Wednesday, December 9, 2009

all about love

"In The Knitting Sutra, Susan Lydon describes the labor of knitting as a freely chosen craft that enhances her awareness of the value of right livelihood, sharing: 'What I found in this tiny domestic world of knitting is endless; it runs broader and deeper than anyone might imagine.

(Dream in Color Starry, Midnight Derby)

It is infinite and seemingly inexhaustible in its capacity to inspire, excite, and provoke create insight.'

Lydon sees the world that we have traditionally thought of as 'women's work' as a place to discover godliness through the act of creating domestic bliss. A blissful household is one where love can flourish.

Creating domestic bliss is especially useful for individuals living alone who are just learning to be self-loving. When we intentionally strive to make our homes places where we are ready to give and receive love, every object we place there enhances our well-being." - bell hooks, all about love


Some bits and pieces from my home that please and inspire me. Those bowls especially. They belonged to my great grandmother in Japan. My great aunt had basically a whole shed full of her old dishes and I chose these to bring back home. I feel lucky every time I use them.

I need to think about these nice happy things because a) I wanted to share that quote with you and b) what I have to show you next is pretty terrible. You see, I blocked my Hourglass sweater. I locked it away in the bathroom for the first day and a half (it took a long time to dry) because I have this kitten. And this kitten loves yarn. And once I woke up with this kitten sitting on my chest attacking one of the embroidered flowers on the bedspread and ripping the thread out with his teeth. Killer instinct and all that.

And then for some reason, when the sweater was almost completely dry, I felt like it would be okay to leave it out on the dining room table overnight.

And this kitten protected us from the mean vicious sweater by pulling a bunch of threads out. A few on the sleeve, some more on the body. OMG.

Let's never speak of this again. Focus on the bowls.