Caught in Public

Getting caught crocheting in public is, I think, a lot of fun.  I view it as an opportunity to enjoy my surroundings while "sneaking in a few stitches" here & there.  There are very few places and times I won't do it -- mainly out of respect for various locations (church) and occasions (funerals, weddings).

I think one of my most interesting "emergency" public crocheting sessions was during a visit to the mid-1700s in 2004.  No, I don't have a time machine, but I do have relatives that enjoy that period of time and will thus dress and live as they did back then as a recreational hobby. 

I had just come from visiting the Patternworks shop in New Hampshire when my family stopped by the 1700s camp for a visit.  The spring air was crisp and my new baby niece needed a bonnet ASAP to help keep her warm.  The material had to be authentic; had to be pure.  They didn't have synthetics as we do now.  So I went through my newly acquired stash and pulled out a beautiful skein of crisp white cotton and about 45 minutes later had a bonnet (fitting for the time period) for the baby.  That left a huge impression on my relatives to the point the story is now a "legend" in the family archives.

I have crocheted in public several times since then, but the one time that sticks sharply in my children's minds is a day from last Summer when we went to watch a live baseball game.  It was the New York Yankees against Tampa Bay; the game that many people started leaving at the bottom of the seventh inning as they thought the Yankees would surely lose.  The Yankees were six runs behind.  But there was a sudden meeting at the mound, which I happened to pause long enough in my crochet work to snap the historical picture that turned the game around.  Along with the ending score, and my crocheting, my children still talk fondly about that day!

     "You know, Mom," said my son yesterday, "we're a lot alike.  You may not know a lot about baseball and all it's secrets, but you do know a lot about crochet.  And," he continued, "I may not know all about crochet or it's secrets, but I do know a lot about baseball."

     "Ah, you're right," I replied to him smiling, "isn't it great we can share our passions with each other?"  (Should I tell him there's actual ball fields that encourage patrons to bring their crochet & knit projects to work on??)                    {{grins}}


Readers, I'm interested in knowing what is the most unusual place you crocheted -- and what were you working on at the time?  Did you receive any comments while doing so?  Do you have a picture where you were caught crocheting in public?  If so, please share!