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I feel kind of tongue-tied (finger-tip tied?) after a long absence, as if I’ve lost blogging skills learnt the hard way. There’s lots to
tell: torrential rains all across my region with rivers in spate and all, but I’m really enjoying my first real monsoon in years. The trip from Mumbai to Pune across the western ghats (hills) is magical in the monsoon, with mist and rainclouds hanging low, waterfalls giggling (and occasionally guffawing) all around you and a cool cool breeze all the time. A hot cup of elaichi tea and a hot spicy vada pav with garlic chutney to go with it…. heaven.
I love the western ghats, especially in the monsoon. I walked in the warm, cascading rain in my hometown Panchgani one afternoon and it was bliss. If anyone reading this should ever go to Panchgani, please do have the seasonal fruit icecreams and milkshakes (mango, sitaphal, chikoo in the summer and strawberry and anjir in the winter) at Hilltop Icecreams, bang in the town’s centre. Best in the world, absolutely no doubt about it. Go quickly if you can, too, because if the city of Pune keeps expanding the way it’s doing now, Panchgani will very soon be a denuded suburb for rich Punekars with ugly row houses. The irony of a developer luring a million people to buy large houses in a “secluded, green area” to escape the crowds somehow escapes everyone.
What else? Some old friends and I from college had a boisterous reunion for a week, combing old haunts and digging up each other’s embarrassing moments from teenage times. I also dug up this:
Isn’t it hideous? This is the first ever garment I created, at age eight. The first, and probably last, crocheted project. My mum actually saved it.
My knitting fame, incidentally, has spread far and wide, i.e. to people who live in our housing colony, many of whom have brought their unfinished projects for me to help them with (or, shockingly, to finish for them). I repaired the v-neckband of one sweater, picked up some dropped stitches off another, and returned one project where the woman told me she had no idea what she’d set out to do. “Frog it,” I beamed at her and said. “Nothing like starting over.” It’s been fun! I’m practising my knitting vocabulary in Marathi.
Hey folks, sorry for being away so long. When it isn’t Typepad or the Indian government preventing me from updating you about my knitting, it’s my crazy travel schedule, an old college pals’ reunion and a serious focus on eating stuff I cannot cook myself in the States but can consume large quantities of. But I hope to be back soon, once I find and computer and connection to upload photos without pulling my teeth at the same time. Check back in a few days….
Thanks for the comments on the socks, everyone! I’m glad I’m not the only one who wasn’t bowled over by Opal. I actually find the bamboo 0s easier to knit with than the metals, which really hurt my hands. But they do get all bent out of shape. Better them than me, of course.
I really should be working on my shaped triangle shawl, but it’s unbearable to hold the black yarn in my hands right now. Somehow makes it hotter. MIL’s just going to have to wait till winter.
California is beautiful. The cool, misty mornings are great, and it’s lovely seeing so many flowers everywhere. But if one more person tells me how lucky I am to have such gorgeous weather, I’m going to fervently pray for some snow.
Mallige, I’m going to try to post photos: if not of des or knitting, at least of food.
I’m so glad some folks liked the cloverleaf pattern! Do let me know if any of you make them.
Here are Opal’s "Brasil 501" socks. The colours here are a little out of control for me. I looked long and hard at them and it’s the yellow and green that seem out of place; the blue/purple/pink can be made to work together. I think I prefer solid-coloured socks with some texture. But I was pleased to be able to match them up together, after a couple of false starts on the second sock.
But this is a quick knit in stockinette, so there’s that to be said for it. Made on size 0 bamboos, with 60 stitches and 2×2 rib cuff. I also made them cuff-down, and I’m not that happy with the cast-on.
I do cable cast-on usually for the cuff to be stretchy but it still
seems tight.
I don’t like this Opal yarn much. This skein was a little threadbare in parts. It’s also a little rough and I found that it was making the skin of my right index finger chafe a lot. I haven’t washed them yet though, so we’ll see. I also have a huge amount left over, almost enough for another sock.
Last leg of the road-trip: spent a day on beautiful Lake Tahoe yesterday. It’s amazing how some alcohol, consumed slowly on a sailboat over a sunny afternoon, can take the edge off a crowded place on a long holiday weekend. I went there gritting my teeth in anticipation, but actually enjoyed myself very much.
