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... when I lived in Paris, France.
For one year, I said "oui, oui."
I kissed cheek-to-cheek.
I ate steak tartar.
I was only eighteen.
Pity that in all of that year, not once did I don a beret.
No chapeau graced my prairie-girl head.
Now, in Texas, I wear a beret,
and each morning, before I leave,
to walk through the streets of monster trucks,
I wrap a silk scarf around my neck--
a la mode francaise--
I put on my chapeau,
my beret,
spray my French perfume about my neck,
and stick earphones--Joni Mitchell's voice--into my ears.
Indeed, Joni shows me that a girl can be both of the praries,
and of la vie francaise.
There is no contradiction in that; only endless possibilties.
Needles: Size 7 US
Yarn: Ballybrae 100% Virgin Unscoured Wool by Yarns Brunswick
Thoughts on Yarn: I liked the yarn well enough, but now that I've begun using Cascade 220 for the first time (I cast-on for Forecast already), I will now always lean towards the Cascade when needing a 100% worsted-weight wool yarn. It's that good--the Cascade, I mean!
Modifications: Instead of finishing the beret's rim off with stockinette as the pattern directed, I continued on in the ribbing, reducing the number of stitches and trying it on with each reduction to ensure that it would fit. (All this just because I didn't like the curled rim on the original version for some reason).
However, unlike the intelligent, savy Grumperina, I did not sew elastic into the edge, and I really should. Because, though the beret fits, and I've worn it several times around about the town already (pretending to be a real flaneur of sorts), it is tight, and I do need to give it a bit of a tug to get it on.
But other than that tightness, when I put it on, wrap the silk scarf around my neck, spray the French perfume, and get the music going on my mp3 player, I turn back into that femme francaise et je suis heureuse dans ma coeur... just like Joni.
*PS: For those who care about such things, the mini oil painting pictured above was found in a thrift store the day after I cast off the beret. Serendipity? Pure chance? I think not.
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