Knitting a Sweater and Other Orientation Activities

I have lived within commuting distance from Washington, D.C. for my whole life, but I would never say that I have lived in a city. I go to college in the somewhat middle of nowhere as well, it takes 30 minutes just to get to Amherst or Northampton which are not really cities either. Coming to Vienna, one of Europe’s biggest cities (and considered one of the most liveable places) has definitely been a bit of an adjustment. 

I really love just how easy it is for me to walk five minutes to the U-Bahn (underground subway system) or simply cross the street to get on the S-Bahn (above ground trams) and instantly have access to so many places across the city at once. I am also someone who enjoys a nice walk every now and then, so last week on Saturday I walked about 30 minutes each way to a small little yarn shop (more on that later). The first time we had to take the U-Bahn, IES Abroad Vienna Center staff took us in a big group to the Center and where our orientation presentations were. These presentations covered every topic from basic social norms to know and follow to what to do in a healthcare emergency to making sure our class schedules were set. 

After two days of orientation activities, we started our German Intensive classes. Despite having a very Germanic name, I have no German language skills. The people of Austria can’t tell by looking at me though because I have had many people come up to me and start speaking to me in German and I have had someone very bluntly ask me why I do not speak German if I have a German name. In German 101 we are starting at the very beginning, my professor is very engaging and makes us get up and move around the classroom which helps to keep things interesting considering we are in class for three hours starting at 9 A.M. in the morning. After our first German test, they took us to Café Central, a very popular Viennese Café in the First District (where the IES Abroad Center and my intensive class is located). It is a more tourist friendly destination, but we were challenged to order German and it went very well! I am definitely starting to grab onto words and phrases I can use to get around (had to squeeze my way off of the U-Bahn today with a series of “Entschuldigungs” (sorry)). 

Besides the German Intensive and IES Abroad Orientation activities I have been very busy working on knitting a sweater. I taught myself how to do fair isle colorwork this past fall specifically so I could make the Leafhopper Sweater by Meredith Willmott (more commonly known as the_leafhopper on social media). I bought the yarn in America (my college is conveniently located near WEBS aka America’s Yarn Store) and casted it on about a week before my travel days to Vienna. I was able to finish the colorwork chart in a week (which I still cannot believe) and split for the sleeves and body just before getting on my train out of my hometown. I have been furiously knitting during Orientation events, German class, and back in my apartment in the evening. I still need to block it to help with the puckering around the colorwork chart, to help it sit correctly on my shoulders, and to lengthen the sleeves a bit (I expect the yarn I used to bloom), but here it is! I am very proud of it mainly for the fact that I did it all in three weeks.

Because I absolutely blew through working on this sweater (I thought setting a self-imposed deadline of February 7th was going to be a close call), I needed more yarn. I brought all my favorite needles from home, but wanted to explore European yarn stores. I found one about a thirty minute walk away from my apartment in the Third District (it was shorter to take public transportation there, but I wanted a nice walk) and headed over there. I bought yarn to make the Collections Cowl also by Meredith Willmott and yarn for some socks. I like knitting socks as it has become almost mindless for me to do because of how many I have made now. I am excited to get started on these projects and am also planning on making another garment or two while I am here (I think it is time to venture into cabling).

While I have only been in Vienna for about two weeks, it is already starting to feel like home and I am falling in love with the city. The easing into classes and format of the IES Abroad program I also really like because it has given more time to explore my home base for the next few months. I am planning my first travel weekend for next week, so be sure to stay tuned to hear more about it!