it's what we do, when the television is on and we want to take a phone call, what we wish we could do when someone is talking endlessly about something we may have a different opionion about.... i get a sense that our society would like to keep women who have experienced homelessness on mute...
but today it was noisey. many voices chattering over tea - women from different cultures, countries, with different belief systems all coming together for an afternoon of art. today we were learning how to make knee pads. one woman stated that they would be really helpful when she had to go back to the streets - good for keeping her knees warm. we thought that once we are done we will photograph us all wearing them! the pattern is not too complex, a ribbed stitch, moving into a shaped purl for the knee and then back to the ribbing (k2, p2) - if we figure out how to write a pattern down i may post it. right now we have an example that we are studying.
some of the women talked about the group itself, and that it was helpful. just to spend some time where there were no rules, where beauty was deemed an inherent part of life. and perhaps also it is a place where women can make some of what they have lost. a scarf, mittens, a sweater or hat. a picture for a wall. small and essential parts of life.
and we may well be knitting outside soon. we have decided that we would like to take our work onto the streets in order to bring more awareness of homelessness and what people in poverty face. stay tuned.
