The Very Special Shawl

Here is the seventh Isis shawl, made of that lovely thick-and-thin hand-dyed cotton I wrote about in my last entry. The Isis shawl is the pattern I chose to use for calming comfort work the week after Patrick's death, and over this last year I've posted pictures of the previous six shawls. I've given four of them away, the last one to my friend Cathie upon the loss of her daughter Lydia in December.

It is a very special pattern to me because of that connection. And because I began calling it the Isis shawl when I discovered it reminded me of Isis' wings when it is spread out and then months later read that the Isis myth is considered to be an archetype of grief and mourning. I read that in a book about losing a child. Synchronicity - yes!



On this one, I added to the inside back neck a small peace sign
because it was a gift to:

Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war activist whose son was killed in Iraq.

I was asked to make "something special" for her as a gift from Terre Haute Stop War on Iraq - our local group that formed in opposition to this war months before the war began.

I had the honor and pleasure of presenting it to Cindy at the beginning of her speech here in Terre Haute yesterday.

In the presentation, I told her it was knit with thoughts of her and her journey throughout, with admiration for her speaking truth to power, with profound hope for peace in the world.
I said I hoped she would feel it as a hug from one grieving mother to another. And I got to tell her that the Terre Haute activists for peace and justice think she rocks.

She was warm and generous of spirit and she gave me a big hug and quietly asked me what happened to my son. Then she proceeded to wear the shawl during the speech and in the lobby where she signed books and spoke with people afterwards.

I was as impressed with her speaking in person as I have always been impressed by her television interviews. She is articulate, knowledgable, and has a powerful but calm presence, and holds her own quite well when dealing with those who confront her with hostility. (And, boy, does she get confronted!)

On a lighter note, earlier this week I was running about saying I'm SO glad Cindy Sheehan is 6 feet tall. That's because the shawl came out much bigger than all the others I made because the yarn was thicker and needles larger. I had seriously considered taking out the final section (about 12 rows, looooooong rows) and reworking the edging row. And then I googled "how tall is Cindy Sheehan" and was astonished to actually have at the top of the list a link to a bio that had her height. My friend Cathy, who had met her at Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas, confirmed it. So it was actually serendiptous that the shawl came out so much larger than I'd expected.

In this picture, she is describing to me the very large peace pipe she was given at a previous speech, and saying she is happy that the shawl will be a bit easier to pack and carry.


peace,
'Zann