Garngalleriet

Before I left for my holidays I had plans to do a little yarn shopping while away.

In particular, I had dreams about mountains of sock yarn at bargain prices in Germany (ok, I'm going to admit that I don't actually knit socks, but ooh mountains!!)

Now I didn't actually get a whole lot of yarny action Germany - we did vist a store in the main street of Friedberg (named after a cat?) but we were there on Tuesday and they happen to be closed on Tuesdays!!

Denmark, however, was a completely different story.

Soon after arriving at my host parents house in Gl. Ry I decided to do a little yarny research, to avoid the same sort of closed on Tuesday situation as in Germany.

I had been warned that 'nobody really knits in Denamark any more' (to which my answer was ooooh, I bet they do - you just haven't seen them! Try looking here and here, here, here and ... well, you get the idea =)) so was plesantly surprised when my google turned up a fabulous knitting store in Ry, just a 10 minute drive away!

I have no reservations in putting it out there that GarnGalleriet is one of the absolute best yarn stores in Denmark (and I was staying just around the corner)!

When Mum and I visited the store it was all the website had promised and then some more (ooh and discount baskets out the front are always a good start!)

The girls at GarnGalleriet stock a great range of yarns (some of which are available through only a handful of retailers across Denmark) including Noro, Colinette Yarns, Debbie Bliss, Karen Noe Design and Opal sock yarns.

As well as a delicious range of yarns for knitting, GarnGalleriet also stocks fibre for spinning, felting and weaving, and have just become the Danish retailer for Kromski spinning and weaving.

Birthe (who is responsible for the GarnGalleriet's blog, Den GarnGales Blog - it is all in Danish, but there are some fab pictures) also designs and sells patterns - available on the website for 10kr (about AUS$2.50)

While it sounds cliched, visiting GarnGalleriet really was like being in Aladdin's cave (but without the monkey)

The walls are filled ceiling to floor with hanks and skeins and balls of various yarn types in a great range of jewel colours, as well as racks of finished hand-knitted garments just incase you need more inspiration.

In one corner of the store there is a little studio area - a table holding various WIPs and a spinning wheel - ooh, did I mention that when she isn't blogging or designing Birthe creates the most beautiful handspun yarns?

I think its so nice to see people in a yarn store actually working with the yarn - its so hyggelig and welcoming and makes you feel that you're talking to someone who understands what you need, and it something I think is missing from yarn retailers in Canberra. (Actually, we even saw this in a department store in Paris!!)

It is also the perfect setting for the 'knit cafe' held at the store about once a month.
Mmmm, as if I needed any more reason to wish I was living there! ;)

Besos =)

Oooh, just incase you thought I got away empty handed, there was some purchasing of the yarny variety at GarnGalleriet.

I bought the Noro pictured above (mmm Noro!), as well as some of the GarnGalleriet's own 100% merino (probably handspun and possibly hand dyed)
(The colours there are actually pretty close to real, I think)

Oh, and re the lace, I'm thinking about the dayflower scarf? hmm

(btw, that's us on Himmelbjerg (literally 'heaven mountain') which, at 147m above sea level, is Denmarks highest point!!)