 'designy' feel.  There are lots of galleries and art centres to check out, including the Antwerp Design Centre.  While they house a whole building of designy folk, the sections open to the public are generally the cafe, the exhibit hall, and the gift shop.

Comics on Belgian walls

Comics on walls are not unique to Antwerp; you'll find them all over Belgium.  The Belgians are quite proud of their comic history, and have used lively scenes like this to brighten up walls around the cities.

Some of the collectables at the beautiful B&B we stayed in

The place we stayed in Antwerp, another brilliant Airbnb find, was full of interesting art and collected antiques.  Yes, that's a saddle hanging over the handrail!

Meanwhile, the sock knitting continued.  I started knitting the gusset, and unfortunately, this is where I encountered by first problem.  I started decreasing according to the pattern, but soon realised that the decreases were not starting from the 'corner' (see the uspide down v where the two sides meet?) and they should have. I ended up unravelling this section and starting again, adjusting the pattern to suit.  As you can see below, I finally got back on track and decreased the gusset successfully.  Nearly there!

Next post I'll tell you about the knitting history exhibit that I stumbled across by accident!