Sep 22: Crafty Girl

Is it wrong that I get great pleasure out of making fiddly things with my hands? I swear I could spend days jumping from lace-making to origami to painting bugs (that would be paintings OF bugs, of course) and probably forget to eat.

Today the ZU fellows put on a Cultural afternoon, and it was Karen-heaven. First, I got to make Chinese knots. The fellow, Lily, who taughts us, said she'd learned all kinds of knots in Middle School, but she was only able to teach us one at the moment. I am clearly doing such an Amazon search when I get home for a book on Chinese knots. Because what I need in life is another hobby.

Next, I did paper cutting. I cut out a cute doll-like drawing of me that Wa drew with an exacto knife. This was tough, precise work. Meditative.

Then I went to the calligraphy table. I only learned one stroke the whole half hour I sat there. Wait, no, I certainly didn't learn it -- I only practiced one stroke the whole time. The teacher came around and circled the ones I did correctly and I got about three circles on three pages of densely packed horizontal lines. Those calligraphy brushes are hard to manage I tell you.

Then I went back to paper cutting, and cut out a snowflake. And then I made another three Chinese knots, and then I tried playing GO and then I got to participate in a tea ceremony and then I did tai chi and was given my own pair of tai chi pants and and and. . .

I am clearly a freak. Martha Stewart beware.