My remedy for jet lag is four shots of espresso in the morning and then a good night's sleep.
I was so busy sight seeing that I only managed to knit during the three-hour train ride from London to Paris. I'm still a little peeved at British Airways for not allowing knitting needles in the cabin of their aircraft. I could have finished a pair of socks during each nine hour flight. It's odd that the TSA allows them but not BA. Although I could have attempted to bring them on in my carry on bag, I decide it wasn't worth the potential hassle.
While in London I stopped into John Lewis and Liberty department stores to check out their yarn stock. Liberty has a small stock of Rowan yarns and patterns. Not really worth the trip since I can get Rowan yarn here. John Lewis has a better selection of various brands but still very unsatisfying compared to any one of my five local yarn stores.
While in Paris I quickly popped into La Samaritaine, Le Bon Marche and La Droguerie. La Samaritaine has a small yarn section (about the same size as Liberty's) tucked into a corner on the top floor that only includes Phildar yarn. Le Bon Marche's yarn section (also tucked into a corner on the top floor) is three times bigger than La Samaritaine's. They carry Rowan, Phildar and Bouton D' Or.
I was most impressed with La Droguerie. They have a small selection of yarn but I love how it is displayed. Hanks are hung on the wall by yarn type in a rainbow fashion. The picture below gives you a small hint of the display. There is more yarn hanging on the opposite wall to the left.
I don't know who makes their yarn but it appears to be of good quality natural fibers such as wool, alpaca, cotton, silk and etc. I purchased several hanks of tweed wool and a ball of alpaca.
Besides yarn, they also carry a dizzying array of buttons, ribbons and beads. Most shoppers seemed to be more interested in these items. I picked up some cool old looking safety pins that can be used as a closure for a shawl or wrap type sweater.
La Samaritaine is closed for renovation for the foreseeable future, I'm afraid.
Posted by: katknit | February 22, 2010 at 09:03 AM