The Witch of Pungo Shawl by Jessie Booth

The Witch of Pungo Shawl

Knitting
August 2010
Fingering (14 wpi) ?
US 4 - 3.5 mm
English

erratta:
I state that rows 2-6 should be repeated for the mesh portion, but it is actually rows 3-6. The new download reflects that.
New
KAL started here: http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/phat-fiber-sampler-box/124...

As a child I spent four glorious years living on the beach in Virginia. There is so much
history in the Virginia Beach/Chesapeake Bay area it seemed to permeate the salty air
that sprayed ashore. It was common knowledge to the children of the area that,
Blackbeard buried treasure there, that it was where Pocahontas saved Captain John
Smith’s life, and that the Witch of Pungo sailed to England in an eggshell.
Grace Sherwood was the only “witch” in Virginia to have been tried by water.
The local townsfolk bound her and threw her in a river for the ‘test’. Grace was an avid
swimmer and was able to float and sealed her fate to be condemned for witchcraft. She
was thrown into prison for some 8 years and eventually released.
Was Grace really a witch? I highly doubt it. I do think she was a knowledgeable
woman, skilled in herbal healing and the natural world and this wisdom was threatening
to some of her neighbors.
I was inspired by Grace Sherwood’s courage to create this shawl pattern, in hopes
that the wearer can be reminded to both smile in the face of adversity and to reflect on her
story before casting judgment on others.