The Knitting Cruise to Alaska

What was it like?
There were glaciers . . .

In Sitka there were raptors being cared for. This juvenile bald eagle, who would never fly again because of her injuries, was in training to teach humans about her kind. She had a 9-foot wing span. She was gorgeous.

And bears . . . bears who had been orphaned and were being cared for in a refuge for them.

Just south of Ketchikan, at Saxman Village, there was a totem being born,

standing totems,

and a native dance in beautiful, ceremonial robes.

What did I like best about the cruise? The people and teaching the classes. Besides traveling with a congenial group of smart, generous knitters and the incomparable Orenburg Lace teacher, Galena Khmeleva, my girlfriend from when I was 3 and she was 5 flew in from FL to be my roommate and knockaround pal. We ate ice cream and laughed . . . both to excess.

Beyond the lovely people, the food was elegant and abundant, the service was friendly and impeccable, the scenery was . . . duh! it was Alaska y’all.

And, of course, there was yarn. Delicious yarn. I even brought some of it home to add to my stash which will surely exceed my life expectancy.*

Finally, thank you Melissa Gower, magician behind Craft Cruises. It was a pleasure going along for the ride.

• Regarding knitters with such stashes . . . some people collect salt and pepper shakers, others, hammers and socket sets, or fancy rocks and crystals, or motorcycles. We collect yarn. We curate our collections with an eye to beauty. It provides long hours of entertainment and meditation, AND,  we make beautiful things out of it. So begone critics! Just put a sock in it.