I warned you accounts of the trip would not be chronological.  Nor would they be terribly, um, edited.  I’m going with a more free-form approach.

You remember how I mentioned Maine seemed to be a particularly fiber friendly sort of place?  My first thought was that this had something to do with the winters (a bit brisk I’ve been told).  Upon second thought, it seems it might also have something to do with the proximity to water.  Water and string-like things seem to go together.

This was driven home when we visited the Fisherman’s Museum at the lighthouse on Pemaquid Point on the Monday after Rhinebeck.  It’s full (and I mean full…like borderline tripping hazard full) of cords and ropes and all sorts of goodness.

I love this, and am still waiting to find one of these weights washed up on the beach.  I know it’s unlikely (one assumes they’d, um, sink), but I’m going to keep looking.

There were also nets.  Piles and piles and piles of nets (which reminds me, I found a big whack of net last year and never did do what I had in mind for it…I should dig that up).

But lest you fear it was all string and no knitting, behold, a pair of very functional and well-used mittens.

And most amusing of all, this thing called a knitted bait bag.  Now I looked, and it doesn’t look quite like knitting to me.  So I did some reading, and apparently the word knitting has a specific meaning when it comes to making netting that is a bit different than what you likely first think of.  I find myself rather fascinated.  Especially after I read this article about a gentleman who makes these things, and saw this contraption for making something similar.

Add in the fact that we found several of them as we scrambled over various beaches (a few of which The Boy actually put on his head…despite knowing full well what was likely in them at some point in their briny past), and my fate was sealed.  I confidently predict the creation of some sort of bait bag inspired hat in the not-too distant future.  Funny smells not included.