American Knitters in France

Yeah, you didn't even know there were any American knitters in France, did you? Or, maybe you did, but I didn't until recently. I stumbled upon one, and, ironically, she lives two villages away from me. Who'd a thunk it? So, we got together to knit and chat this afternoon while letting our kids (again - ironically, the same age) play. The kids played wonderfully. Not a single fight, which, if you have preschoolers, you'll know to be nothing short of miraculous. She was a great hostess, and, by the way, she's got a blog, if you're interested. I'm too lazy to link to her in this post, but she's "Lou Knits" in the sidebar over there. And, let me tell you, this woman has a serious stash. Beautiful! I didn't ask for permission to pull tons of skeins down off their shelves and just wallow decadently in all of it, but the thought crossed my mind. She had some beautiful silk/wool roving waiting to be spun. So soft. I swear, I felt like a teenage boy copping his first feel. Luscious. You think I'm developing a fiber fetish here? She's got some great things on her needles and it was wonderful be around another knitting fiend for once. I felt normal around her, and I'm excited to find that she's full of bits of knowledge I know I can benefit from. Sadly, all I can offer her is admiration and tons of compliments for the moment, but who knows what the future holds for my knitting, right?

So, you're thinking I must of gotten tons of knitting done while there. Not really, but we were pretending to watch our children, as well. I've gotten the ankle almost all done on those Koigu socks that I ripped back and started over the other day. They're looking nice, and though Louise had never knit socks with Koigu (which she loves and owns tons of in all kinds of great colorways), she seemed inspired to try after seeing what I've finished thus far. Then, encouraged by her warm welcome, I finally found the courage to whip out my Kiri shawl. I was surprised to hear her say how nice it looked. This little boost may give me the confidence I need to show it to you all. It being my first ever attempt at knitted lace, I wasn't sure if it even resembled what it should. She assured me that it wasn't as full of mistakes as I'd thought. Huge relief (though, I was going to just continue on and see what it looked like anyway). Beginner's luck, I guess.

I think I'll make an attempt at arranging a little snapshot of the Koigu sock, which I think I'll call my Fruit Loop Socks from now on, because they remind me of the cereal. If I can get it to look okay, I'll probably show the Kiri shawl (or what I have done at this point) in that same picture. They're both small enough I should be able squeeze them both in. I know, you're on the edge of your seat with anticipation after all the talking about them. Patience, my friend. Patience. It soon will come.