Last weekend was our annual town meeting, which had been postponed from the previous week due to heavy snow. If you've never had the experience of attending a bona fide town meeting, you are missing something. It is the remnant of democracy at its best - one person, one vote, all voters getting a chance to stand up and speak if they so choose! It was perfect timing as far as I was concerned. I'm teaching Ancient Greece in my social studies classes and we had just been discussing the development of democracy in Athens. I challenged my 6th graders to come to town meeting for at least a bit, to see for themselves something of what was intended. (Only one showed up, but that's another story!). Town meeting does require a commitment of time - our meeting lasted about 6 1/2 hrs, but where else can you literally stand up and be counted? The big money items, which are usually discussed for what seems like for ever, usually result in a secret ballot, but in this particular meeting we also used voice vote, and a stand up vote. I'm always amused when we approve a huge expenditure for a $2 million bond, and then spend 2 hours fighting over whether to spend $5000 on a repair item. It's sad to see this experience dying out. Too many of us just don't have a day to devote to discussion and voting. Most minds aren't changed by the sometimes heated discussion, and we'd rather just take 10 minutes to go in and cast a ballot. Years ago Town Meeting Day was a holiday of sorts --- every thing else was put on hold so that the voters could meet. I make a point of making sure my students learn that in ancient Athens, voting wasn't just a right, it was a duty. Citizens who failed to vote were fined!
So what does this have to do with socks? Easy! Town meeting is a perfect excuse to sit and knit and know that aside from being a good citizen, you have a good long spell to sit and knit! I started this sock using a basketweave pattern from my sock bible - Sensational Knitted Socks.
I'm using Regia Strato and size 2 circular needles. The color isn't coming out well - it's a navy background with lighter blues, browns, and tans.
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