France anyone??

Guess where Sheryl, my mother, and I are going in September....

Bonjour Mes Amis!
Bonjour Nos Amis!

French Girl is excited to announce the first of our "Chez French Girl" tours in the Southwest of France, beginning September, 2007. These tours have been a dream of ours for years, and we are pleased to see them come to fruition. Spend a week in a beautifully restored winemaker's house that is now a "chambre d'hotes" (the French Bed & Breakfast) in the Languedoc region of France. The "Undiscovered France", Languedoc, just west of the more touristed Provence, has retained the quiet charm and unspoiled beauty that has drawn Kristeen and myself there time and time again.

Three mornings, you'll learn new knitting techniques from renowned instructor Annie Modesitt, while the afternoons will be spent taking short excursions to colorful local markets, charming hilltop villages, and other points of interest. We'll take a barge cruise down the tree-shaded Canal du Midi as it weaves its way through vineyard-laced hills, past tiny hamlets and enchanting villages. And of course, we'll spend hours on the sun-drenched beaches of the Mediterranean.

Chez French Girl Tours offer something that many others lack - total relaxation. In contrast to the whirlwind trips that wisk you from one site to another, here you will spend the entire week in one location, with time to knit, read, swim in the pool, or just do nothing...where only birdsong, the wind in the trees, and the clicking of your knitting needles will interrupt the peace and quiet. Our welcoming hosts are experts in the celebrated wines of the region and are world travelers as well; both are conversant in both French and English.

Our chambre d'hotes, called "La Vigneronne", sits at the outskirts of the small village of Faugeres, nestled in the hills just an hour from the Mediterranean. It is truly one of the most beautiful spots in which we have stayed in all of our trips to France, and we are proud to make it available to our clients. Each bedroom is tastefully restored and full of charm. The cozy salon that sits just off the dining room is where you will spend your mornings knitting, unless the sunny veranda outdoors is just too inviting to pass up.

The theme of our tours is slowing down...and you'll have plenty of time to do just that. And with a maximum enrollement of eight, the groups will be small.

Tour Dates:
September 3-9
September 10-16

Tour includes:
Lodging six nights
All breakfasts and lunches
Three "table d'hotes" dinners at "La Vigneronne"complete with regional cuisine and wine with all dinners.
Transport to and from Montpellier Airport
All transport to local points of interest
Three mornings of knitting instruction
Knitting bag full of treats and goodies

Tour cost does not inlcude airfare to Montpellier, France

Cost: $2500 (single supplement, add $900)

Deposit of $350 due at time of registration (refundable up to six weeks after registration; thereafter, non-refundable)

We will be putting together a colorful, pdf brochure in the very near future.

If you are interested in taking the tour, or learning more, please respond soon, as there are only a limited number of reservations available and we would like to accomodate everyone who is interested. We are announcing this to our French Girl mailing list before releasing it to the public, so we hope to fill these 2 weeks with all of our wonderful customers who have supported French Girl over the years! We adore France and are so looking forward to sharing it with all of you.

Merci, et a bientot!
Kristeen & Phil

Chantal

Pattern: Chantal by French Girl
Yarn: Rowan Big Wool #41 Acer
Comments: You aren't suffering from vertigo. One of my 6-year-olds took the picture. Such is the life of a mother whose husband works late.

Love the pattern. I had the whole thing done in about 4 days. I think it is kind of Anthropologie-esque. The ribbing makes it figure flattering, even for a big yarn knit. I think it will become my toss on sweater whenever I get a chill.

There are a few mistakes in the pattern, which I emailed to the French Girl. If you have any questions (Stefanie) before she has them posted, just shoot me an email.

We are LIVE!

Check out the shop's new and improved website. You currently cannot order anything, but that will change in a few weeks. We are going to roll out our products in stages, just so that Sheryl and I aren't overwhelmed with data entry. The class enrollment is up and running though.

Let me know what y'all think!

www.yarntopiaonline.com

2006 - Flotsam - Love

Looking back on my blog posts from the past year, I realized that I really knit a lot last year (30 items to be exact). Not as much as some of the knit bloggers I read, but I was still proud of myself. The list is just for me to remind myself that I am able to accomplish things. Sometimes everyone needs to pat themselves on the back.

8 Hats
3 Wraps/Shawls
10 Sweaters
3 Bags
4 Socks/Slippers
2 Bracelets

Now for my first knit of 2007....drum roll please....

Pattern: A custom pattern I printed up from the computer program Sweater Wizard

Yarn: Louisa Harding Flotsam #4

Comments: When I put this yarn on the shelf when we opened the store, I knew that this yarn would be mine. The color combination is my absolute favorite, robin egg blue and brown. This is a really interesting yarn too. The base of it is like cotton interfacing. It has a string of blue with little slubs of cotton and it is all bound together with a gold string. The effect knit up is really cool. As an added bonus, it is washable! Plus, with it being mainly cotton, it will be a great sweater for our mild Houston winters.

Now, on to love. Today is my eleventh wedding anniversary. Boy, have the years flown. It has been a wonderful ride. I love you Kevin.