Being Crafty on Texel

I have a lot of pictures to go through, but I'll start by making a post about the woolly and crafty part of Texel.
For those of you who do not know where Texel is I will try to give you an idea:

(source: vleugelsensnaren.nl)

This is the map of the Netherlands. The first big island at the left side of the Netherlands is Texel.

(source: Vogelsvanbelgie.be)

The island itself started out as two islands actually. Texel and Eierland. Mostly they consisted of dunes, but when people came to live there, they poldered the islands together. In the map above you can see it clearly because all the roads are really straight.

Texel is such a lovely island. It as lovely villages such as Den Burg, De Koog and Den Hoorn which are lovely for sightseeing etc. But I will tell you about these things in another post.

The crafty bits right?

Texel is very famous for its sheep. The Texel breed of sheep is very popular amongst knitters, crocheters and wool lovers. It is a heavy duty yarn that comes from these sheep.

The wool that comes directly from these sheep are sold for example at De Spinboet, a small store chockfull of yarn and knitted items. They sell fleece and natural and undyed wool from Texel sheep. Also you can find handknit socks and sweaters made with Texel wool. They also have several other brands of yarn in the store. If you want to visit this shop keep in mind it is only open on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday I think. I cannot seem to find it as it has no own site and it is a bit of off-the-radar shop. Keep in mind that this shop is not open for the whole of the week.

Right in front of De Spinboet, or next to it on the other side, is the remarkable, lovely shop of De Witte Engel. You really need to go here. They have yarn, magazines, knitting/crochet notions, quilt fabrics, thread, felt etc etc. Itchy hands and no project with you? They have several small creations you can make on a whim. Absolutely marvelous this store. I had a lovely conversation with one of the owners about quilting. It is a treasure and you can lose track of time in there!

There is another store on Texel: De Scholekster. I haven't been there unfortunately, but is seems like a yummy store. They sell home accesories and quilt goodies. Hopefully next year I will be able to pay this store a visit. Also, there is Bonte Biesje. I have been there three years ago, but this holiday we did not get near the store unfortunately. They have some yarn, notions, but mostly fabric.

Did I get anything? Well, I could not walk out of De Witte Engel with my hands empty!

Two "Mollie Makes",  the German version! I could not walk past them without picking them up. They are just simply full of artsy stuff, colours, ideas, patterns etc. Lovely to read. Mine are in German, but luckily that is not a problem for me. I also got attracted by stome strange forces to the tables full of charm packs and fat quarters... As you can see, some fat quarters came home with me!

Isn't this adorable? This is a small project for the holiday, but I brought it home with me.

I simply could not resist this panel fabric. Aren't these kitties marvelous? They look really funny and cute. The internet told me this fabric is a rare find. But, I do not have any experience with panel quilts. I really have to look into it. Kitty quilt, that will be fun!

That's all for now, more posts about the beautiful island of Texel will come soon!