The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.
- Saint Augustine

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Scarfing Books

I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.  ~Jorge Luis Borges

When Jorge Luis Borges thought of Paradise, he was most likely referring to the Danish Royal Library. 
The halo lighting a direct reference to Nirvana. 

To me the Danish Royal Library was the perfect example of the joyful disconnect between modern and historical architecture.
The new portion of the building, referred to as "The Black Diamond" was added in the 1970s onto the already standing brick building that held the King's book collection. The architects who won the design competition went almost completely against historical protocol. The walls are glass, opening up the library instead of keeping it enclosed and isolated like most libraries were the time. When walking though the new portion back towards the old, there is a section of the wall that goes from modern concrete to endearingly deteriorating brick, trying to bridge the gap between the old world and the new.

The juxtaposition (that's right, SAT word) of the two styles of architecture in the same building made it clear to me that Copenhagen is truly progressive, yet does not forget to appreciate its history. 

My favorite part, was the books. Below is the old catalogue room, the record of each book taken out with its respective calling cards. 
On the tour (yes, we went on a tour, I like tours as much as I like going to the dentist. I hate it, but afterward, I'm glad I went) our guide took us to the Reserves where some of the books are stored until they are checked out. This section was built in the 1800s. It smelled of old books and reminded me of the library in Beauty and the Beast. This would be my heaven. 




So, the title. I didn't eat a book. I made a play on words- just like I'm making a scarf. 

Like I said in my profile, I knit. I used to be mildly ashamed of it since I also like tea, scrabble, reading and going to bed early, which makes me about 90 years old. But ever since I've been commissioned to make hats, socks, sweaters, headbands and make-up bags, suddenly knitting seems like more of specialized skill that could have me exempt from things (like maybe the army?!)

Besides, look how cool knitting can make you:


Ah, my hero. 

So I set out on a knitting quest (like my friend "Gold Threads" seems to be) with a map and a few addresses to find the perfect yarn for my first Danish knitting project.

I chose a scarf pattern that was simple, warm, with a little somethin' somethin' with some super soft alpaca yarn. 

So I'm about to pop in a nice chick flick (I was thinking Scarface?) and get to it. I'll be obnoxious and add photos of it's progress as well.

A closing quote about knitting:
Really, all you need to become a good knitter are wool, needles, hands, and slightly below-average intelligence.  Of course, superior intelligence, such as yours and mine, is an advantage.  ~Elizabeth Zimmerman


3 comments:

  1. Oooh I can't wait to see how it turns out! I love hand-knit stuff (...does that make me a knit-wit?)

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  2. Hey!, watch it with the dentist cliches.

    This is really fun, and very well written. Keep up the good work.

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  3. @ Johanna, you are the wittiest knit wit I've even known (and a crafty one at that!)

    @Don- Haha! If only every dentist were like you then there would be no such stereotype- Besides, I'm always happy when I leave your office because I leave feeling like a superior being- no braces, retainers, or cavities for 20 years strong- check me out!

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