I was hopping mad by the end of the school day. I texted with colleagues, then met with them. I talked to a friend while I drove home (thank goodness for dear friends who live far away so they can’t tell anyone what I *really* think). I expressed myself volubly to my partner. And then it was time for Knit Night.
I set myself up in the basement, which occasionally doubles as my office. I opened the laptop, plugged in the good light and the headphones, found my current knitting project (The Nightshift Shawl – swoon) and settled in.
I don’t know how I got lucky enough to join a group of wildly smart educators who knit while solving the problems of the world, but I did. We meet online for a couple of hours on Tuesdays in the best kind of group: Come when you can; share what you want; no worries if you can’t make it.
We talk about everything. Tonight we talked about funerals and how we love even difficult people. We laughed about Sunday School and premarital sex. We wondered about potential racist implications in phrases that don’t have racist origins. (Can I say “call a spade a spade“? Unclear.) We compared notes about whether or not educators with PhDs use the title “Dr” in our school boards or if they did when we were growing up. And somehow, hilariously, we ended up talking about teaching sex ed to 7th graders, explaining spontaneous erections and periods and suddenly we were bemoaning the influence of porn and some *very* dirty lyrics were posted in the chat and NO, it is emphatically not ok for 4th graders to know those and OH MY.
I will freely admit that I had to pull back the last row I knitted before we logged off; I’m pretty sure it was because I was giggling so hard. Some Knit Nights are tough: we don’t get the job we applied for or cancer treatment has worn someone out. Others are angry: racism and misogyny abound and sometimes we feel helpless. Occasionally (ok, often) we are ridiculously nerdy: after all, we’re basically a group of knitting librarians and English teachers; we’ve read *everything*. Always, always, these night are restorative.
I admit it: nothing is fixed. Tomorrow I will still have to go into work and deal with all the things that happened today. Still, I greet most Wednesdays in a slightly better mood because of a few hours of knitting and laughing. Really, who wouldn’t?
Persistence and Pedagogy 
Good morning
You are up early
Thank God for good friends
No, you can no longer use call a spade a spade
LY
LikeLike
Love this! And I’m so glad we found each other, too. Knit Night always feels like a safety net- ready to catch us when we fall or falter but still pushed you to take the risk.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, friend.
LikeLike
Amanda! You captured exactly how I felt about last night, and most Tuesdays. It is such a powerful thing to know that no matter how awful things feel, no matter that thr world is on fire, there is a place where I can rail at all of that, and find other people who need to do the same. I can also make something with my hands and laugh while railing. This post will get popped into the Flipboard!
LikeLike
Knit Night sounds great!
LikeLike
What a fabulous way to spend time. I am curious about what 4th graders know and those lyrics. Am I that naive? I wish I knew how to knit because I really want to eavesdrop on knit night, and while it may not solve the world’s problems, at least you’ll have a soft something to cuddle and ease the hard edges.
LikeLike
I love that you have this restorative time and these people.
LikeLike
It is great to get together with a group working on a project and discussing whatever comes up. It is a release from the tension of the day .
LikeLike
Knit Night sounds fabulous! And I love the nerdiness of English teachers and librarians having basically read *everything*. Glad you had the right outlet at the right time.
LikeLike
This sounds fabulous and the most perfect way to connect the threads of life both physically and emotionally! I take great joy in watching the EduKnighters from afar full of admiration for your work and collective gathering. What’s really interesting too, is that I think I picked up on some references to social media debates about titles, etc. and the narrative flows with the complexities of the emotions. Your writing is always so wonderful to read.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! I love the idea of this Knit Night. What a wonderful safety valve during these days to have a weekly group to connect and commiserate and celebrate with. Great slice!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I find so much metaphor in the “knit nights”, the doing and undoing of rows, the stitching up and letting out of things. I love that you are knitting together and sharing in each others joy and sorrow and pain and that you have a safe space to do so. Can I join? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fun peek into Knit Night. What I’m leaving with is not what you or I would’ve expected: I want to write the tale of the Knit Knight, who sports the finest in crocheted (not chain-mail) armor. A quick online search just now revealed to me a rich world of such stitchery is already under way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I desperately wanted to join this group! I even bought knitting needles and re-taught myself to knit. Alas, the scarf I started several months ago sits in the corner of the living room. Occasionally I move it to another spot, but I haven’t actually knitted anything on it since before Christmas. I am not a knitter! l
LikeLiked by 1 person