We are currently in Copenhagen for a truly "flying visit" before we head back to our normal life in Scotland. We spent our time here just walking around and I realised just how much I love Copenhagen (which is just as much as I abhor most Copenhageners). It is a beautiful, almost serene, city which maintains a "small town" feel whilst having a good selection of delis, yarn shops (cough, cough), interior design and coffee shops. As I told David today: if I could keep BBC and British culture and remove a lot of Copenhageners, I'd be happy to move back to Copenhagen. I think that means I'll be staying put in Glasgow.. .. and can I just say that I'm really missing my own bed? A flying visit is terribly nice, but it'll be even nicer to get back home (even if that includes Glasgow weather, Glasgow food and Glasgow transport).
This Just In/Happy Holidays
Our home computer has broken down, so I'll be a bit quiet until we get it sorted (in the new year presumably). It could not have happened at a more stressful time - I am currently in an internet cafe trying to get our plane tickets printed and snow has come crashing down over Northern Europe so we might not even be able to fly out. But, I'm an incurable optimist, me. Also, as I'm Away From Keyboard now, if you need to reach me, you will have my mobile number..
So happy holidays everybody and thank you for keeping me company in 2009. 2010 looks to be a really exciting year already and I hope you'll join me!
Lines
Like so many Danes I like straight lines, orderly things and being in control. I incorporate this slightly manic trait in my crafting in a myriad of ways.
Occasionally a project flies under the radar and I only mention it when it becomes a Finished Object on Ravelry. This little project was in danger of becoming one of those stealthy projects, but I could not resist shooting a photo this morning.
David likes his crocheted hats and I'm making him his third. The first was a bit too small (and the peak of the cap very wonky) but he wears the second version quite frequently. The third incarnation is made from a woolblend yarn (machine-washable!) and I'm playing quite a bit with the structural elements. Using UK crochet terminology, I have turned the half-treble crochets at the edge of the hat into single crochets crocheting into the back loop only. The firm fabric is a very pleasing result, but I really, really like how the resulting horizontal lines break up the vertical lines of the half-treble rows making up the hat itself. I won't have a chance to crochet the peak this weekend, but I'm pondering how to make it as pleasing to the eye as the rest of the hat.
And now for yet another instalment in my songs-of-the-decade rundown. Madrugada and their haunting song, "Majesty" . The Kids Are On the High Street is equally good.
More songs: Kylie Minogue: Can't Get You Out Of My Head. I suspect we'll still be singing along to this one in 2030. Lady Gaga: Bad Romance. Yes, it has just been released, but I cannot stop listening to it. Brilliant pure pop. Les Fatals Picards: L'Amour a la Francaise. France's 2007 Eurovision entry. Costumes by Jean-Paul Gautier. Song in the grand Plastic Bertrand tradition. It is a beautiful thing. And to round off this rather poppy segment, who better than Madonna and her fabulous Hung Up?
Making Plans For Knitting
In preparation for the new year, I have been going through my knitting queue and my stash. I know these things are subject to change, but I have made a few plans.
- I have long wanted to make a pullover out of Rowan Kid Silk Haze. After contemplating several contenders, I have decided on Peaceful from the forthcoming Rowan 47. Colour undecided as of yet (but not pastel pink).
- For my (mumble, mumble)th birthday, I was given the kit for Flyte. My fingers are itching to do a fair-isle project and i want to get this started before my (mumble, mumble, mumble)th birthday.
- Shawl-wise, I want to make Aeolian from Knitty Spring 2009 and Bitterroot from Knitty Winter 2009. I have not assigned any yarns yet, but seeing I'm continuing my laceweight knit-down in 2010, the yarns will be straight from stash.
- Seeing as I did not get around to making the Christmas Yule Pigs pot-holders this holiday season, they will be a good summer time project in 2010 (you know, if we get a warm summer, wool will be way too sticky..).
I think my knitting plans are fairly modest and very achievable.
Five more songs from the decade-almost-past: First, it's Guillemots with "Trains to Brazil". After Elbow (see yesterday's post), this marks the second politically aware song on this rundown. It's also incredibly, amazingly upbeat and a cracking pop song. One of my absolute favourites.
Also: Grandaddy: He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot. Their album, The Sophtware Slump, is one of my favourite albums and this is the lead track. Yes, it is nine minutes long, but it is also deeply affecting. I recommend listening to the entire album and discovering just where this song fits into the story.. Hawksley Workman: You, Me & the Weather. It feels very unfair that Hawksley Workman isn't an international superstar. An astounding voice and a gifted songwriter. Maybe the world can only handle one Canadian male diva singing super-dramatic songs about wanting to be a girl.. I Am Kloot: Twist. Overlooked British band that makes songs for those 3am nights. "There is blood on your legs .. I love you." Interpol: Slow Hands. One of the best singles this decade. Fact.
(and the title's a play on this ace song)
Catching Up
Christmas has caught up with me. We are leaving for Scandinavia next week (and it is rumoured to be very cold), we are heading for North-East Scotland this week (and it's rumoured to be almost as cold) and somewhere in between these two trips I have to finish David's sweater (because places are rumoured to be cold), do some Christmas baking, sort out some work things, make smart decisions about what clothes to pack, and get the last few Christmas cards sent. And suddenly I thought it would be a great idea to cast on a cowl for my partner because the weather is taking a cold turn (and MooncalfMakes sounds very persuasive). Thankfully I have talked myself away from that particular ledge of insanity.
Yesterday I was given an early Christmas present by a visiting hand-knitted pirate (her visit was a present in itself, actually): 18 antique buttons made of dark chocolate. The box itself is gorgeous and obviously I shall use it to store my non-chocolate vintage button finds once I have finished the chocolate ones. Yesterday I also spent a really lovely evening dining out with some of my closest friends here in Glasgow. That calmed those pre-Christmas nerves a bit.
Thank heavens I'm not actually in charge of anything important such as, you know, Christmas food.
Now, Anna asked what my cultural highlights of the Noughties were. That question made me waste copious amount of time on YouTube tracking down beloved songs and film trailers.
One of the first songs that sprung to mind was "It Takes a Fool To Remain Sane" by The Ark, a Swedish glampop band fronted by the fluently-gendered(?) Ola Salo (appropriately enough, the son of a preacher man). Not my favourite Ark song (possibly this one?), but it is the song which kick-started a decade-long affinity for the band (which is a great live band).
Four more songs: Betchadupa: My Army Of Birds & Gulls. I am weak when faced with vaguely psychedelic pop from New Zealand - especially if someone called "Finn" is involved. Liam Finn's disbanded band came into their own with this song. The Delays: Valentine. One of the great lost singles of the '00s and a perfect pop song. Elbow: Leaders of the Free World. One of the very few good things to come out of the second Iraq war. Franz Ferdinand: Darts of Pleasure. Not the reason why I moved to Glasgow, but the first Franz Ferdinand album is the sound of Glasgow.
Losing Its Reputation
"Denmark is losing its reputation for being a good world citizen." - Naomi Klein
Danish police arrest 150 demonstrators as world leaders arrive at Copenhagen conference. Mainstream groups such as Friends of the Earth have been barred from the conference centre ("Every delegate from the international environmental campaign group arrived at the centre this morning to find their badges were no longer valid."). This follows the highly controversial preventive arrests by Danish police earlier this week, the arrest of a German spokesman for Climate Justice action, police raids on climate campaigners and, lest we forget, a warm welcome for President Mugabe by Danish PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
"The Copenhagen conference is fast becoming an international shambles." - Andy Atkins
For me, I welcomed the incredulity on the BBC news readers' faces as they interviewed a spokesperson, Henrik Suhr, for the Danish police force, the use of "preventive arrests" and Mr Suhr's insistence that "if you do not want to be arrested, you should not be demonstrating" (let me draw your attention to the UN's own Universal Declaration of Rights and, in particular, Articles 19 and 20). The BBC journalists' reaction were very different to the type of journalism I had grown used to in Denmark in the last decade or so.
And as I'm typing this, a climate deal seems increasingly unlikely.