some people...

Having talked about myself a lot this week, and getting a little uncomfortable with it now, I would like to direct your attention to some people today who I much admire.

Some people know how to add color, and art, and gracefulness, to our lives. By being who they are, they open up new worlds to you. I would like to encourage you to take your time with these, because one entry will not give you the whole story. Read each one as if it's the only blog you're reading today, or the only site your visiting. I think they deserve it.

moonstitches is a German woman living in Japan. She knits, crochets, sews, takes breathtaking photographs. The reason I am talking about her today is because she took pictures at the Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival. Link your way to her flickr pictures.

Amy lives in Israel, and she makes many things with equal attention to detail. Her baking always looks so scrumptious, I just want to go straight to her house and plop myself down at her kitchen table! Then there's her cards. And her knitting. Just check a few of her posts, and you'll know what I mean. ( Amy also just gave me an award, and I hope to have returned the favor. See her Jan 26th entry.)

Jared at brooklyntweed had me at...oh I don't know. His blog and pictures, his spinning and knitting are so incredibly comforting. Is that a weird thing to say? Well, take a look for yourself.

Barbara Bash. I had the good fortune to meet her and spend the entire weekend with her last weekend at the retreat. She is a very deep, thoughtful, creative woman. That's all I need to say.

Spidey. Smiles!

Quick! Slow down!

Thank you, thank you everyone that wrote to me. The comments and Happy Birthdays are still coming in. That's my favorite part: knowing I am surrounded by dear friends like you.

To give you some Thursday reading, here's an article from the New York Times (Of course. It's my homepage). You must go to the second page of the article to see the picture of the Icelandic knitter making a rug with giant cables on giant needles out of wool made only from sheep that she met personally.

Of course, to have caught the paper's attention, things needed to be extreme, like that rug. But don't you just want to say, Yeah? So? We knitters have known all along that slow, as in hand made, is good. We even go to sheep and wool festivals and pet sheep and buy fleeces and spin them!

I don't think I have to put a speed bump in my living room any time soon.

January 30th, 1963

Today's date is one that has more significance for me than you might think.

It's my 45th birthday, but going to school in Germany, I would never forget this date for another reason.

On January 30th, 1933, Hitler was "elected" chancellor. Exactly 30 years before I was born.
Coming to the United States as an exchange student to the State University at Albany, where I eventually got my MA in English, people would detect my accent and ask me where I was from.

The Germany I knew was a modern society where the government took good care of its citizens: mandating, for example, was the every new mom is able to stay home with her baby for one year and still get her job back.
As students, we were able to participate in protest marches, whether it was against some silly school policy (we thought) or a larger issue like acid rain.
Everyone in Germany enjoys freedom of speech, health care, a great public transportation system, free elections, all the good stuff. (It's not utopia there, or one I am creating because the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence... dont' get me wrong. My entire family lives there and I know they have their struggles just like everyone else.)

When I first came here, I was always eager to talk about my country, and tell people all the good aspects. But in most cases, when they found out that I was from Germany, a kind of shadow would run across their face.

It took me years to figure out why. Because to them, the only connotation they had with Germany was the holocaust. It made me so sad, that I as an individual could evoke such horrible connotations wherever I went. As if I had stepped right out of 1945 and no time had elapsed and we had suddenly landed in 1983. Had nobody ever read Heinrich Boell? Or seen a movie by Rainer Werner Fassbinder? As I was studying literature, I was surprised to find out how many students knew so little about the way intellectuals, writers, poets, and filmakers had been trying to come to grips with Germany's past.

I began to work really hard on losing my accent. In some cases, I would evade the question where I was from entirely. I was perpetually amazed that Jewish aquaintances would even want to talk to me...for I felt that I was carrying the guilt of an entire nation around with me. I did not deserve to be respected. One of my jokes became: "I was born guilty -- I am German, and a Lutheran!"

Of course I was so self-conscious for many years, that it took me a while to figure out how utterly gracious and forgiving people can be. As my awareness grew, more grace came my way. For that, I am grateful.

As to this date? See for yourself.

Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on January 30th, 1948.

Dick Cheney has a birthday today.

Then Ms JK Rowling decides to give Harry Potter's mom the same birthday as me. A tad older, but still. Killed by you-know-who.

Hitler, horrible violence, Dick Cheney. I keep waiting to see what might happen to me one day, but then I remember that I am just a little ant and not famous at all and I am here to spread goodwill, and grace, and thankfulness for all the wonderful people that happened to me.

For example, just last week, I found out that the Great Norah Gaughan and I share the same birthday! She told me so herself.

I hope you all have a wonderful day today, whether it's your birthday, or not!

Contemplative Knitting Retreat at Sky Lake Lodge, Jan 25 - 27, 2008

Right off, I must tell you that I am struggling to find just the right words to describe what happened this past weekend.

I had been invited to co-teach a Contemplative Knitting retreat with Elaine Yuen.

I'll start with the place.

Sky Lake Lodge:


View from my window:



People. Here's Elaine and I (I have the strong urge to crop myself out of this picture. Somehow I do not look happy. I want to tell you that I was very happy.)

Inside. This is the shrine room where we went for meditation every morning and evening.

Elaine's soothing yet strong voice led us gently through the practice.

Our circle of women.

The workshop.

We are gathered around our table. Everyone had been asked to bring a bunch of leftover yarns. This exercise was about letting go of old patterns, literally and figuratively, by letting go of these yarns. We remembered what they were used for, one by one, and put them in the middle. We heard stories that were very moving, and funny, and long, and short, all equally important. Most had an easy time letting go.

Time to reflect, time to break up old patterns, and get ready for a new adventure.

We are sorting and selecting, regrouping the yarns, gathering them in a new order, and are trying to think what to do with them.

There will be no pattern that will tell us what to make. I only make suggestions. Everyone is invited to ignore what I suggest.

Some made crazy balls, some made small butterflies of yarn, some gathered whole balls of yarn in unusual combinations of texture or color.

Gretchen's beautiful handspun next to a piece of fabric. We saw many convergences like this: the yarn had a long story, the fabric was bought last minute. By someone 200 miles away.

We have cast on. My stipulation was to cast on 50 stitches.

Hand Made.

I need help with that - can you show me?

Once everyone got used to the project they cast on, I had every knitter pass their project on to their neighbor. We were practicing non-attachment. It was a powerful experience.

We not only switched projects and yarns, we also switched needles and needle sizes.

Elaine made sure we stayed grounded and reminded us to come back to our bodies and our breath.

Hands that know just what to do.

Smiles!

Second day: unfortunately, we had to wrap things up.

Here are some results of non-pattern, contemplative knitting. I want to encourage everyone to do this at least every once in a while, in between projects that demand strict adherence to a pattern. It is amazing what happens.

Connie was the picture of joy when she completed her piece!

All the pieces together would make a really cool ....blanket? Wall art? Dog bed?

Handspun next to cotton with lycra next to a different handspun next to...and more interesting things to be revealed by the crazy ball.

I'll take your suggestions for naming this one! Mohair, shetland wool, ribbon, eyelash...who said it can't be done?

A lot of creative juices at work here! Lizzie came up with a new yarnover pattern.

Happy campers.

Thank you everyone for participating. I had the most amazing time. Thank you for letting me be there with you, thank you for sharing your stories, your yarn, your creativity.

Thank you to the organizers: Barbara, Dina, Elaine, Gretchen, Patrice. I feel truly blessed to have met you.

Be well!

check this out!

This just in from the Dear Husband (he is a teacher).

Please click on this link if you don't mind.

So cool that they decided to use that particular picture to advertise the contest!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes Melanie, :) I was just getting my soapbox ready when the washer delivery guys showed up. They are shoehorning that thing into our little house as we speak.

Later!

and another good thing I almost forgot.

Tall Son got a letter in the mail yesterday from WPI. They are offering him a University Award scholarship. A nice chunk would be taken off the tuition. (phew).

We haven't heard from any of the other colleges, but this sounds good. Still have to go for the need-based financial aid.

the good, the bad, and the good

• Our night out was fun. We saw the new Woody Allen movie, "Cassandra's Dream", and liked it! It was panned by a lot of the big critics but it was a good movie. Get past the first 15 minutes, and you got yourself a little gem of a movie. Scary family relations, I tell you.


• Crafty Girl is home with me again today, she has walking pneumonia. She feels OK, but looks a little paler than usual. That nasty cough has kept her awake at night (and mommy, too!), but now we have medicine. The pediatrician said there is a lot of pneumonia going around this winter.


• The Home Depot had a sale, and free delivery after rebate, and 10% off if you opened an account with them, and no interest for 12 months. And a good sales person who knew what he was talking about. Our new LG washer, a front loader that is Energy Star rated, will arrive tomorrow. Good thing too. I need to wash all my handknit socks before I go on that retreat this Friday! And then some...we did go to the laundromat last Saturday, but oh boy it's funny how the laundry piles up if you don't keep up.


• I have a feeling I'll be up on my soapbox again soon. Consider yourselves warned.

PS: the doll has nothing to do with anything. She is there to brighten your day. She is completely handmade and handpainted, clothes handsewn and knitted. She sits in my friends' living room (in Germany). I believe the quilt is handmade, too.