38 Across

Yesterday, while flipping through channels, I happened upon an episode of MASH. Imagine my surprise when I saw Hawkeye knitting! It was an episode about the characters trying to find ways to stave off the boredom of downtime during war. The episode is titled "38 Across" because they find a crossword puzzle.

Truth be told, I never saw him make an actual stitch (though he faked at starting a couple), but I thought it was interesting. He was holding the working yarn in the continental style. That's how I was taught.

If you're interested in helping our current troops stave off this same boredom.... please sign up for Books For Soldiers. You can "adopt" a single soldier or a whole troop. There are people with specific requests and some that are just asking for anything ("for the love of god, send some entertainment!"). You can even browse for certain areas of assignment, from Germany to Iraq to the hospitals where they are recovering from injury.

Some of them are even asking for knitting/crocheting supplies! Also, if you are willing to send a whole care package here's some great items to include:

Wet wipes (handy when there's no shower)
Packs of tissue (handy when there's no T.P.)
Sunscreen and lip balm
Cans of tuna
Individual packs of drink mix (i.e. Crystal lite)
Hard candy (chocolate's just going to melt)
Peanut butter and crackers (or other snacky foods that'll travel well)
Any hygiene products (toothpaste, waterless soap, lotion)
Deck of cards, dominoes, other non-battery related games
Pictures of home (even if it's not theirs, trust me, they'll appreciate it)
Amazon/eBay/Etsy/etc. gift cards
Phone cards
Handknit/Crochet helmetliners

Supporting friends, Ruth!