I long to be able to knit — sweaters for my children, shawls, hats, and mittens — but I knit squares and rectangles. I can’t count stitches, I need to look up directions any time I have to do anything beyond a regular knit stitch. But recently, I dug up two matching needles (which was quite a feat in my house) and a variegated skein of yarn, I cast on, grabbed a basket and I started knitting.
I am not knitting curled up on my couch with a cup of coffee, I am knitting in my classroom. I am doing my work.
As my work can attest, I am not staring at the needles when I knit, I look down for a second when I start the stitch, and then I am scanning the classroom. It is amazing that there is always space to sit near the child or children that are a little unsettled.
I am modeling work, respect, concentration, commitment to a project. How’s it going? Some days better than others. There are days where I don’t have a second to take my work off the shelf and do a row, other days where I can sit and knit for what seems like ages (but is really about 5 minutes).
