As I said in the beginning, this blog will mainly be about my crafting and hostel life.
And the other day I realized that my crochet business probably would have never happened if it wasn't for the hostel.
I did learn the basics of crochet and knitting in primary school. I must have been eight or so. I remember crocheting a little purse just with chain stitch and single crochet. That was all I knew until a couple of months ago.
My grandmother and my mother are both geniuses when it comes to these kinds of crafts, but I wasn't too interested in any of it, maybe because I thought it was just something for old people (boy was I wrong). They would spend whole afternoons bend over magazines discussing knitting and sawing patterns while I preferred to watch TV.
So in June 2012 I got a Kindle as a birthday present, since living in a hostel meant that my bunk bed looked like a library.
My holy new device needed a cover. Something that would protect it, when it would travel with me everywhere. But I didn't want to spend £15 or so on the covers that were available at the time. That is a crazy amount of money for me. And I thought, that I would probably be able to make one myself. And so I did. I bought really cheap yarn and a hook and went to work. Remember, up until then I only knew chain and single stitch. It wasn't pretty and I am sure crochet experts would have frowned upon my work, but it served its purpose.
And I think it was around the same time, maybe a few months later that I was really broke and my purse broke and I didn't have the money to buy a new one. So for a while I only had a canvas bag that I had gotten for free somehow. But in my canvas bag I would always carry a ball for yarn and a hook. I don't know how long it took me but in the end I had crocheted pretty solid purse. It wasn't perfect, I had used different types of yarn and I think different hooks as well but boy was I proud to be able to produce something like that. It even went to Leeds Festival with me.
I wasn't happy with the colors 'though, so I started another one. And from there it went crazy. A hostel friend asked me, if I could make a purse for her. So I did. And the sign-in-book at reception needed a new cover, so I crocheted one. And then the same friend who asked me for a bag showed me a youtube tutorial about crochet and from there it got even crazier. I think the first thing I learned was a simple flower. And with that I learned a double crochet. Soon I discovered "bobwilson123" who is a crochet goddess and thanks to her I soon crocheted my first beanie (bobwilson123 youtube crochet channel). And that's when things got out of control. Hostel people kept asking me to crochet things for them all the time, to the point where I couldn't crochet fast enough and I had to ask people to at least pay for the yarn. And at some point I simply started charging for my time, too and they didn't even mind.
I still don't even make minimum wage, but I am happy about the fact that people actually love my stuff and ask me, if I could crochet this or that for them. I also don't feel like I am a pro yet, there is still so much to learn. With every new stitch, pattern or video I come across a whole new dimension opens up. I AM ADDICTED and I am not ashamed of it. At least I can make a little money out of my addiction...
Friday 30 May 2014
Thursday 29 May 2014
Follow me
You can now follow this blog via E-Mail. That way you don't have to come back here every day and check, if I've uploaded something new. You will be notified via E-Mail.
Just scroll to the very bottom of the blog. On the bottom right is a field to enter your E-Mail address. Click submit and BAM you're part of my fan club. ;-D
Just scroll to the very bottom of the blog. On the bottom right is a field to enter your E-Mail address. Click submit and BAM you're part of my fan club. ;-D
Tuesday 27 May 2014
Loo communication
You go to a bathroom at a more or less public place. It might be a school or a pub or in my case a hostel and you find graffiti all over the walls. People tell the world, who they are in love with or who is a bitch, who's willy is too small and just in general that they've been there at a certain date. Quite often they use permanent marker or even scratch their little analog tweets on the wall. As funny as some of them are, it is the worst, if you are the poor bastard who has to scrub it off.
So one of the former managers of my hostel decided to make one wall in each toilet cubicle into a chalkboard and provide chalk, so people could still leave each other massages but the damage is kept to a minimum and if someone writes something really nasty you can just wipe it off.
And as I said, some of these little shout outs can be quite funny, sometimes even quite deep. Over the years I have seen some cool stuff (I first wrote "cool shit"...) on these walls and now that I have this blog, I can share them with you. I am actually a bit sad, that I never thought about that before and never took any pictures. Until now!
At the moment we have a few really cool ones that I'd like to share with you!
So one of the former managers of my hostel decided to make one wall in each toilet cubicle into a chalkboard and provide chalk, so people could still leave each other massages but the damage is kept to a minimum and if someone writes something really nasty you can just wipe it off.
And as I said, some of these little shout outs can be quite funny, sometimes even quite deep. Over the years I have seen some cool stuff (I first wrote "cool shit"...) on these walls and now that I have this blog, I can share them with you. I am actually a bit sad, that I never thought about that before and never took any pictures. Until now!
At the moment we have a few really cool ones that I'd like to share with you!
One of the girl's bathrooms is now the "throne room"
And one of our guests even provided a tiara, so you can feel like a real princess...
This one is in one of the boy's ones...
I have to admit, that I do not understand the joke. But it is cute, that you can teach correct spelling even on the loo!
Monday 26 May 2014
A wee bit more about all this.
So, we've got the basic introduction out of the way. phew!
As I said before: I live and work in a hostel:
It is a place where (mostly young) people stay while they are traveling. They are traveling for different reasons.
Most of the people are tourists on a budget. They don't mind sharing a room with a bunch of other people, sleeping in a bunk bed and not having a bathroom to themselves, because quite often it means that this is the only way they are able to actually see a country. They don't have the budget for a hotel, so they stay with us.
Others study for a semester or two abroad and the hostel is their first stop on the way to finding a flat.
A lot of the travelers I meet here are on work-and-travel visas. These people are between 18 and early 30s, they often just finished high school or uni or are taking a gap year before settling down and becoming real grown ups. Most of them come from Australia, New Zealand or Canada. A lot of them come and go. They are on the way to the highlands and have a little stop in Edinburgh before that. Others are looking for jobs and a flat and some just stick around for a few months.
And then there are people who are a little bit like work-and-travel people, they just don't travel as much. And I guess I am one of those. We come to a new country and don't leave. A lot of us stay in the hostel for years and years. We live in dorms, like all the other guests, quite often we work for accommodation at the hostel. We know the building inside out and are part of the furniture. I am not sure why that is.
There are good and bad sites to living and working in a hostel.
The cool thing is, that you make new friends all the time and meet people from all over the world. I think in the past couple of years, I've learned a lot about different cultures, politics and local customs, just by listening to people's conversations. People also tell you about the places they come from or they have visited. Often you find someone who has been to the place you are about to go to and they can give you tons of useful information. People cook the most delicious food and you get to try authentic Spanish or Nepalese food. You have the chance to learn new languages. In Edinburgh there are always Spanish people, so even if you don't really care about it you will learn at least a few words. You also learn to appreciate things you used to take for granted. Like a bathtub or a room to yourself. You become more humble.
But as I said, it can be tough, too. Because with that many people in such a small amount of space, there will be conflict. It can be small stuff like someone putting their suitcase in front of your locker to crazy stuff like two girls liking the same guy. There is always drama.
People are usually young and like to go out or having drinks at the hostel, it often doesn't end well. We all have had to hug the loo and work hungover.
But the two things that can really break you are the noise and the lack of privacy.
I grew up in a village so small, I could tell by the sound of the car engine who was driving down the street. Here at the hostel every one has a different schedule. Since I am working nights, I sleep during the day. Or at least I try. Today I was woken around noon, by one of our guests playing the guitar and singing. And he wouldn't stop. Frustrating, so say the least. Naps are very popular here, because your night is often way to short.
The lack of privacy is inconvenient for different reasons: quite often you just need some time for yourself. You don't want to be available for anyone and do your own thing. Difficult! Especially in small hostel like the one I live in. We share everything, from cups to colds. You can put your headphones in and ignore everyone, but it only works to an extend.
No privacy is also hard if you want to do private things, like with another person... (or yourself for that matter). Sure you can go to the bathroom, lock yourselves in a shower and be VERY quiet, but how romantic is that. And even if you manage to quiet as mice, someone will see you coming out of the bathroom together aaaaaaand you're busted. The whole group will know within 24 hrs what's going on. There are no secrets...
So where do I fit in?
I have been in this particular hostel for more than 2.5 years but have lived in hostels far longer than that. I started out as someone who wanted to see the world but got stuck. So I see travelers come and go, make new friends and lose them again, knowing that I will see them again. Because one day I am going to make it out of here and visit them all.
So, we've got the basic introduction out of the way. phew!
As I said before: I live and work in a hostel:
It is a place where (mostly young) people stay while they are traveling. They are traveling for different reasons.
Most of the people are tourists on a budget. They don't mind sharing a room with a bunch of other people, sleeping in a bunk bed and not having a bathroom to themselves, because quite often it means that this is the only way they are able to actually see a country. They don't have the budget for a hotel, so they stay with us.
Others study for a semester or two abroad and the hostel is their first stop on the way to finding a flat.
A lot of the travelers I meet here are on work-and-travel visas. These people are between 18 and early 30s, they often just finished high school or uni or are taking a gap year before settling down and becoming real grown ups. Most of them come from Australia, New Zealand or Canada. A lot of them come and go. They are on the way to the highlands and have a little stop in Edinburgh before that. Others are looking for jobs and a flat and some just stick around for a few months.
And then there are people who are a little bit like work-and-travel people, they just don't travel as much. And I guess I am one of those. We come to a new country and don't leave. A lot of us stay in the hostel for years and years. We live in dorms, like all the other guests, quite often we work for accommodation at the hostel. We know the building inside out and are part of the furniture. I am not sure why that is.
There are good and bad sites to living and working in a hostel.
The cool thing is, that you make new friends all the time and meet people from all over the world. I think in the past couple of years, I've learned a lot about different cultures, politics and local customs, just by listening to people's conversations. People also tell you about the places they come from or they have visited. Often you find someone who has been to the place you are about to go to and they can give you tons of useful information. People cook the most delicious food and you get to try authentic Spanish or Nepalese food. You have the chance to learn new languages. In Edinburgh there are always Spanish people, so even if you don't really care about it you will learn at least a few words. You also learn to appreciate things you used to take for granted. Like a bathtub or a room to yourself. You become more humble.
But as I said, it can be tough, too. Because with that many people in such a small amount of space, there will be conflict. It can be small stuff like someone putting their suitcase in front of your locker to crazy stuff like two girls liking the same guy. There is always drama.
People are usually young and like to go out or having drinks at the hostel, it often doesn't end well. We all have had to hug the loo and work hungover.
But the two things that can really break you are the noise and the lack of privacy.
I grew up in a village so small, I could tell by the sound of the car engine who was driving down the street. Here at the hostel every one has a different schedule. Since I am working nights, I sleep during the day. Or at least I try. Today I was woken around noon, by one of our guests playing the guitar and singing. And he wouldn't stop. Frustrating, so say the least. Naps are very popular here, because your night is often way to short.
The lack of privacy is inconvenient for different reasons: quite often you just need some time for yourself. You don't want to be available for anyone and do your own thing. Difficult! Especially in small hostel like the one I live in. We share everything, from cups to colds. You can put your headphones in and ignore everyone, but it only works to an extend.
No privacy is also hard if you want to do private things, like with another person... (or yourself for that matter). Sure you can go to the bathroom, lock yourselves in a shower and be VERY quiet, but how romantic is that. And even if you manage to quiet as mice, someone will see you coming out of the bathroom together aaaaaaand you're busted. The whole group will know within 24 hrs what's going on. There are no secrets...
So where do I fit in?
I have been in this particular hostel for more than 2.5 years but have lived in hostels far longer than that. I started out as someone who wanted to see the world but got stuck. So I see travelers come and go, make new friends and lose them again, knowing that I will see them again. Because one day I am going to make it out of here and visit them all.
Dear reader,
what can you expect from this blog? A little of this and that. My name is Lisa. I live and work in a hostel. I am also self employed. I crochet. It's my profession and obsession. I was born and grew up in Germany but live in Scotland now. These should be enough things to write about. Sounds interesting? Stay tuned! But be aware: this site might contain strong language and opinions. And it might not always make sense.
what can you expect from this blog? A little of this and that. My name is Lisa. I live and work in a hostel. I am also self employed. I crochet. It's my profession and obsession. I was born and grew up in Germany but live in Scotland now. These should be enough things to write about. Sounds interesting? Stay tuned! But be aware: this site might contain strong language and opinions. And it might not always make sense.
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