When you're in Greece and your job gives you plenty of free time in the evenings and on weekends, what do you do? Do you plan a series of weekend getaways? Explore Athens' bar scene? Drink endless cups of coffee in a string of Greek cafes?
Although I admit to being tempted by the last option (and sometimes indulging in the first), I spend a lot of my spare time... crocheting. I know, I know, it's not exactly a Greek hobby, nor is it one that will help me meet people or explore exciting new places (except yarn shops, of course.) However, on the endless days when I'm stuck with nothing to do or, more commonly, no one to do it with, I give in to my hermit-like tendencies and spend hours with my crocheting.
Okay - so it's also not the most glamorous of pursuits, considering that the majority of those involved are above the retirement age. When knitting became trendy, somehow crochet got left behind. But my mother taught me to crochet when I was only about eight years old, and it's stuck with me in a way that knitting, which I tried years later, never did. It's also a bit of a family legacy, as both my great-grandmother and my great-aunt crocheted. And I'm actually getting quite good! After seeing a woman selling crocheted headbands in Meteora I thought, "I can do that! I can do that better." So I did, making an ear-warming headband out of spare blue and green yarn and adding a zig-zag around the edge. I also tried my first crocheted piece that isn't flat - a cute red hat for which I used a pattern I found online and that I managed to alter to fit my head.
And I finally found a yarn shop - at least three, actually. Thanks to Matt Barrett's website on all things Greek, I found out where they've been hiding. (If you ever find yourself planning a trip to Greece, do yourself a favor and visit Matt Barrett's website. His first-hand advice is incredibly helpful, and I wish he would just go ahead and write a book so I wouldn't have to keep looking stuff up!) I also found some really great shopping to drool over in the same area - a win-win situation.
So, just in case you needed proof that my life in Greece is truly as exciting as it seems, here it is: I crochet. Be jealous.
Although I admit to being tempted by the last option (and sometimes indulging in the first), I spend a lot of my spare time... crocheting. I know, I know, it's not exactly a Greek hobby, nor is it one that will help me meet people or explore exciting new places (except yarn shops, of course.) However, on the endless days when I'm stuck with nothing to do or, more commonly, no one to do it with, I give in to my hermit-like tendencies and spend hours with my crocheting.
Okay - so it's also not the most glamorous of pursuits, considering that the majority of those involved are above the retirement age. When knitting became trendy, somehow crochet got left behind. But my mother taught me to crochet when I was only about eight years old, and it's stuck with me in a way that knitting, which I tried years later, never did. It's also a bit of a family legacy, as both my great-grandmother and my great-aunt crocheted. And I'm actually getting quite good! After seeing a woman selling crocheted headbands in Meteora I thought, "I can do that! I can do that better." So I did, making an ear-warming headband out of spare blue and green yarn and adding a zig-zag around the edge. I also tried my first crocheted piece that isn't flat - a cute red hat for which I used a pattern I found online and that I managed to alter to fit my head.
And I finally found a yarn shop - at least three, actually. Thanks to Matt Barrett's website on all things Greek, I found out where they've been hiding. (If you ever find yourself planning a trip to Greece, do yourself a favor and visit Matt Barrett's website. His first-hand advice is incredibly helpful, and I wish he would just go ahead and write a book so I wouldn't have to keep looking stuff up!) I also found some really great shopping to drool over in the same area - a win-win situation.
So, just in case you needed proof that my life in Greece is truly as exciting as it seems, here it is: I crochet. Be jealous.
