“Bermudiana” Preview

Sara Wolf, teacher on the marvelous Sheep Ahoy Knitter's Cruise, designed a shawl especially for the cruise. Drawing on the sand, shells, and hibiscus flowers of Bermuda, the shawl features a scalloped lace edge (sand) and lightly beaded lace "flowers." Since I misunderstood the pre-cruise instructions for what yarn to bring for the edge (oops!), …

Knitters Not Knitting (At Least, Not All the Time)

The Sheep Ahoy Knitter's Cruise (and all the non-knitting Muggles) docked at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda for 2 1/2 days, giving us plenty of time to explore and work on our shawls. Mom, Cathie, and I walked around the dockyard, a former military installation that's been converted to highlight historic, artistic, and tourist …

Knitting at Sea

Long-time readers of the blog know that this is not my first knitting cruise; in fact, it's my third -- last fall, we went to Canada and Maine and two years ago to Bermuda. Of course, even regular readers (some of whom are family) are a bit bemused by the notion of a knitter's cruise. …

Sheep Ahoy & We’re Off!

The fourth annual Sheep Ahoy Knitter's Cruise has just set sail for Bermuda! Mom (Nancy) and I are on board for our second trip together. She's a veteran of all four! Dear friend Cathie has come from Vancouver for the adventure. We are very sad that fellow Canadian and dear friend Barb had to cancel because of …

Taking the “Eeks!” out of Steeks

One of the captivating aspects of knitting is the engineering of the craft. It's ingeniously simple -- everything's made with two basic stitches -- but the variety, complexity, beauty, and artistry are endless. Various techniques are used to transform knits and purls into beautiful works of all kinds -- fine lace, Fair Isle sweaters and …

Save the Date: Sheep Ahoy Knitters’ Cruise 2014

I'm thrilled that the amazing Shelley Leahey and Patti Crooks, wonder travel agent, have organized the third Sheep Ahoy Knitters' Cruise. October 19 - 26, 2014 (not 2013 -- you've got time!) Ship is the Royal Caribbean's "Brilliance of the Seas" from Boston to Halifax, Nova Scotia; St. John, New Brunswick; Bar Harbor and Portland, …

All Knit & No Play? Never!

On Wednesday, our final day in Bermuda, we had a mellow morning -- at least, I did. I had a lovely, 3.5 mile walk around the ship, about 11 times around the 7th floor deck. Then breakfast and a couple of hours of writing work for a client. I made a quick trip to a …

Bermuda Knits

As promised, here's a photo of Barb's triangle scarf. She is one speedy and talented knitter. Mom, Cathie, Barb, and I have spent the past 2 1/2 days enjoying Bermuda, someplace I've never been before. After we arrived mid-day Sunday, we walked around the King's Wharf Royal Dock area, a former military installation that's been …

Shawls from the Top Down and Square from the Middle

In addition to the Albers Cowl, we've had workshops on knitting a top-down shawl and another on a square shawl, knit from the middle out. Ann's instruction has been spot-on -- just the right mix of explanation, theory, and flexibility. She's generous with her knowledge, which is extensive, clear in her instruction, and patient in …

Laugh Track

Cathie thinks she's read somewhere that the human body needs one good laugh per day to stay healthy. At this rate, we'll be the healthiest women on the planet -- or at least on this cruise. On Saturday, she, Barb, Mom, and I enjoyed about seven good tear-inducing belly laughs. Yesterday I lost count at …

Knitting Cruise

I know that most people don't understand knitting. It's not just that they don't know HOW to knit (although I'm pretty sure almost everyone could learn); it's that they don't understand how someone could enjoy knitting -- and the company of fellow knitters -- so much. You can see it in their eyes, When I …