It seems that themed cruises are all the rage these days, with everything from Jazz, classical, food and wine to heritage, art and murder mystery voyages all adding another dimension to the passengers’ cruise experience. Surely though, AMA Waterways are mining a very rich seam with the announcement of their Knitting New Year’s Cruise on the Danube river.
The voyage, set to take place between December 27, 2014 and January 2, 2015, is not just aimed at knit one purl one veterans and will focus on up-to-the minute patterns and techniques which will be of interest to the growing number of younger people taking up needles and joining in the DIY craft trend.
Kristin Karst, AMA Waterways Executive President explains: “Given the fast learning curve, cross-gender appeal, the social aspect and the impact of the Internet, it’s little wonder that knitting is such a growing trend. Knitting appeals to a younger generation these days, and we thought it would be a fun and creative outlet for our guests. This cruise will bring together a community of knitters and give them opportunities to learn new techniques, find inspiration for new projects, and show off their personal style and creativity.”
The inaugural cruise will be hosted by Barry Klein, President of the National Needlework Association and a prolific author and designer. It will feature classes on new techniques and patterns and is designed to bring together knitters of all abilities and generations, from dyed-in-the-wool old-school veterans to those who’ve passed on the lore through social networking mediums such as Twitter and Facebook.
Of course, cruisers will have plenty of time to rest their fingers and experience all the classic appeal of a river cruise as they visit the ports of Vilshofen, Linz, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest and there’s also a tour of Melk’s Benedictine Abbey, one of the world’s most famous monastic sites.
Though we can’t guarantee they’ll be joining you on the cruise, you’ll nevertheless be surprised by the star appeal of some of the world’s most famous knitters:
Meryl Streep – An avid knitter between takes, Meryl’s also been known to evangelise the craft to her co-stars while on set.
Uma Thurman – The Kill Bill star is reportedly as skilful with needles as she is with a samurai sword.
Christina Hendricks – The Mad Men actress can often be heard extolling her love of knitting during press interviews.
Catherine Zeta Zones – known for giving her work away as Christmas gifts, Catherine reportedly also taught her Zoro co-star Antonio Banderas to knit.
David Arquette – Youngest member of the Arquette acting dynasty, Scream star and avid knitter David was taught his skills by his grandmother.
By Simon Brotherton
Google
