Friday the first

Happy February!! This is the wet grey flannel month with the one red spark of Valentine's Day. And then I can look for spring (dances with joy!)So I am knitting pink silk rather randomly to comfort my luxury-loving inner sybarite. The knitting may become a blouse or top. It may not. But it feels so good to work with, and the colors are so warm and happy. This is knitting for the kinesthetic pleasure of the movement, more than for the finished product. The Yarn Harlot defines the different kinds of knitters, and like the Pisces that I am, I tend to swim between them randomly. Sometimes I'm analytical, sometimes I'm product-oriented, sometimes I'm a knitting evangelical. Today, I just want that soothing rhythmic, repetitive motion. Years ago, weaving was taught as physical therapy in mental institutions because the large muscle repetitive movements soothed many of the more violent cases. Mostly, they produced miles of rag rugs. Even homocidal maniacs like to create something. But I don't have space to set up the loom, so I'll do small muscle repetitive movements, and keep cheery till warmer days.

Thanks for your wonderful responses to my ten things meditation. Sometimes, as I was working on it, my inner critic was saying, "Don't brag. No one likes a bragger." We are trained to minimize our pride and maximize our humility. What a crying shame. Really. No wonder we don't change the world. We've been taught not to think that well of ourselves. In self-defense classes, I learned that women fight much harder to defend one another than they will to defend themselves. Well, enough of that crap! You're good! You are dynomite and you are worth defending and extolling and praising and appreciating! Look. I bragged. I celebrated things that I'm proud of, and hey - no one has shunned me. Try it. It feels terribly akward and nekkid, but also quite satisfying - clear down in the pit of your stomache. Come on. Brag a little brag with me. What do you like about yourself? Can you come up with ten things? If your son couldn't find ten things he liked about himself, wouldn't you worry about him? If your best friend couldn't find ten things, wouldn't you point out a few salient items to her? So take care of yourself! Maybe you don't want to publish it, but try writing down ten things you like about yourself. It's like vitamins for the soul. And during the winter we especially need our vitamins.

Knitting at my house on Feb. the 9th. I'm going to do an Asian table setting, but the food is going to be European. Cookies and maybe deviled eggs. And a cake of some sort. Any requests?