A Quick Week in Copenhagen

We only stayed one week in Denmark and that entire time in Copenhagen. Cathy longed to get out to the countryside, but it was not to be. Now that it was high tourist season, accommodations were very difficult to find. We stay in the very modern Copenhagen Danhostel on the 10th, and then a few days later on the 15th floor! Look at the stunning view we had:



Our first contact was Charlotte. She is a friend of Lili’s at Sticks and Cups in Utrecht and Lili had told us to contact Charlotte when we arrived. We are so glad we did because we now have not only Charlotte for a new friend, but her husband as well! Charlotte invited Cathy to join her at Knitworks Knitnight on Wednesday and arrived early to meet us so they could chat awhile before the rest of the group arrived.

We got to the Kulturhus an hour early and Cathy got some coffee and sat down with Charlotte. 

Now, before I tell this story, here is an explanation for our non-knitting friends: Cathy knits socks from the toe up, two at a time on one long cable needle using a method called Magic Loop. Not very many knitters knit socks from the toe up; very few knit socks two-at-a time; and some, but not a lot of knitters use Magic Loop method.

So, when Cathy and Charlotte pulled their knitting projects out of their bags, they were BOTH knitting two-at-a-tie, toe-up socks on Magic Loop needles—and BOTH using the same sock yarn (that Lili’s mother had hand-dyed) that we had purchased from Sticks and Cups in Utrecht!!! 

Two knitters knitting two-at-a-time toe-up socks on Magic Loop!

Coincidence? Cathy and I don’t believe in coincidences. 

Kristina at Knitnight

After a while others joined us and six (SIX!) knitters added to me that night. That is a record for one knitting group, I think. Thank you, Kristina, Lene, Katrine, Annette, Tove, and, of course, Charlotte!
While in Copenhagen, Cathy enjoyed many aspects of the city, including a walking tour of the alternative/ somewhat-anarchist community of Christiania. She recommends a visit there for anyone who comes to this city.

She visited a few of the many yarn shops there and recommends a couple, and they are VERY DIFERENT from each other. 

Therese Garn (located at Vesterbrogade 75) is a mess of a place, with yarn quite literally tumbled out onto the sidewalk! You have to squeeze yourself to get around the tiny shop, but be persistent because you will find some great deals on discontinued yarn in this place. Cathy had been intrigued in some other shops by two yarns: Onion Nettle Sock Yarn (with 30% Nettle bast fiber to add durability to the socks), and Fibra natura Papyrus cotton/silk blend.) They were fairly expensive in other stores, but she paid only €11 for these four skeins! 

Kristina Jensen owns Knitwork. We met Kristina at the knitting night on Wednesday and she told us that she was celebrating her birthday on Saturday at the shop and that we should stop by. I am glad Cathy took her up on the invitation because two incredible knitters, Dorte and Lise, joined forces and added a lovely segment of Fair Isle colorwork with beads to me in teamwork fashion. Dorte did the knitting and Lise added the beads with a tiny crochet hook! 

You can learn more about Lise’s “adventurous woolen knitting universe” here.

At Knitwork, Cathy found this colorful sock yarn and barely got back to the hostel room before she was casting on another pair of two-at-a-time, toe-up socks. 

Later that day, on Charlotte’s recommendation, we dropped by Woolstock (Præstøgade 2A), a yarn shop and café that has only been opened for two weeks. It is more of a café than yarn store and we did not buy any fiber here, but Cathy enjoyed great hospitality and a lovely Salmon Salad meal with this gorgeous view! 

It was a good thing that Charlotte invited us to stay with her for a couple nights over the weekend because in this tourist high season, it was becoming difficult to find reasonably-priced places to eat. Again, we received a warm welcome on Saturday morning by Charlotte and her husband, Kjell in a beautiful, peaceful apartment overlooking the water. Charlotte is a test knitter, meaning that she gets to find mistakes in new patterns—uggh! But she enjoys her work at what she lovingly calls “The Knitting Sweatshop on the Sofa.” It was the perfect place to spend our last two days in Copenhagen.