Knitters are Never Alone

If you knit, you will never be alone.

Our cruise ship had about 4,200 passengers and 1,733 crew members. The 2nd day at sea we had an informal knit group that met every sea day. One lady was working on a massive crochet blanket…it travelled in it’s own suitcase! She finished it on this cruise. Another had only brought 1 sock project with her…she was knitting slowly so she wouldn’t finished too quickly. Still another was a beginner knitter making a cotton scarf because wool was too itchy. On the last day I saw her project…she had ripped it all out and started again because “it had holes”. Another brought a hat kit that she had bought on a previous cruise to Alaska. Still others came to the group thinking they were going to learn how to knit. (note to self, next time take some extra yarn and needles to share). The best part was even though we came from different places with different backgrounds we were instantly friends because we all loved yarn and creating.

Knitting brings people together. Often in the afternoon I would relax in the café with a cup of tea and my knitting. People I had never met before came over and asked about what I was making. Telling me about their mothers and grandmothers who knit. Asking about my wool, telling me about their current project (which they left at home and now regretted). Even the entertainment director shared how he had to learn to knit in school. Turns out it was actually latch hooking, but still, fibre related!

Knitting is a universal language. Not everyone on the ship spoke English, but it wasn’t a barrier to enjoying knitting together. Many women (and a few men) had to come and touch my project. And even if we couldn’t understand the words, we understood that we had a mutual love for fibre and creating. One of the crew members, trying to ask what I was making finally asked “what part of your body does this cover when you are finished?” Another lady in broken English painstakingly told me about the baby sweater she was making for her grandson. I saw her later knitting during a concert. Her sweater was beautiful!

The lesson I learned this cruise? If you want to make new friends, knit in public!