Sleeves & Shrugs & Captains & Paddlers

Forever & forever & forever... to finish knitting the sleeves on the Minimalist Cardigan. It's been weeks. The rest was fast and now this is as slow as molasses. Who knows why. I'm using dpns so I am knitting in the round to avoid seeming. This should be faster then back & forth, but still it goes on and on.

In contrast, the sleeves for the Textured Circle Shrug were complete in a few days. I did not do the pattern, hoping plain stockinette will look more slimming. I also added 4 rows of seed stitch to the edge. Used a stretchy, knit through the back loops bind off. Ready for the next installment of the Knit along, out each Thursday. Guessing the circle part is next.

Ironically, the day after I had a Water Taxi Captain yell, " Get out of here, you don't belong here", to me while I patiently waited for him to finish loading passengers & pull out of his berth rather than cross his stern, I attended the Captains & Paddlers meeting.

The concept is a great one, but as most participants kept saying, the paddlers (and captains I might add) who attended are the ones who don't really need to get this info. Such as always wear a pdf, use lights at night, don't cross in front of a moving/docking ferry, not all kayakers are brainless morons, etc. A little new info, but mainly the same old stuff I've heard a gazillion times from working on the Schooner & from fellow experienced paddlers. I was hoping we'd get a chance to go out on a ferry or something, but no. Just listening to speakers.

I really appreciate that we had top people there from the Coast Guard, NYPD, paddling clubs, etc. What I wouldn't give to have them give the same info to the uninformed (kayaking & small pleasure craft) masses.

Anyone can buy a kayak, which is a good thing, unless that waterway is shared with tugs, barges, ferries, cruise ships, etc.

I am not for regulating or licensing kayakers, but there should be some minimum standard of education. Perhaps, even a pamphlet you need to read, before you are allowed out there potentially endangering yourself and others. Maybe all kayaks should come with safety recommendation and like software you can't get a serial number to sit in your cockpit for the first time until you've read them. Ok, now I'm just being ridiculous.

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