Thou shalt not covet...

...thy European neighbor's craft shops.

I love Marie Claire Idees. It's a beautiful fantasy of some sort of perfect craft-filled existence. And there's this scarf in the winter 2004 issue that my mom and I just love.

There are these great beads/sequins on the ends of the scarf. They use them in another project in this issue, too, providing a great up close shot.

I am convinced these do not exist in the US. They are from what must be some sort of craft paradise, La Droguerie. This is now the sole reason I want to visit France. Food, culture, clothing -- they all pale in comparison to my imagination's view of what this store must be like. Alas, an expired passport and a lack of funds for overseas yarn jaunts prevents me from finding out any time soon.

I did, however, come up with some okay substitutes at A Knitted Peace and Denver Fabrics. This will be a gray version of this scarf for me. I'm still searching for the perfect yarn and buttons/beads/sequins/what have you to make an ivory version for my mom.

I also got some Inca Alpaca to make the Backyard Leaves scarf from Scarf Style. I've never seen such a strange lace chart, but the scarf is so pretty that I'll try to make it even though I knit in two-minute spurts ever since John's become a much more active baby.

Thanks to my mother-in-law for some incredible yarn!