The "pasttime" of sailors

I've spent a lot of time on this ship knitting.  One of the things I was excited about when I got accepted to School of Rock was that I would be able to knit on a boat, just like a real sailor.  Well, like sailors from Northern Europe used to do--I don't know about other parts of the world, or modern sailors.

It's been great to keep my hands busy during lectures, since it doesn't require use of my ears.  During little 3-5 minute breaks, I pick it up.  What you see there was all just balls of yarn when I got on the R/V JOIDES Resolution.  It drapes quite a ways down below the picture frame, too.  One of the instructors, Leslie S. (who also knits) pointed out that I am lucky to have a hobby like this that can give me a little bit of personal time onship.  For a boat this big, there is very little space to feel private.  I can only imagine what it is like for those who spend two months, or even longer, living on ship and working 12 hour days, every day.  It is almost like a vocation. 

The upside is that we (the School of Rock-ers) are really feeling like part of a team.  There is always someone there to help you understand what is being talked about, to show you how to do a lab, to enter information to make labels for your sediment samples, to help livecast to Japan--basically whatever you need, someone wants to be there for you.  It goes back to our original conversation, back in San Diego, about how science requires a team effort.  We are getting to live that team effort, and are making our own contributions to the R/V JOIDES Resolution team. 

Right now I am a mixture of "I can't wait to get off this boat" and "oh no!  I'm almost leaving this boat and all my new friends!"  I am lucky in that I live in Austin, so I can drive to College Station and at least see some of the faculty and science staff that I have met on this trip.  But for most of my team, this may be the last time I see them, and that feels strange. 

If you are a knitter, and the picture above is confusing you, it's because I took it with my laptop, which for some reason takes mirror image pictures (note the letters on my jacket).  So in real life, the ball-end of the yarn is held by my left hand, and I am knitting continental (aka "picking") with the working needle in my right hand.  I'm knitting as much as I possibly can, since we get off the boat in two short days!