Paris je t'aime...

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.

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.


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?

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.

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.

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

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...