fixing a hole/we are one

Well, I apparently hit a hot topic with darning. In discussion with a writer friend, I realized the best illustration for darning I could find is in Therese de Dilmont's book, Encyclopedia of Needlework. I own a reprint of this oldie but goodie, but if you follow the link, you'll go directly to the section on mending knitting. It's no longer covered by copyright, so it's freely available on the web. Scroll down to the illustrations...you don't even need the text to see how to darn. The drawings are that good.

I spent most of the day working hard on a sample for book #2--knitting. On Tuesday, I will be driving up to Indianapolis for a photo shoot for this book; I'd like to finish this first. I was inspired by We are One, the inaugural concert...which I listened to on National Public Radio. I hear that if you have HBO, they will replay it again tonight on that TV channel. If you've got nothing else on, check out the concert! (I used my imagination, since I grew up in Northern Virginia, near DC. I know what the Lincoln Memorial looks like, and that helped while listening to the radio!)

I love the message of Martin Luther King Day, which we celebrate on Monday. When I was growing up in Virginia, we celebrated Lee-Jackson-King Day--a terrible contradiction that has since been fixed...but my family always emphasized why the combination seemed impossible. I loved teaching King's words when I taught high school in DC...they always captivated even the most uninterested teenager. In honor of King's words, in which we will one day all join hands, I found a few contemporary essays that display our diversity and complexity:

Just Like Pastrami

and our empathy and tolerance:

Mysterious Connections that Link us Together

and finally, that we must act on that tolerance to make the world a better place:

We Are Each Other's Business

So, if you have a chance to reflect, enjoy these fine examples of how we can all work together, in our complexity, empathy, tolerance, and actions. I am so excited by the next few days and the hope it ushers in for the United States. Meanwhile...as I listen to the radio...I'll be knitting over here.

Please leave me a comment if you've got thoughts on these essays or on anything in this post; I'd love to hear what you think!