Specifically, sandals.

(Again, the disclaimer – I am American, of English and German ancestry. I am really really impressed by rather mundane Indian things. If you are similarly American, you may be impressed. If not, well, be patient with me.)

I love these sandals.

They are the kolhapuri variety, often referred to as “kolhapuri chappals.”

I love them even though they are still hella stiff and  have given me a bruise as I break them in. I love them even though the bottoms are slick and I slipped on my back steps while wearing them. In my mind these events are really all my fault for having (a) gigantic American feet and (b) the lack of foresight involved in wearing slick shoes on slick steps.

For these are awesome.

Mine are made out of camels. Not the whole camel. Just the hide. They do not smell like camels (I checked). They smell like leather and I dug through a big pile of shoes to find them and unlike my khussa shoes (which I foolishly wore into puddles) they do not soak through on wet ground. They are thick-soled enough to walk on gravel! And now that it’s warming up in the ATL, they’re good for summer wear, because they’re both casual enough and dressy enough to wear with many different sorts of outfits, skirts or pants. Win!

And in other news, I have found a buddy to do my dye experiment with (*waves at Lea*), and she comes with a camp stove and a big pot (another problem solved) so I should order supplies soon. We worked on the choli pattern last night and discovered another, easier way to do it, which I will test later on this week. In the meantime, I spun up some more of the vegetable-dyed roving, transferred what was on the spindle to a spool, and began a new bit. I should have enough yarn when I’m done to knit something of a decent size, or many somethings of a smaller size. We shall see (but I have a good 12 more ounces left to spin, so I’ll have to wait a while).