Monday 25 March 2013

Travel, work wardrobes and knitting

I've had a busy yet strangely unproductive few days. First at the end of last week I was over in Ireland visiting my new job and ironing out some of the details of starting work. I had the most exhausting day ever -- out on the 8am flight and back on a (delayed) flight that arrived in the UK just before midnight. Lots of standing around in the HORRENDOUS weather we're having at the moment -- it was cold, it was wet, it was basically vile. And then since then I've been at my mum's house for a visit where I have been sickening for something which really hit me last night. Ugh, winter viruses, I hate you. >:(

While I was in Ireland I made a special effort to eyeball what the (very few) other women I met were wearing. Like most women who work in massively male dominated environments (my new department is on the high end of the mix spectrum, at only 80% male) I'm probably more accustomed to trying to translate what the men around me wear into what I should wear, but with there being actually a good two dozen women in the school I decided I should be able to get some hints from the women. In reality, academia tends to be a little "anything goes" (within reason) -- I was at a seminar once where the first speaker was wearing a three piece suit and the second was wearing actual lederhosen and an AC/DC t-shirt. However, I have not, historically, always got my work wardrobe right and it's always been a bit of a traumatic issue for me as a result, so I was careful to look around at what people were wearing while I was there. I'm pretty confident the wardrobe I have/want/want to make is going to be just fine as a result though.

Since I'm away, all I've really been doing crafty-wise though at the moment is knitting scarves from kits. I've finished one and I'm about half way through a second. I'll take photos and post them when I'm home again, but I have to say, it really was exactly the project I needed: quick, easy, with a really satisfying result :D Sometimes we just need the easy stuff, you know?

3 comments:

  1. Having a few different projects on the go at the same time does have it's benefits, especially when one of them is portable and straight forward.
    what a relief to feel confident about your work clothes!
    Sorry to hear you're not well. at least you're at your Mum's, so often the best place to be when you're poorly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great scarves - particularly love the grey one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. " . . . and the second was wearing actual lederhosen and an AC/DC t-shirt." Oh, dear. Indeed, academic dress can be so challenging!

    ReplyDelete