Honestly, some very seriously sinful delish Bak Kut Teh (Pork Bone Tea Soup) is busy brewing its way to yummy goodness in my kitchen at the moment! I simply couldn’t resist sharing a picture or two!
More about this lovely, hearty yet down-to-earth herbal dish in the next post!
Where we went
Versailles
Versailles, formerly the home to the French royal family up till the death of Louis XVI (and events preceding his execution), is today one of the most expensive, traditional and wealthy suburbs in Paris. You won’t find factories or industries here. Ohno, a good part of the suburb is dedicated to the the grounds of the Château de Versailles and its gardens while the rest features shops catering to both locals and tourists, as well as residential homes and other “service”-oriented buildings like schools, administrative buildings and so forth.
While Paris remains as the official capital city of France, in practice government-related affairs like senate and parliamentary meetings, greeting of dignitaries and so forth are still held at Versailles. It is very much still a place of political power as it was in its heyday as well as a popular tourist destination.
WARNING: Ultra long entry ahead!
First things first, some basic information…
Getting around
Your best bet if you are staying within Paris itself is to go on foot or by train. Now, the Paris network is split into two types – metro or RER (the train line leading out to the suburbs like Paris Disneyland, Versailles, airports and so forth). One way to know which is which is to look for for signs like “Metropolitan” or “M” to signify metro lines (stops within Paris itself) and “RER” (stops outside Paris city).
Prices are as follows:
There is a Paris Visit pass for those who intend on staying for 1, 2, 3, 5 or 6 days and this depends on how many zones and so forth. Prices and more info is available on the RATP (the Paris network) site here (in English but also available in Italian, German, French, etc). The site has information, fares and guides to help plan itineraries as well as maps too.
I really shouldn’t start a new spinning project just when I’m about to go away on a short break but hey, the rationalisation is that I’ll be knitting during that short break so why not catch up on my spinning in the mean time? Besides, it’s great for exercising my legs (my wheel is a double treadle so it’s just like doing stagnant stepping movements)!
Anyway, so far, I’m loving how this is turning out…the blend is lovely although not quite as smooth as the superwash merino that I’m used to, but still, the added seacell gives it a nice sheen – better than bamboo actually!
Oh, do wish me and Nil luck – 1) for his interview and 2) for our ultrasound tomorrow!!! Hopefully our little one won’t decide to get all shy on us!
Ply | Three
Yardage | 403 m
WPI | 20 (Fingering to Light Fingering)
Fibre | Merino-Bamboo in Evening Shade from FatCatKnits
Tool | Serenity Wheel [5.5:1 ratio]
This was an amazing first for me – to hit a cool 400 metres from a 4 oz braid! I haven’t been having much luck spinning up more than 350 metres in the past but after a change in technique plus position (I need to accommodate a much bigger belly these days), it is just…well, fulfilling to be able to go past my previous mark. Lets just hope that the trend will continue for those gorgeous 4 oz braids that I have stashed away.
As for the name and all, well, initially, FatCatKnits had this listed as Evening Shade but as I began spinning it and later on, plying the singles, it dawned at me that it looks quite nothing like a shade of evening. Instead, images of cocktails at the bar became more and more vivid. I just had to name this after a cocktail and what better than a lovely glass of Blue Mojito!
Anyway, now that this is done, I think I’ll get cracking on the “gems” – seacell blends. I’ve been waiting for a while to get started on these and well, I think I’m confident enough to tackle these babies. What are my plans for it? Well, it’s either lace or sock weight (yes, again)…it all depends on how the colours turn out. If it’s too variegated, I’ll stick to sock weight…if it’s a cool semi-solid shade, I think it’ll look just better as laceweight yarn.
There is a reason why I need to stay away from the wheel when I need to finish off my knitting projects. Since taking on the wheel again two days ago, I have done nothing else but spin, spin and spin. Of course, I was working towards finishing the merino-bamboo fibre I got from a destash on Ravelry but still, it’s bad if you have an entrelac stole AND a baby blanket to get working on!
Nevertheless, I can console myself in the fact that I’ll definitely bring my knitting (and not my spinning) with me to our trip to Paris next week. Yes, we’ll be heading off to Paris for around four days – Nil has a job interview there and while I balked at the idea of spending so much money just on the train tickets alone (thankgawd we’re staying at his godmother’s place), he insisted that it’s his treat and that I go along with him instead of staying at home alone. So okay, off we’ll be to Paris. We’ll be heading to Versailles for the weekend but otherwise, it’ll pretty much be a free-and-easy short trip.
In the meantime, I’ve been busy doing some dyeing – very little compared to what I was used to months ago – while waiting for stock to arrive. The inventory is more streamlined now, to cope with the possibility of us moving and so forth. Still, it’s not exactly fun sourcing for new suppliers and bases. But hey, it comes with the territory!
Hm, I better get back to my baking – I have plans for either some yummylicious brownies OR Spanish cakes. ^^
…excluding a fibre club shipment that’s on the way, the practice stash (about 400 gms of mixed wools and etc), the WIP stash (another 400 odd grams) and naturally, the shop’s stock of undyed goodies…
In a nutshell, there are all sorts of wool fibres in there (Gotland, Falkland, Corriedale, Merino, etc), blends like merino/bamboo, merino/seacell, BFL/cashmere, Shetland/silk and then lovely soft stuff like alpaca. To find out more about them, click on the pictures and check out the notes!
And like Nil said, this isn’t junk…it’s money and I’m not kidding. 
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