« loose ends | Main | Don't you step on my green suede shoes »
January 12, 2005
no sale
warning this post is more about shopping than knitting.
8 am in bed. I'm half-asleep:
Frog: You know what today is?
Me: Uhhh... Wednesday?
Frog: Nope.
Me: Market day?
Frog: Nope.
Me: Uhhhh... the twelfth?
Frog: No! It's les soldes!
Me: Quelle horreur.
Frog: No! Not quel horreur! You need shoes and keep complaining that they're too expensive. Go buy yourself some shoes.
Me: Idonwanna. I hate the crowds.
Frog: Then don't go to les grands magasins. Go to the shoe place down the street.
Me: Nah.
Frog: YOU SHOULD GO! BUY YOURSELF SOME FREAKING SHOES SO YOUR FEET WON'T BE COLD ALL THE TIME!
In France, the government tells the stores when they can have sales. In Paris, they started today. I hate them. People are mean and the stores are crowded. Plus, everything is final sale and I always regret what I buy or regret not buying something I saw. Somehow, my mom's shopping gene is recessive in me and dominant in my sister, but after working all morning, it started to express itself anyway because I realized that the shoe search would take place in the same area as potential yarn bargains. I went to Phildar, a shoe store, Printemps and Le Bon Marché. There was a bunch of calmer on sale but only in yucky pastel colors I would never wear and it still wasn't a good price. And there was some ok yarn at Phildar for 1.30, but again, only in colors I didn't really want. I nearly bought 2 different pairs of shoes but as much as I liked them and the 30% reductions, I still thought they were expensive and I wouldn't have been able to wear them in the rain, which didn't make them great choices for Paris. I also tried to go to la droguerie to pick up a couple things I need. They were closed for inventory.
Today's purchases: 4 Petit Bateau t-shirts for 18 euros. I left the absolutely gorgeous 975 euro jacket at le Bon Marché (even though it was marked down from 1,550). Guess my shopping gene is recessive after all.
edited the Laura pattern that's almost done.
came up with a better idea for the dandy sweater
and that's the new Laura sleeve I made for Evann with improved sizing.
Actually, I did that yesterday at work, not on the bus.
Posted by kate at January 12, 2005 05:05 PM
Comments
Love the shoes, absolutely adore them. Go check if there are any left in size 37. But didin't you say they needed to withstand rainy weather? They're suede, aren't they? ;-)
Make that "in Europe, the government tells the stores when to have sales". Or at least the German speaking area has the same 'restrictions'.
Posted by: valentina at January 13, 2005 05:19 PM
Pretty sleeve. Pretty pretty sleeve...
Posted by: Jenny at January 13, 2005 05:26 AM
FOUR Petit Bateau shirts for E18! Good Lord, girlie, that is a steal!
Posted by: Gina at January 13, 2005 03:28 AM
The author of "Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong" also wrote "Les Français aussi ont un accent," a book about the French from a Québec perspective (he moved to France with his Anglo wife, who was raised in English-speaking Ontario). It's supposed to be extremely funny, and I love the passages I've read from it...
Shooooooooes...I can no longer order from Zappos...they don't ship to Canada...QUEL horreur...
And if you actually NEED them...well, cold feet suck. And socks get wet in the rain. There's only so much foot protection you can get from spending all your money on yarn, eh? And for the record, my husband would NEVER wake me up to say there are sales going on and I should go to them. NEEEEVER. :-(
Posted by: Lee Ann at January 12, 2005 11:35 PM
p.s. I have started clapotis! Yippee! Thanks for a great pattern!
Posted by: beth at January 12, 2005 10:30 PM
Wow, a man tells a woman she can buy shoes? Man I would jump at the chance! I love shoes just as much as I love yarn!
Posted by: beth at January 12, 2005 10:28 PM
Get some shoes, Girlfriend! And I luv the Laura arm - are you going to make me buy another one of your patterns? Hee hee...just kidding, I love every pattern of yours that I have gotten! In fact, you can check out my soeur's excitement when she opened her Gifted mittens on Christmas on my blog. ;) Oh, and one more thing, a great book: 60 million Frenchmen Can't be Wrong, Why we love France but hate the French...being French-American, I can only laugh at this oh-so-true description of French culture and history.
Posted by: Anne-Caroline at January 12, 2005 10:24 PM
Kate, I have to agree with the Frog here....when I saw you in November you said you needed new shoes! I fear I have your same shoe issue though, I love them but I just can't bring myself to spend all that money on them all the time when I could be spending money on YARN!
Posted by: Rebecca at January 12, 2005 08:02 PM
I am impressed by your restraint and practicality! That IS a recessive gene, and one to be prized.
Posted by: Susan at January 12, 2005 07:56 PM
Oh that laura sleeve is just gorgeous! And the petite bateau shirts are necessary wardrobe additions, but what about the shoes?
Posted by: Leslie at January 12, 2005 05:57 PM
