La droguerie I got to visit this store on Saturday and it was really crowded. I waited in line and took my turn. Looking at all the yarn on the wall had me wondering, just how popular is knitting in Paris? There were really only a few types of yarn to choose from. Plain wool, alpaca, cashmere, and bamboo lined the first section of wall. The second section held cotton, linen and a linen blend. Basically all the yarns were basic, standard solids. There was nothing I could categorize as novelty or art. While those are not the standards by which I base my yarn purchases, it was a little strange not to even see variegated yarn. The closest was three-ply bamboo which plied 3 colors together. Most of the yarn was DK to Aran weight. Across from the basic wool was a bulky wool. If you were seeking variety of color, you were set, If you needed variety of guage or texture, you only had so many options.
My french is pretty terbble in terms of understanding when people talk to me. I can read for myself, and produce functional sentences, but listening is a real challenge. And since I never talk about knitting in English, I didn't have anything as far as French knitting vocabulary to work with. I also never buy yarn with a plan or pattern. So when it was my turn, I had to make up a plan on the fly. Apparently, my celery colored alpaca yarn is going to be a lace scarf. This it probably the only way I would ever make myself a nice scarf, so so be it.
It's strange to buy yarn the same way you buy cheese. Both are great when you get them, though.
