Sunday 4 February 2007

Shopping madly in Copenhagen

Saturday was exhausting. First, I got up at 6:30 because I needed to tidy up the apartment, do a bit of cleaining and pack before 9:00. My suitcase was already over the limit on the way over, so it's not light. I packed it and packed all my food etc in plastic bags. Dragged the suitcase over cobbles to the new place, dragged it up 3 flights of stairs. Emptied it, catching my finger between the suitcase and the bed as I did so. Took emptied suitcase back to old apartment, filled it with plastic bags full of stuff, repeated exercise, this time swearing about the olive oil and bottle of red wine.
Put fridge stuff in fridge, ran out of the apartment because I had shopping to do and most of the little shops only open from 10:00 or 11:00 to 14:00.
On Friday night I had managed to get to Sommerfuglen before it shut at 18:00: a shop selling knitting, embroidery and patchwork supplies. I ended up buying a few balls of wool for the idea that's been wandering around in my head, and some needles. I've been knitting Clapotis on what I thought were 4.5mm steel needles. I bought some Suzanna rosewood to replace them and a pair of ebony for my new project. On getting them home I realised that I was actually knitting Clapotis on 4mm, so back I had to go to exchange on Saturday. It's going to take me a while to get used to the rosewood as they're more grabby than I expected, but they'll wear with use anyway.
I went to Ulstedet again and seriously contemplated some 4-ply cotton in purple and in a yellow/brown marble (Cotton Baby from Gepard), but really couldn't think of anything I would do with it and actually wear. Then I went to Strikkeboden, fully intending to look at their home-brand alpaca in different colours again to see what I could make of it. What I got instead was six 100g skeins of black dk-weight alpaca, an unplied single (I think). I'm having thoughts of a jumper, possibly a shapely tank or tee with the neck and sleeves then finished off in a different colour (I'm thinking bright green, for some reason) for a long-sleeved garment: a bit like wearing a long-sleeved top underneath a t-shirt.
And then I went back and bought two more skeins, one in a brown, the other in a grey-brown because they remind me of a jumper my father used to wear, and he might get a scarf knit for him. I'm worried that I might need more skeins of the black... maybe I'll have to go back there. There weren't many left, though, so I may just have to improvise when the time comes.
So since I'd done my indulgent shopping, I then went looking for presents for people. Brother and sister-in-law's birthday were solved at Illums Bolighus, and extraordinary shop with an enormous collection of designer crockery, cutlery, cooking implements and homewares.
The first thing I gravitated towards was Piet Hein's Great Bear Candelabra. Then I looked at the price and ran away. I did end up buying this for them instead. Nice.
And then there were toys and children's clothes. Denmark must be a lovely place to be a child. danefae makes me laugh
.
I came home and had an afternoon nap. Dragging that suitcase around broke me.
Now I have to work for the rest of the day. Grumble.

No comments: