Thursday, August 07, 2008

Paris je t'aime...

Such a cliche, I know...
Don't worry, I swear this is the last post that will have anything to do with my trip. As you can see I am milking it for all it's worth, because after today's FO and the fun pics from Gay Paree I got nuthin'. Nuthin'! (oh, except a supremely awesome mac daddy of all knitblogger meet ups on the horizon) But after that, nuthin'.

Like most knitters going on a transatlantic flight, I had high hopes for all that I would accomplish. Add on to that several train trips and a conference for God's sake, well you can well imagine that I assumed that I would be a one-woman knitting sweatshop. Let's just say that if Nike were relying on me to churn out their goods, well their business would be in the dumper. All I had to do was finish one sock by the last day of my stay in Paris to give to my pal Maxime, and do you think I was able to pull this off? No. The only thing lamer than pathetically presenting a pair of socks to someone is meekly handing over one and a half socks and saying "Ummmm these were supposed to be finished by now....". Tired and sad, that's me. But luckily Maxime is an ultra-cool gent, so he was quite gracious.

While this sock lacked the desirable quality of being done, it more than made up for it with the many little stamps in its passport. Like a good tourist, it went to the Eiffel Tower and marveled at how such an over-exposed structure can still have the power to enthrall and thrill. From so many different angles and distances, it changes and reveals another side of itself. My traveling companion was quite taken with it, so we went back several times, at different times of the day.Paris by night
Vaux-le-Vicomte
We also went on a little jaunt outside Paris to the magisterial chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte. This 17th century chateau had the misfortune of having been confiscated from its owner, Nicolas Fouquet, by Louis XIV as it was just a little too fabulous for non-royalty. Oops! Our visit was timed so that we could stay into the evening, as when night falls, the chateau and gardens are lit up with thousands of flickering candles. I know it might sound tacky and fit for some type of princess /unicorn fantasy tale, but trust me, it was really effing cool.
Vaux-le-Vicomte at night
The Arrival
We had the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time for the last stage of the Tour de France and were able to experience the excitement of seeing the grand arrival on the Champs Elysées. This more than made up for the fact the my project for the accompanying tdf kal is once again, dead in the water. When will I learn that signing up for knitalongs is a death knell for any project I hope to accomplish?
Garden at the Paris Mosque
One of our last stops was at one of my favorite spots in Paris: the courtyard of the Paris Mosque. It is as lovely and serene as any riad in Marrakech, indeed you feel transported as you sip glasses of mint tea and enjoy the lush greenery that surrounds you. I strongly recommend visiting this spot, and then taking a stroll in the Jardin des Plantes afterwards.
La Mosquée de Paris
Alas my sock was not finished until last night, so I will be sending on to my friend when he returns to New York. Perhaps not accomplishing a lot of knitting during a vacation is actually the hallmark of a good trip as it means that I actually got off my duff and did something. Or I'm just a really slow knitter.
Yarrow Ribbed Socks in STR 'In the Navy'
The Specs:
Pattern: Yarrow Ribbed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: STR Lightweight in 'In the Navy'. I have to say that I'm not a fan of the Lightweight, the Mediumweight is so more my style. These felt like they took forever!
Needles: Size 1 Addi Turbo Magic Loop
Yarrow Ribbed Socks in STR 'In the Navy'
The pattern was somewhat of a downer by the time the second sock rolled around, i.e. didn't really hold my attention. But the heel is charming and the 'cat butt' toe is cute, but any further attempts will definitely be on larger needles with a heavier yarn. Next up for me is a delightful little project whose raw materials are pictured below, can you guess what it is? I ordered it as a kit from Eat.Sleep.Knit, who has lightening speed shipping. It arrived this morning just in time for the Ravelympics. Oh wait...
Claudia's Handpainted Kit

28 comments:

mooncalf said...

I love that 'In the Navy' colour - VERY classy!

Anonymous said...

I'm guessing the Potpourri mittens from VK Fall!! I am beyond jealous that you have the yarn already!!

weezalana said...

I'll have to note the mosque for my next trip to Paris! Because there will be a next trip. There simply has to be.

Excellent man socks!

Anonymous said...

Ooh, you look like you're having such a blast! I love that picture of the mosque.

Sarah said...

I'm glad that I'm no longer the only blogger I know to use the phrase "cat butt" to describe a sock. ;-)

I have no idea what you're making with that gorgeous yarn, but is that Claudia's? Mmmm!

Anonymous said...

That's SO TRUE about the Eiffel Tower! So overexposed and yet still so fantastique!

You should visit the Grand Canyon and the Taj Mahal now for sure...

Ashley said...

Heh--I just demanded ordering info on that mitten kit over on Flickr. I should have known you'd provide. Woo for meetups!

YawnOver said...

Yes, totally in agreement about Eiffel Tower as well :) I did a study abroad semester at Universite de Caen many moons ago and unlike some of my pals who went country-hopping on breaks, I spent most of my off time in Paris...le sigh...

Anonymous said...

I am all about the mittens lately. The Potpouri mittens seem a bit over ambitious for me; I'll stick with cables and bobbles. Your trip looks fabulous!

Heather said...

You can write about France all you want. I've been loving it!

Sourire11 said...

Beautiful travel pictures! And you were there for the end of the tour? That's awesome!

peaknits said...

Nice yarrows!! Hmm, will it be an Inga Hat or maybe some Fiddlehead mittens? No matter what - fun colors!

Elizabeth said...

I looooooove those colors. Love them!

Lolly said...

Your photos are stunning - I haven't been to Paris yet, so I will write down some of these suggestions for later ;) Your socks are beautiful! that blue is so rich!

Yarnhog said...

You can't really exhaust my interest in Paris.

I almost never end up actually knitting on vacation. I also consider that a good thing.

Kim said...

Wonderful Parisian blue sock! Such a well travled sock too. When I visited Paris, it rained right before I visited the Eiffel Tower. One of those storms that have rainbows afterward. So I got to see a rainbow over the Eiffel Tower! It's just a cool structure in any event.

Anonymous said...

These pictures are so fantastic! I've never been and want to go right now! Cool socks!

Anonymous said...

Yes, wonderful photos!! I really love that Navy, and with so much beauty around you, it's amazing you got any knitting done at all (I'm sure I wouldn't)

Miss Ripley said...

Lovely pictures, and I'm intrigued by your kit! Have you seen Materfamilias Knits' blog? She is also a knitting academic, and goes regularly to Paris, and just recently posted a series about her trip there. Hope you don't mind my blog matchmaking!

Miss Ripley said...

Sorry, here's a link for Materfamilias:
http://materfamiliasknits.blogspot.com/2008/08/shopping-eating-and-visiting-in-big-to.html

Joy said...

I am so envious of your wonderful trip to Paris. It is too long since we have visited and I don't think I will ever tire of that beautiful city.

You were so well placed to watch to tour too :-)

a friend to knit with said...

i have a strong cup of coffee in my hand. i just wish that i was sitting in that fabulous little courtyard!!!
the socks will be well worth the wait.
oh! and i can't wait to see who you will be meeting!!

Sarah said...

I am going to miss your France posts. They were my favorite vicarious vacation of the summer.

schrodinger said...

Somehow I lost your feed - but I was wondering what was going on with you today, and found out that I lost your feed, so glad you didn't just disappear on us. Instead it looks as though you have been enjoying a fantastique summer :)

John Brinegar said...

i'm so diggin' all the frenchy photos. the socks rule.

Alison said...

The colors in that kit are simply scrumptious- can't wait to see that FO...

I'm still a tweency bit jealous of you for that whole Paris thing- maybe I should've finished my French degree and went on to teach...? sigh... c'est la vie...

Your knitting on the finished socks looks perfect- and I love that blue!

Happy knitting-
ali

Anonymous said...

I am SO behind in my blog reading. I just wanted to drop a line to say hi. Looks like you had a blast!! Great socks, too!!

WonderMike said...

Sucker!