Council Shawls

         

I have a confession—I have been knitting during council meetings for months now. I started when we were receiving Covid updates at the beginning of the pandemic, because we were off camera and no one could see that I was working away on my sweater jacket under my desk. When we came back on camera I was good for a while, just doodling on my notes, but….my new shawl was calling to be finished and I wanted to see how the final design would emerge; I broke it out at a work session.  We were looking at slides, which are always too small for me to read anyways, so….

I have finished two shawls.

I have long known that knitting, doodling, playing with the putty they give you to strengthen your hands after an injury, all helps people focus. I have never stopped a student from knitting in class—we have gone through several cycles in my years at CHS—and have occasionally helped out with a dropped or a weird stitch. One common beginner mistake is still named after Thomas, who was working on a scarf for his girlfriend in class for several weeks. I also know that Eleanor Roosevelt, a model of political productivity if there ever was one, knit blankets during long meetings. So, why should I hold back? Hauling wool, needles, and pattern down to Council Chambers along with a big packet could be daunting, but I am at home. Who would know?

And that is what I thought for several months. If you were not watching me every moment, you would not see the occasional long arm reach to free a tangle of yarn or the shawl emerging from under my desk to settle the needles. And then I saw a screen shot of council one night. Everyone else is scowling at their second monitor, trying to read the slides. But there I am, serenely working under the desk, Knit Faced, just listening. You can tell.

I have finished my second shawl now. I have a third planned, but then….if three skeins of Brown Sheep yarn landed on my doorstep, you too could have a Council Knit shawl.