Design

To Spain or Bust

| Verónica

Another knit hat is off the needles. Simple pattern with reliable results. This hat is intended for a gentleman my husband met on his trip to Spain last year.

Another Beanie

On his walk along the Way of St. James, he stopped for the night in León in northern Spain. There, he befriended the owner of the Taller de Grabado y Estampa. He spent a few hours talking with the owner and artisan, José Holguera, in his engraving and stamping studio. My husband came home with these beautiful limited edition lithographs of the Catedral de León and a pilgrim’s staff imprinted by Holguera on his lithographic press.

Holguera Lithograph Catedral de León

Holguera Lithograph Staff

Over the holidays, an envelope stamped with Correos España arrived. It contained a beautiful lithograph of a modernist starry night.

Holguera Lithograph Star

As a token of appreciation, my husband wanted to send his friend a gift – so he asked me if I would hand knit a hat. The hat needed to be special, even in its simplicity. I went through my stash and selected the yarn I brought back from my trip to Colombia. It is 100% hand-spun wool in natural, undyed hues.

Natural undyed wool 1

I used the darker brown. The photo of the finished hat was taken under different outdoor lighting conditions so the richness of the brown does not come through as in this photograph.

Natural undyed wool 2

I was concerned it would be a bit scratchy but it is soft and warm. I doubled the yarn as I knitted to make it especially cushiony. It seems fitting somehow – 100% undyed, hand-spun wool from Bogotá, Colombia, hand-knit in Texas, for a friend in León, Spain.

Getting Hygge With It

| Verónica

This year, we decided to do something different for Christmas. We wanted to experience cold weather and possibly snow in winter. While the so-called “Winter Texans” flocked south toward the border, we flew north and crossed an ocean to Denmark. We spent most of our time in Copenhagen, which consistently ranks among the top cities in the world for quality of life.

We stayed in a lovely home in the area of Ørestad. It was a short walk to the metro at Bella Center and from there about a 10-15 minute ride to the city center. There were bicycles everywhere, and babies bundled up in thick jumpsuits and wrapped in cozy strollers, renaissance castles, pickled herring, and plenty of varm chokolade. The weather ranged from 43° F during the day to 25° F at night. It was overcast and gloomy and rained half the time, with intermittent moments of sunshine. It was dark by 4 pm. We didn’t get snow. Ironically, it snowed in South Texas while we were in Denmark.

On New Year’s Eve, fireworks exploded throughout the city. They easily continued for over an hour and even lingered for days after. On the first, the streets were littered with cases of exploded fireworks. We have wonderful memories of our Christmas in Denmark.

{Click on any image for a full-screen slide show and to view the descriptions}

Nikolaj Kunsthal was a church in the early 1200s and now houses the Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center.
Statue of Hans Christian Andersen in the Rådhuspladsen (Town Hall Square). Author of The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, and my favorite, The Princess and the Pea.
Tivoli Gardens amusement park.
Beautiful archway inside Copenhagen City Hall.
Alexander Nevsky Church, the only Russian Orthodox Church in Copenhagen.
Frederikskirke, or the marble church, has one of the largest domes in Europe with a diameter of 105 feet.
The Royal Guard at Amalienborg Palace.
Rosenborg Castle.
Lion statue at the entrance to Rosenborg Castle. A moat surrounds the castle past this entrance.
The throne room in Rosenborg Castle. I told my husband that clearly we needed one in the house. He just gave me a funny look and kept walking.
Nyhavn, a 17th century waterfront that catered to maritime businesses. Quintessential Copenhagen.
The Church of Our Saviour, a baroque church located in the Christianshavn neighborhood. The church spire is 9 meters high. There are 400 steps to the top with the last 150 located outside. We understand that the external spiral staircase was not open. Something about slippery steps and the possibility of plunging to one’s death.
View from Christianshavn waterfront.
We visited the Assistens Cemetery on a cold, rainy day. We found the resting places of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, architect Finn Juhl, and physicist Niels Bohr. I came across this grave decorated with a yarn-wrapped wreath and pom poms.
Beautiful path along the cemetery.
Finn Juhl’s gravesite. I thought it fitting that this bench would be located next to a furniture designer’s resting place.


On a visit to the Design Museum Danmark, we had the pleasure of viewing a special exhibit commemorating the work of Danish architect Finn Juhl. The exhibit Furniture for the Senses, Finn Juhl 100 featured several chairs designed by Juhl and other Danish architects. Here are a few of my favorites.

The Chieftain Chair designed by Finn Juhl in 1949. Very comfortable.
Double Chieftain Chair by Finn Juhl, 1949.
Sløjfestolen, the Bow Chair, 1963, designed by Grete Jalk.
From left, the Drop Chair, Egg Chair and Swan Chair. Designed by Arne Jacobsen, 1957.
Kirsebaer, a lovely textile designed by Marie Gudme Leth, 1946.


And last but not least, here is a sampling of the delicious food we tried during our stay.

Hindbaer Snitter (Danish Raspberry Bars) and other freshly-baked breads at Torvehallerne.
Breakfast at the indoor market – lattes and hot chocolate.
Freshly-baked cinnamon rolls.
The Welsh Rarebit – toasted rye bread, savoury sauce of cheese, organic ham and baked beans.
Copenhagen street food. Not the best photo (taken with iPhone) but a delicious organic hot dog from a street vendor.
Varieties of fudge at Torvehallerne.

Stella Design

Image | | Verónica

While I perused the rest of the Icelandic Contemporary Design exhibit, I couldn’t help but smile at these fun and whimsical drinking glasses. All the people pictured on them seemed so cheery. I particularly liked the one of the grandmother (I presume) knitting with a big ball of red yarn at her feet. I did a little research and discovered that the glasses were designed by the studio of Stella Design. Stella Design is a young studio established in 2005 by Dagný Kristjansdottir, a multimedia designer, and Ingibjörg Hanna Bjarnadottir, a graphic designer. The glasses are part of a collection they call “My Family” which was “created to brighten up the mundane domestic life.” In my opinion, they succeeded! To learn more about Stella Design and see more adorable pictures of the “My Family” collection, go here.

.

Not-So-Common Thread

Link | | Verónica

I ran across this great post on Design Sponge and was amazed by the beautiful hand embroidery by Maricor/Maricar. The attention to detail is exquisite and I love their use of color – the embroidery pops off the screen. I am always on the look out for unique and  modern uses of the “domestic arts” of the past and Maricor/Maricar’s work brings embroidery solidly to the present. The post by Design Sponge does a great job of telling you about their work so please read it here. Also, visit the Maricor/Maricar website and blog.