Hope breathes in Stockinette Wasteland! Sarah offered to help and has graciously taken over the body of the sweater while I fiddle around with the Fair Isle band on the beginning of the first sleeve. Sarah certainly has a vested interest in Maxwell’s Easter Sweater being finished in time for Easter, but she also said that she did not have any “boring knitting” on hand at the moment and needed some.

I completely understood what she meant. I try to keep a bit of “boring knitting” for short car trips — or long car trips when I get exasperated balancing several pages of instructions on one knee and two balls of yarn under my chin while digging around under the seat for the cable needle with one hand and clutching my knitting in the other. Stockinette is an excellent choice for mountain roads at 70 mph.

“Boring Knitting” is great for meetings, too. Although, I confess, I can seldom bring myself to knit at a meeting unless it is a large group and I can keep my needles discreet and low in my lap. And even then, I try not to look down any more than I can help. It is pretty awkward and I feel slightly guilty. I worry that people will think I am bored or that I think the meeting is unimportant. They might think I am not really listening. I also don’t particularly want to call attention to my knitting in these settings either. I don’t want to cause a distraction. Perhaps it is just my own squeamishness – so many others apparently knit with ease even in professional meetings.

So, I decided to give it another go. Last night, I had an informal meeting to attend – one where I knew I would have little to contribute, few notes to take, etc. It would take place in a living room and there would be a lot of talking. Maybe my knitting would just sort of blend into the surroundings.

I got my little sleeve past the Fair Isle and into plain stockinette (worked in the round on double-pointeds with increases every 4 rows), packed it into my bag with my notebook and pen, and set off.

Best to get it out in the open right off, I figured. So, as soon as I arrived, I sat down, pulled out my sleeve, and began knitting away while smiling rather idiotically at the ladies around me. I kind of pretended that my hands had a life of their own – like a small animal wiggling around in my lap while I exchanged pleasantries with the other committee members. Of course, my little charade fooled no one. Everyone dutifully commented: oh, what are you knitting…? oh, I wish I had learned to knit… oh, my aunt used to knit…oh, I tried to learn to knit once….I fell back (a little hard) on the sheepish line I had prepared: this is the sleeve for my grandson’s sweater and I am hoping to have it finished for Easter. And continued to smile. By then, everyone in the circle had had the opportunity to comment and we were ready top move on to business.

In retrospect, I am glad I took my knitting. (I got a few inches of sleeve done!) I proved to myself that I could do it. I also proved to myself that knitting in even the mildest kind of meeting makes me feel like an antelope. I probably won’t try it again anytime soon.