Knitting!

[Jules80]

Given the fact that i'm going to be spending a fair amount of time on trains in europe, I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to bring my knitting with me... any thoughts on this? have people done this before?

Jules

[starprincess]

People knit on the train I catch to work everyday!
Knitting is very trendy in Melbourne at the moment, everyone seems to have been knitting away making those feather scarves for the last year!

[Jules80]

So I'm curious, exactly what does one need a scarf for in Melbourne? I thought it was pretty hot (ie over 15 deg C) there all year?

[Kim]

We didn't find it hot when we were there - I think it was in April (autumn) and it seemed to be about the same temperature as Vancouver that time of year. Mild but not hot by any means.

Kim

[Jules80]

okay... any thoughts on if toting my knitting around europe is fine or completely impractacle?

[Kim]

I think it's fine - it's lightweight and will give you something to do on the trains and trust me, they are boooooring! I would double ziplock it in those big bags though so it doesn't get dirty.

Kim

[starprincess]

OOh over here 15C is cold! Everyone would be walking around in scarf and gloves if it was below 15C! Hehe!

[dumbdiety]

Well, 15C s what...~60F? that's not so bad. Long-sleeved shirt and a jacket and I'm good. So no need for knitting for me [which is probably a good thing, anyway].
For you, Jules, I don't see a problem with it. I've even seen people in cars in the middle of rush hour here is SoFla knitting!

[Jules80]

Its so funny how we become aclimatized to our environments. here in the spring (read may, april if we're lucky) as soon as its 15 C outside we're in t-shirts!!!

[Nicstar]

it comes back to this for me...


here in aust, our buildings are NOT designed as they are in countries where winters are extremely cold.......thus you walk in from outside where its about 15C and a very cold wind (as you do get off the oceans in the southern parts of australia) and if the building doesn't have heating on (eg, my house, there is no central heating, only a little bar heater that takes ages to warm up itself let alone any air in the room), then you don't actually ever feel warm.

Thats why it feels so cold here....you wake up, and its bloody cold inside your house, you get ready for work and freeze when you step out of the shower cos there are no heaters in the bathroom (like there were in my parent's bathroom in England), you spend the whole morning feeling rather chilly, not cold, no, but chilly. So then you go outside where its colder. If your'e lucky your work is heated.......mine is not so I wear about 4 layers to work in winter and still shiver a lot. Then come home and repeate process in cold house.

I never actually get warm in winter in AUstralia. Yet the European winter just gone, I spent 3 and a bit weeks, and yes I felt cold a few times but it was different. I'd feel cold for moments, but once I was inside I'd warm up v v quickly. I remember winters here in Aust as being cold, I don't remember Europe/UK as being cold at all....

^^ and as you say, what you're acclimatized to. However, that doesn't explain why such a cold frog as me, where on 18C days here in Aust I need at least 3 layers, including a big warm outer layer, yet in Amsterdam the day it reached 2C max, I had the virtually the same clothes on and didn't feel cold at all.

Sorry, was just talking about this exact topic today at work!

[paint]

(sorry to stray back to knitting, and months after the original post...) I got harassed by airport security for big acrylic knitting needles but they didn't take them... put them in my checked baggage on the way home to avoid a repeat scenario. While in Europe I toured by car not public transportation.. but it was nice to knit in the hostel to calm myself down after stressful days.