that's haute

so yesterday i was wearing the textured stripe scarf on the subway. it has always puzzled me how in winter inside areas are overheated. i mean, if it's very cold out, you'll most likely have a heavy coat, scarf, gloves, hat, etc. why on earth would you want to enter public transit where it was hotter than in summer? are you meant to take off all your layers? where will you put them? and aside from the heat and cumbersome apparel there is the oppressive artificial dryness. argh.
but this is neither here nor there.
so yesterday i was wearing the textured stripe scarf on the subway. i was also working on another scarf for my mother for christmas. after knitting for a good 20 minutes i got up and walked towards the door. a woman who had been staring at me in a manner i had previously deemed hostile turned to me and spoke. i removed the acid house kings' dulcet tones from my ear and asked her to repeat herself. "did you knit that one too?" "why yes, i did." "it's lovely."

it's been a while since someone talked to me randomly on the subway. it's something new yorkers don't do. you don't make eye contact on the street. you don't give money to the homeless if they're begging in a bar. you don't walk on the left. and you certainly don't talk to strangers on the subway.

unless, apparently, they're knitting.