Seeking Comfort: Running and Knitting Baskets into A Warm Cowl

It was almost two in the afternoon Saturday when I turned NPR on to catch up on the day's events. I love listening to The Splendid Table while I cook and the show was coming up. Then as the news of the day was read, I heard, as everyone had by then, of the terrible tragedy in Tuscon. I was stunned. I just stared out my kitchen window wondering when the words "random" and "violence" will ever have to be heard together again. Then thought, My God. Why so many? Why. . .again? I also thought about how many tragic events I had heard standing in this very same spot: my kitchen, staring outside my window that sits right over my sink that looks right out at our large oak tree (much older than me).

It's hard to write exclusively about food this morning. Instead, I am taking time out to reflect. I hope and pray for all those suffering loss and dealing with grief that they somehow find relief in knowing the entire country and much of the world is praying for them all. I hope the humanity in us all will rise up, that calm and more of the love thy neighbor even when you disagree will return.

Yesterday I went for a five mile run. I needed an hour to myself. Dr. Thyme is a phone call away and while I run, it gives me time to reflect, regroup and just be at one with all that is life. Hubby called to check on me at about mile four--I was happy to hear his voice so we chatted through my last mile in. It was seriously cold outside yesterday. Upper twenties. But I have invested in some very warm and cozy running gear. First is a snuggly little neck warmer that can turn into a hoodie and then also comes up to cover my mouth so I am not breathing in cold air and initiating an asthma attack. I layered up in my wooley running pants and Cuddle Duds long johns and headed out. I was one of about three others on this trail. One person was biking. Yikes. Now that's freakin' dedication. I just paced myself at medium, finishing my five in 55 minutes. Not bad. I felt a ton better afterward.

So I turn to knitting to also help in all things "too much for my heart to handle" and basically as an overall meditative, contemplative journey. I think if the entire world knitted, we'd have way less sadness. Period. Touching soft things makes you a softer being. (It's true, they've studied this--how the tactile response affects our mood and disposition.) There's nothing like taking a ball of fiber, repeating motions, concentrating and turning that spun ball of anything into something. I am knitting a cowl that I hope to maybe publish on Ravelry once complete. It's fairly simple and I'm sure just looking at it here, several of you who knit can figure this out on your own. It's not rocket science. I selected a basketweave design for the cowl (easy to memorize while I watch TV) and this yarn is perfect for it I think. Don't laugh at my chunky plastic needles. I couldn't for the life of me find a decent pair of size 11s--and this from a woman who has a LARGE collection of circular needles now--how they got here, I have no idea. So I'm stuck with the plastic ones til I finish the cowl. I've written about my foray into basket making before. I love homemade baskets so maybe that is why the stitch pattern spoke to me. Perhaps I should step back into my basket weaving again as well. However, I should really not attempt anything beyond my knitting until I finish the quilt I have hanging in my basement. I actually sat down yesterday for the first time in months and spent some time working on my log cabin design quilt. I am a quilting "finisher"--I think I'd go nuts if I had two or three in the process.  

I have never attempted publishing a kniting pattern before. I don't consider myself a knitting designer. But I just loved this yarn so much, I knew I wanted to make something unique from it. I have a knitting stitch calendar I bought several years ago and flipped through it trying to come up with a pattern I thought I'd like in this yarn. It's Bernat Roving in Low Tide and I bought it at Michael's. This color is dear to my heart--close to sea glass, but a pale teal, if you will. I just adore this color. It soothes me. I can't wait to finish this and wrap myself up in it.  

I snipped out an article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on January 4th from a piece written by Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker. The column was called: Eat, pray, love and other resolutions for 2011. I have this one paragraph from it placed on the side of my fridge to look at and reflect on now and then. The paragraph I clipped reads in part: "Here is giving: Listening. Sparing Time. Not interrupting. Holding that thought. Leaving the last drop. Staying home. Turning it off. . . making eye contact. Picking it up. . . Waiting." I like this. It helps.