Hobbies

Working on ships, it is nice to have a hobby to keep busy. When I first started ships, I was shocked bby how many people knit or crochet in their down time, but it makes sense because knitting is portable and doesn't take up a whole lot of space. I thought about learning to knit, but never really pursued it.

My friend Jo knits and crochets like crazy. Give that girl some wool and she will have a complete project within a few days. I realized how much she loves it when we were in Iceland and I asked her what her plans were. She replied, "I've heard of a few great wool stores and I have some birthday money so I am going to go buy tons of yarn for some projects I want to do." That is actually what she did.

I mentioned to Jo, in passing, that I thought I would enjoy needle work, so on our next port day she took me to a wool store (well, it was actually a grocery store that had an entire wool section), helped me choose some yarn to learn with, and sat down with me that night to help me start a scarf.

I wish I had "before" pictures of the wool or at least a picture of my first efforts, but I guess you will have to wait to see the finished project. I refuse to let my scarf look like a first try , (I don't want sympathetic comments like, "It was a good effort), so I ripped it out a few times but I now have a few feet completed. My next project is going to be a hat.

I have learned that I really love knitting because I can do it while watching tv, reading, even while sitting in the OB and talking to friends. As a fidgetter, I like having something to do. Jo and I have taken to having girls' nights on the last night of the cruise (the only night I am off work by 7:00pm instead of 10:00pm) where we knit, eat junk food, and watch either Big Bang Theory, SNL, or the Olympics (my friend Krista's mom recorded the Olympics and sent them on DVD). Sometimes others join us, but we are usually the only two who knit.

I apologize in advance because I am really excited about this skill so all my readers my have to put up with pictures of my projects while I learn. Something to look forward to!