The Knitting Cruise to Alaska

What was it like?
There were glaciers . . .

The Hubbard Glacier in Alaska
Cheryl thought the Hubbard Glacier was kind of short . . .Hubbard Glacier until we drew closer . . . (And it’s a LOT taller than it appears here, from a distance, from the seventh deck of a ship).

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.Eagle at the raptor center

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

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

standing totems, Cheryl Saxman Village

and a native dance in beautiful, ceremonial robes.

Saxman Village Dancer

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.Joni and Cheryl

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.

4 Replies to “The Knitting Cruise to Alaska”

  1. love the pictures…looks like you had a very nice time and glad your friend was you roommate!! One day, my boat will come in..lol

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *