Summer of Stockinette
It’s that time of year again, when I scramble madly to throw things into a suitcase and make a mad dash for the airport, amidst wrapping up a crazy semester. Am leaving in a short while for India, where I will spend the next three months. My itinerary is even crazier than last time, but I am hoping to actually do less, even though I will have more time overall.
My priority will be to stay cool (not merely a fashion anxiety, but a serious survival skill in the oven that is currently New Delhi, or the wet sauna that is Calcutta). Also on my agenda are a few weeks at the archives in Pune taking lessons to improve my speed at reading Modi documents. I have to start a new research project this fall and this will be an initial archival trip trying to see what is out there and might be useful. Am psyched!
Other than that I’ll mostly tear around the country meeeting family and friends. Some of these, poor souls, will peddle substandard varieties of
mango as being the best. I have decided to be sensible about this
problem. I will pig out on the Devgad Hapus and Pairi,
(Hapus is Alfonso in English, but I don’t know if Pairi has an English
name) but also eat some Chausas, Dussheris and Langras, just to keep them happy!
The heat, however, means that not much knitting is going to get done. But I’m not sure how much wool, or indeed any yarn, I’m going to want to hold in my hands when it’s 111 degrees, air cooler or not. So we’ll see. I’m taking the Cascade Fixation skeins I bought sometime back with me, so am hoping my summer of stockinette yields something. Otherwise, this blog will turn into a bit of a travelogue until the fall.
Having stuck, more or less, to my new year’s resolution of eating less and exercising more (with results!!!), I am hoping that, older and wiser, I will not slide back into eating obscene amounts of food like I usually do at home. But I fear that this resolution might be seriously threatened on my very first stop: Hong Kong! I’m spending a week there on my way to Delhi, and along with hiking and kicking back with an old pal from college who lives there now, dim sum and all kinds of street food are high on the agenda.
Oh well, hopefully the heat will take care of my appetite once I’m in Delhi.
Pretty sock! Sounds like great adventures are in store for you.
ooh – what an exciting summer you will have!!!! Hong Kong sounds like a culinary delight….
Beautiful colorway! Have a great time.
Okay, if you get ANY knitting done in the summer in India, I will be very, very impressed! But I imagine you’ll have lots of plane time, which can be perfect for knitting.
Family, friends, food, new archives, hot and cold running mangoes — sounds like a wonderful summer.
Pretty pretty … very pretty! Love that plum colourway! Good with plain stocking stitch.
You are going to Hong Kong? Cool! *I actually came from HK … and went back to visit my parents last October.* You’ll love the place if you love having lots of people around … hahaha … I have 2 friends just returned from a year and a half adventures in Asia and they loved India.
Nice colors on both. Most awesome.
This is a geeky suggestion to whet your appetite for Hong Kong, but the second runner up to the first season of America’s Next Top Model has kind of a hilarious blog about her adventures as a model, including a whole bunch of Hong Kong. She particularly likes street food, and has fantastic pictures of it.
Anyway, google Elyse Sewell, and it’s the first thing that comes up (not sure about linking in comments).
I actually knit on the bus today, with thick wool, despite the fact that it’s FRICKING HOT here. And, holy crap, I just realized I’m much better off, because I just saw a guy in a full body costume of… I don’t know what, but advertising the cafe I’m sitting in. Crazy!
I love that purple-y yarn, so pretty! Have a wonderful time on your trip; I look forward to seeing some neat photos. My bf would die if he knew there were that many mango varieties…he loves even the supermarket ones and I’m sure the ones you get are way more delicious.
Yes, that sock is definitely a keeper AND needs a mate! And wow, so jealous of your fabulous summer in India. My bf spent some time traveling around India, and he absolutely loved it. Feel free to bring me back some treats!
Hope you’ll still be blogging from abroad?? Good luck with the research, too… I’ll be starting my diss research, too, this summer. Ack!
Your Claudia sock really is a beauty, but I really love the way the Gracie Faroese is working up. As for knitting in such hot weather, what about socks in fibers like soy silk blends like Tofutsies? I’m just throwing out ideas here. Hopefully the Cascade Fixation will be just fine though!
Your sock is totally gorgeous and your shawl looks lovely so far! Have fun in India!
Was just passing through.
A summer of mangoes and good food…
I think I’ll just take a deep breath and be insanely jealous!!
Safe and happy travels, friend desiknitter.
I’m very jealous about the mangos. It’s been so long since I’ve had a fresh-from-the-tree one. They’re kind of hard to come by here in New England.
I’m hoping to be able to make a trip to India in the fall (just blogged about it). What’s the number one piece of advice you’d give to a gora traveling on the Subcontinent?
I know I couldn’t breathe in air that hot, so the knitting that you are doing is beyond amazing to me. Kudos!