knit, purl

While in Muscatine, IA, I had the opportunity to try something I've been wanting to learn for a long time. I learned how to knit!

At the Serendipity Yarn Shoppe, I picked out my first pair of needles (Brittany Art Deco birch needles, size 9) and a ball of yarn. I sat down with the shop owner for a few minutes while she showed me how to cast on and knit. I started my very first scarf.

The motions were awkward at first, and the needles unyielding, but by the time I was on a plane back to State College, it felt natural. A few days after arriving home, I finished my lumpy, holey scarf.

My first scarf. Isn't the yarn wonderful? It's Plymouth Encore Colorspun worsted weight with 75% acrylic and 25% wool. The color is 7511.

But after starting my second scarf, tragedy struck. I left my needles on my bed and when climbing in that night, I sat on one of the needles and snapped it clean in half. I was so sad! Not only did I lose my beloved needle, but my bottom had obviously reached epic proportions to snap wood in half. This now brings the total of things I've broken with my butt to 2.

I looked up the Brittany website to see where the nearest dealer was located. Not anywhere near me, it turns out. I did notice their product guarantee, offering to replace any broken needles at no charge. I e-mailed them and waited impatiently for a response. I received a reply a couple days ago informing me it would be "no problem". What great customer service! I can't wait to receive my new needle.

book review: "chic shopping paris"

I hope no one is tiring of my seemingly endless posts relating to Paris and France. I can't help it; I am smitten.

Today I'll review a wonderful book I picked up at the Prairie Lights bookstore in Iowa City. They had a table full of cookbooks and travel books on sale. You can imagine how long I toiled over this table. So many books to choose from! I picked up this great little book called Chic Shopping Paris.


The book features the author's bonnes addresses (a personal list of one's favorite shops) arranged by Parisian arrondissement. Paris is arranged into 20 neighborhoods, or arrondissements. Each has its own unique culture and shopping. For example, the 4th arrondissement is home to the Marais district, with a lively gay culture and the center of Paris's Jewish community. the 18th arrondissement, my favorite, is where Montmartre is located and known as the artists district.

This book contains lively descriptions and beautiful photographs, highlighting some of Paris's greatest shops. Each shop featured lists an address, nearest metro stop, phone number, hours, and website (if available). The book was published in 2008, so it may be somewhat outdated, but it makes a great coffee table book if nothing else. It's a handy size, easy to pack in a suitcase and carry in a purse. There is also an index in the back listing shops by type, making it convenient to find whatever you're looking for. Since it is a bit outdated, I would recommend looking the shops up online before visiting them.

While skimming Chic Shopping, I really noticed how specialized shopping can be in Paris. Astier de Villatte sells only rustic, white dinnerware. Causse sells only handmade gloves. Laguiole sells knives. La Petite Robe Noire focuses on "the little black dress". Alexandra Soifer is a store that sells only umbrellas. Cire Trudon is a candle shop that was once the royal purveyor of candles for Louis XVII. I could go on and on. Shop owners often pick one thing they do well and stick to it. It's an idea so far removed from the big box stores and concrete shopping malls that are part of the American culture. It feels distinctly European.

This book has reawakened my desire to go back to France. I recommend it to any lover of France, anyone traveling to Paris and anxious to shop, or those who are just addicted to shopping.

I just had to add some photos of the inside of the book to highlight the beautiful photography.

A two-page photo of the little black dress shop.

A children's shop.

And here's an example of the information provided for each shop.

prairie lights

I love books. I love the smell of them, the covers, and most of all, the words inside. Bookstores are a paradise for me. A Borders or Barnes & Noble is nice, of course, but I love those quirky local bookshops with hidden nooks and crannies. Webster's in State College is a great example.

The University of Iowa in Iowa City is home of the famous Writers' Workshop and it's considered by many to be a literary university. The result is some great bookstores. During my visit, I spent a couple hours inside Prairie Lights. It was three-and-a-half floors of heaven.

They have a coffee and wine cafe, which means there's a great coffee smell following you around as you look at books. And boy, do they have a lot. They have a great selection of sale books (more on those later) and gifts for book lovers. They have a section of local reads and art as well. If you're lucky to be there at the right time, they host frequent author readings. And I don't mean one of those local aspiring authors who prints their own books off lulu.com, I'm talking about well-known, published writers.

I would go to the University of Iowa just so I could spend my days here.

Check out their website here: http://www.prairielights.com/

maid-rite

Unless you're from the Midwest--or know a Midwesterner--you might not be acquainted with Maid-Rite, the original loose meat sandwich with a cult following. California has In-N-Out, Kansas has White Castle, Connecticut has Ted's steamed cheeseburger, and Iowa has the loose meat sandwich.

I might be unfamiliar with the Maid-Rite if 1) I didn't watch so much food television or 2) I didn't know an Iowan. The Maid-Rite is a burger made with a specific cut and grind of beef and a secret blend of spices, but isn't formed into a patty. Some have said it's like a sloppy joe without the sauce. The first Maid-Rite was opened by a butcher in Muscatine, Iowa, but the restaurant is now a franchise chain. You can find their diner-style restaurants across the Midwest, and now in Texas and Colorado.


They come plain, with no condiments or toppings, but you can order your preferred toppings if you wish. I ordered a Cheese-Rite (a Maid-Rite with cheese, if you couldn't figure it out) with pickles and a side of onion rings. They always come wrapped in the red and white paper with a long spoon tucked inside. It was delicious, but the "cheese" was a Cheez Whiz type concoction, not the slice of American I had expected. The sandwich was tender, with just the right amount of spice and a mild beefy flavor. It was soft and yummy--not at all greasy, though slightly hampered by the gooey glob of cheese. Next time, I'll order the plain Maid-Rite.


Overall, I was pleased and satiated by my first experience with the famous Maid-Rite. It may look unassuming, like something you might find on a grade school cafeteria tray, but sometimes the simplest things are the tastiest. If my future endeavors take me to Iowa, I might be in trouble...

she's alive!

I'm back! I have been away on a lengthy hiatus (that's a word you don't get to use often) while traveling, being sick, cleaning, packing, and admittedly--being lazy. I haven't forgotten about my blog and I'm excited to share lots of new things with everyone.

Chicago was great, and surprisingly Iowa was as well. After my last few trips being abroad, it's really nice to experience my own country's heartland. This was my first visit to Chicago (outside of O'Hare) and my first trip to Iowa. I have pictures, hotel reviews, food reviews, and more to share from my travels.

To ease back into the blogosphere, I'll start with a shop and product review. My travel stories will be a bit disjointed--it's just how I roll.

While in Iowa City (home of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes...more on this later), I did some shopping downtown in the wonderful, unique boutiques. The first one I checked out was the very aptly-named Soap Opera. In case you couldn't tell, I love bath & beauty products, so I naturally loved this store. An entire shop full of soap!

Not only do they carry some more well-known brands like Crabtree & Evelyn and L'Occitane, they also feature organic and local products. You can find any soap with any possible ingredient. In case soap isn't your thing, they also sell bath toys, loofahs, nail care, moisturizers, face care, hair care, lip balm, fragrance oils and more. They even have their own line of bath and beauty products.

I had to limit myself to one bar of soap and it took me a long time to find that one special bar. Did I want one shaped like a Chihuahua? I couldn't justify spending $20, even if it did look like Carmella. Did I want one of those big bars of lavender L'Occitane soap? No, L'Occitane is readily available. An Iowan-crafted one? An organic one? A goat's milk one?

I ended up choosing a bar made by Vivo Naturals. It caught my eye because of the ingredients (100% African Shea Butter and bamboo) and the slogan of "Personal Care. Global Impact." They purchase their ingredients from a collective farm in Togo run entirely by women. Rather than donating proceeds directly to charity, they are directly improving the livelihood of people who need it.

I chose the Green Tea + Mint bar. I love the scent of mint and this one had crushed bamboo added for extra exfoliation. I was intrigued. This soap ended up being a godsend for my sunburned arms. It makes a rich, silky lather that is lightly scented. The bamboo, as promised, exfoliates very well, leaving your skin soft and smooth. The soap rinses clean, but moisturizes without leaving any film. I was very pleased with this product, especially for only $4.75.

This brand is surprisingly easy to find. They sell their products on their website, even offering a special of 10 soaps (and these are BIG) for $30 with free shipping. They are sold at Whole Foods and even Amazon.com, but I think I would feel most comfortable ordering from them directly. They offer five different formulas: Green Tea + Mint, Brazilian Acai + Pomegranate, English Lavender, Lemongrass + Verbena, and Rose Water + Jasmine. Another plus: they are packaged in 100% recycled materials.

Check out their website here (they're also on Facebook): http://www.vivonaturalproducts.com

Visit The Soap Opera's website here: http://www.soapoperaiowacity.com/index.html
You can order online from them!