Among the many journalists who covered the inauguration last week was Rhonda Hodge, who writes for The Murphy Messenger, her hometown paper in Texas. Even though her paper is small and is published only twice a month, Hodge was able to secure press credentials for the event. Both Rhonda, and her bright orange knitted and felted hat were there for the occasion. Listen to the full story on NPR.
From the Cast On Drop.
I was home, knitting through the whole day, resulting in the loveliest bowknot scarf: two green leaves at the ends, with a slot to slip one end through the other. Secure, like our fine country is now with our wonderful new president, the scarf is my reminder of our new peace.
I must say, as fate would have it, I was at home as well, knitting a scarf that I had started to knit after Christmas. It is black and white; stitched in one of the those shadow kind of knitted stitches with the garter edges that causes one edge of about 5 stitches to reflect the black color and then the other edge white, like a deeper dimensional relief painting. If you hold it one way it reflects the opposite color and if you tilt it 180 degrees it becomes the other color. As I read some comments here it became more important to me to make sure to knit this scarf now and finish it, although it really just began as a ‘try-out’. It can be a nice reminder for me and for my family too of how far our country has come with healing since the civil rights movements of days gone by. I live in and around many southern rural towns that even now have not yet come as far as they should have by now. Continuing to live in conflict rather than with tolerance, acceptance, and even love for one another in the light of so many that have fought the battles before us for human rights. Maybe I’ll see the scarf in years to come, and hope that my grandchildren will not have to be reminded of a day when the color of a persons skin mattered so much that it needed to even be discussed. This thing has been talked about enough, and it should be over by now. The scarf is made more beautiful by the contrast that the two color of yarns offer in its appearance. In the world of the scarf the two colors once put up against each other, create a beauty, not a defeat. We should be an example like the scarf, of a work of art, created to compliment one another simply by our colors, and how they represent this ability to do good, instead of bad. Black and white, and many other colors represent America and the beauty that lies therein. I may not have even voted for our particular president this time, but I still have learned this much; I have to give him a chance and get to know him, and I am, reading often of him in the papers, books and magazines. I will stand behind him as the ideal of who our president should stand for, equality and freedom. And, I feel that he does reflect that when given a chance. The president should be respected, and by our patriotism, we should show our true colors, in contrast, or in conflict. We are all under that same flag that waves red, white, and blue.
Imagine to search the Internet and find myself on this wonderful Knitting website. How gracious of you to include me in your posting.
I also host a stitching group at my local Starbucks in Murphy once a month. My fellow stitchers were so supportive of my trip to the Inauguration – one lady even loaning me warm, insulated boots and a coat for my trip. Aren’t stitchers, of all kinds wonderful.?
Also, while in D.C. the night before the big event, I noticed an attractive young lady with a pretty velvet hat on in the crowd. The hat was like the ones from the 40’s or 50’s (sometimes with an attached veil) and I had to take a picture of her in it. While we chatted I shared with her my “Orange Hat” story and she told me the story of the scraf that she was wearing. She had knitted it with a hand-dyed seaweed yarn from a local craftsperson in the area. It was quite lovely and definitely needed for the cold evening. She also passed on another knitting website, which I will check out soon. Right now I am working on a sweater that I started on while on my Planes, Trains and Automobiles Adventure to the Inauguration. I don’t usually attempt such large projects, but it’s a new day, with new opportunities and if I can be in the cold for many, many, many hours with over 2 million strangers, I can do almost anything!
Thanks again for the mention and I will take a stroll around your site.
Sincerely,
Rhonda B. Hodge