We might have broken a record

For Most Knitters on One Flight on My Return Home

On my trip over to Sweden, (a trip which requires three flights from Pittsburgh “International” Airport), as I explained in my last post, I brought my knitting.  During the second leg of the trip, I was seated next to a guy from Poland, with whom I struck up a conversation.  The man was traveling back from Florida where he had brought the body of a downed pilot from WWII home for a proper burial.  I thought it was so cool that this guy spends his free time looking for lost pilots and trying to bring their bodies home and give solace to families.  It was really a cool conversation and I was actually enjoying my flight.  After discussing what he was doing, the conversation turned to what I was doing – which was working on my wedding shawl.  As I explained what I was working on, he turned to me and said, “That’s a bit of an odd hobby”.

I know I shouldn’t have been shocked – most people have some kind of similar reaction, but this guy just told me that he spent his free time combing through documents and historical reports from World War II, so I thought maybe he would be a bit more into some of the hobbies that were big at the time.  If you didn’t know, knitters on the home front were called upon to knit socks, mittens, hats and other bits to keep our boys warm as they were fighting in various countries.  Knitters helped the war effort much in the way others did.

Any way, I digress.  The point is, the flight over was isolating and a bit disappointing.  But, thankfully, on the flight back, my luck had changed.  As I walked through the gate seating area, I spotted another knitter!  This one was a guy about my age, maybe a little older! I almost ran over to him and asked what he was working on, but I managed to keep my cool and my excitement in check.  I was the first one to my row of seats and hoped and prayed for an empty seat for the flight.  I wasn’t so lucky.  I was even luckier.  Rather than an empty seat, I had the pleasure of sharing the row with two wonderful ladies, both from different countries, who had become US citizens.  And one of them was a knitter!!!

Count that – there was me, which makes one.  There was the anonymous dude, which makes two.  And then there was this little woman from Lithuania who makes three!  We had three knitters on one international flight.  That might be a record!  I wish I had caught this woman’s name, but sometimes I think people don’t want to get personal on a plane and I can understand that.  Instead we talked about knitting, and the differences in our technique and the projects that we were working on.  I was amazed that she was knitting her grand daughter a sweater without a pattern.  She was in awe of the way I “throw” my stitches and of the shawl that I was working on.

I talked to her about the shawl, and how I was unsure of whether I would have to purchase another skein of yarn.  She thought for a minute, looked at my work and confidently told me that I should be OK.  It was so sweet and definitely an experience that will stick with me.  Alas, for the same reason that I did not grab her name, I didn’t try to sneak a picture of her work but I wish that I had.