January

January just seems to drag on and on, doesn't it? This January especially has been particularly brutal for many of us who are experiencing more snow and colder temperatures than we normally get. The heater is really working overtime to keep the apartment warm! I wish I could say that during these long, cold weeks I've been busy at work on some magnificent project that I'm about to reveal, but that's not the case, unfortunately. I've been picking away at a few projects, doing a little here, a little there, but I haven't really felt my usual sense of urgency to finish anything. However, still wanting a finished project to share, I give you Hammy, a little amigurumi hamster I made recently.

I guess I've just been absorbed in other things lately. I've been teaching a friend how to knit, which is fun. I always bring my own knitting along but usually don't make much progress on my own things during those knitting sessions. That's OK though! Anyway, I just thought I'd share something, anything, because it's been a while, hasn't it? Take care, and let's all survive this awful winter with our sanity and frosty fingers intact!

Food for the Soul

I think that making things with your own two hands is good for the soul. We are all consumers, but to be able to also become a producer for yourself, and for others, gives more satisfaction than buying something off the shelf. Now, I'm *definitely* not saying we should all just go live off the land, go back to nature, make everything ourselves from scratch... I'm just saying that when you do that in small ways, when time permits, it's a good thing. Tonight we're having a pre-made dinner of brown lentils flavored with garlic, cumin and cardamom, and a veggie- tofu mix in spiced coconut milk. Yum! Instead of just opening the packets and heating them up with say, some rice, for dinner, I decided to make some homemade Indian flatbreads to have with it, called parathas. My friend Rupali showed me how to make them a few weeks ago, and I've been wanting to make them for myself. They're easy to make.

All you do it mix flour, a little salt, and enough water to make it into dough. Knead it well. Divide into about golf ball sized pieces. Roll out into a thin, flat round. Brush on a little bit of vegetable oil. Fold it in half, then fold in half again. Now, roll it out again into a thin, flat round. Brush on a little more oil. Place in a hot (over medium heat) frying pan, oil side down. Brush on a little oil on the dry side. Once it starts to puff up nicely, flip it. Let it puff up and cook for maybe another minute. It's done. Yummy! The oil will keep it from drying out before you eat it.

Leftovers

I haven't really felt like tackling any big knitting projects, so I thought this was a good opportunity to use up my leftover sock yarn and make some fingerless gloves.

I'd give it two thumbs up, but since I've only completed the one glove, that's all it gets.

The New Year

Time for that yearly cliche, the New Year's Resolution. I have a few pounds to get rid of that arrived without an invitation and have unpacked their bags. Well, they've outstayed their welcome, and it's time to get a move on. This, however, is not my Resolution. That's just routine maintenance, and I'm already doing what I need to do by exercising and watching what I eat.

I'd love to say my Resolution is to knit more, but that's like saying that I resolve to breathe more! It's just not necessary. It's easy to find time to do the things we love to do; what's hard to do is establish a new habit that's challenging, or different from what we're used to, or somehow doesn't yet fit in with our image of ourselves. ?For example, if I see myself as a fit person who makes exercise a priority, then I'm much more likely to have a fitness routine that I stick to than someone who sees herself as someone who is too busy or too tired to commit to a routine.

We all fall into certain patterns, and these patterns can be as small as settling in to knit while watching a favorite show in the evening, or as deep as our relationship dynamics with others, or even our very identities. What a great time of year it is, now that the holidays are over and the New Year is upon us, to reflect upon the things that make us tick, to establish healthy new habits, shed unhealthy ones, and to really dig deeply into ourselves. Find something that you take for granted in your own life, and challenge it. Ask more questions, think longer and harder, go deeper. If we can start to change the way we see ourselves and the world, opening up to more possibilities, that is everything. And you can still knit in front of the TV if you like. ;-)

A Multilingual Merry Christmas!

I wanted to wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope this holiday is full of love, joy, hope, and peace for all.

Picture made by Yours Truly, the Home Economist

(How many languages do you recognize?)