Watercolors and Etchings by Homer

I liked Homer as much as the next guy, then I saw these etchings of women in an exhibit of Homer's prints at the Hyde. Men are the subtext, just off stage. These are women in the English fishing village where Homer lived for a time, and they are waiting for men in some form or another. (You can't see it on the computer version of the print Mending the Tears, but the shadow of a boat is emerging from the mist.) These two women must be passing the time waiting for men at sea to return, no task is too tedious when waiting.
I love how the knitter is captured in that moment that belongs to no other craft, the slackening of the yarn! When I was a little girl, I thought that was a gesture unique to my mother. She would raise her arm that way to punctuate a thought, or to pause and form a reply, usually "I'll think about it." It is a self-conscious moment for a knitter, returning to reality after the privacy of one's own thoughts.