Despite the unreasonable refusal of Qantas, Australia's national airline, to let knitting needles on the plane even if they are itsy-bitsy, I did get do some mindless, summery knitting while I was on vacation. Knitting which now seems ridiculously inadequate to cope with the weather conditions in Portland.
These are Kate Blackburn's lovely Rosamond pattern, in a simple, easily-memorizable lace pattern that ends up looking delicately romantic. They're worked in the Lenten Rose colorway of Sundara sock yarn, and alternate between looking lavender or grey, depending on the light. After all, a lady is entitled to change her mind. As is a fella, when it comes to that.
I finished these on Kangaroo Island, she of the wallabies and koalas of my last post. Which meant that I was knitting along in gorgeous, 70-degree weather, looking at views like this, never anticipating that I would return to frozen landscape of ice and snow. I keep expecting a nefarious lady in a sled to pull up and offer me enchanted Turkish Delight.
In any case, I was a bit disappointed with these when I first finished them. I don't know why I wasn't prepared, because I've knit a goodly amount of lace before, but they came off the needles unattractively bumpy and frumpy compared to the negligée-inspired idea I had in my head. We can all see where this is going, of course: fast-forward to back in Portland, after a nice bath for these girls and a few days drying on the sock blockers, and I'm much more excited about the results.
When my mom's cousin Jan was in town, she noticed this pattern in my Ravelry queue and said that it was the kind of thing ladies used to put in their hope chests. I think that sums up the appeal for me. Except I, luckily, get to wear them right away - or would do, if it weren't insanely cold here. I think I'm back to lace-less woolen socks for the time being, but I'm glad to have posted these on the shortest day of the year. Warmth and daylight will be here before I know it, and when they are, lacy Lenten Rose socks will help me greet them.
Post script: being forbidden from plane knitting wasn't actually so bad. On the way back to the States I read the whole of Peter Carey's amazing My Life as a Fake, which I highly, HIGHLY recommend. Check it out!
I echo Vanessa of yesterday and say that I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WERE IN AUSTRALIA! I wonder if I walked past you in the street? Well, if you were hanging out on Kangaroo Island the answer is an easy 'no'. And I dare say you probably didn't get as far west as Perth, but gosh, that you were in South Australia, that you were even ON THIS CONTINENT while I thought you were devising some masterly knitting surprise in the depths of cold Portland for the delight of your trunk readers... is amazing.
On behalf of all knitting Australians I humbly and desperately apologise for Qantas and their inflexible no-knitting rules. Nothing can be done about this, it seems, (many of us have tried) but I could cry at such vast amounts of lost knitting time. Though glad you could redeem the time with quality reading. (I'm reading Theft by Peter Carey at the moment and though I haven't read My Life As A Fake, I concur with any Peter Carey recommendation as I've loved others of his...)
Anyway fess up and tell us about your holiday here. Tell all, and don't feel you have to placate we Australians if anything sucked :)
And if you come back, let us know so we knitters might have a chance to show you some knitterly hospitality. Small world this cyber one we live in...
Oh, and the socks are beautiful :)