bus riders

Sunday night and I’m still tired. A month into adjusting to a new schedule, new outside work, and increased commuting, I figure it’ll take another month or two to recover my stride.

I’m spending daily chunks on public transportation. A week ago I watched the man in front of me on the bus crochet a hat at high velocity as we bumped along. Just when I was wondering if he was following a pattern, he carefully took off the wonderful hat he was wearing (and had obviously made) and placed the little hat-to-be, yarmulke-style, on his head, checking that the shaping was correct. By the time I got off he had it down to his ears.

Inspired by this sighting as well as by Jude over at Spirit Cloth who quilts while commuting, and having run out of reading material, I have started knitting while traveling. I thought I’d feel self-conscious but I’m far too absorbed for that. And when standing on the subway, I’m far too busy keeping my balance. (I’ve found that bracing against the door frame and keeping my knees bent works well.)

It’s amazing how much I can get done in these in-between times. I finished a beret in a few days, a bigger version of the Purl Bee pattern, which is being blocked as I write, stretched over a dinner plate.

5 Responses to “bus riders”

  1. jude Says:

    wow, great, i see you got the bracing down, i have all kinds of methods to stabilize myself, that photo of the in motion is great too. maybe we should start a club or something.

  2. boodely Says:

    LOL – we could have a recruitment drive! I can just see us approaching unsuspecting traveling crafters, wielding our needles and our URLs.

  3. katie Says:

    Love that hat. It truly is amazing how much knitting can be done when you work a few rows hither and thither. Good luck with the new schedule. I have just started a new one myself. I am waking MUCH earlier than I am used to. ‘Tis brutal. cheers.

  4. Barb Says:

    Enjoyed your observations; love your new hat. It looks like you! 🙂 You manage to make all of your stresses sound like wonderful adventures. Impressive.

  5. eliza Says:

    welcome to the wonderful world of knitting while commuting! Though sometimes I’m just squeezed in too tight to pull out my project, I have also found it’s a wonderful blurring of social lines. Be ready for some new friends on the bus! Love the hat! The color is gorgeous!

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