Old And New: Yarn And Life

Finding an old post (embedded below from tumblr) can sometimes be a little mind-blowing. From where my head was almost exactly 6 years ago (Friday, January 13th, 2012), to the fact that so much has changed, and so much has stayed true since then.

Right now I am in a {pic} deep {pic} knitting {pic} phase {pic}, and it's about learning new techniques, stretching my capabilities, and for the first time in a long time, doing things Just For Me.

That might sound terribly selfish, but given Everything I Have Been Through (and cancer treatment is only part of the EIHBT — surviving without a real home or real-deal paychecks for nigh on 6 years adds a little strain), it is high time.

http://itsthebunk.tumblr.com/post/15811830375/hats-for-skid-row-ive-been-crocheting-hats

The Healing Power of Yarn Tangles

I've been unraveling lots of yarn tangles these past three months -- literally, as I've been knitting and crocheting with fervor. It's also fitting because my life right now is behaving just like a huge mess of tangled, randomly and nerve-wrackingly intertwined threads of undisciplinable, knotted yarn. 

If you've ever tried to untangle a mess like this, you know the only way to succeed is to slow down, remove any and all attachment to the result, breathe deeply, relax your fingers and hands, breathe again, deeply, and again... And on and on until you and your hands accept the state of the yarn and gently feel their way through the mess.

You zone out, you become one with the yarn (yes, I know, the saying has become so trite, but its true meaning is profound), and over time, your fingers find their way through the tangles and knots. With gentle persistence, you somehow manage to unravel it all.

I started writing this post earlier this year -- in February, to be precise, the day after Rachel and Susan died. I left it mid-sentence and found it in my drafts box today.

It might do me some good to spend more time unraveling yarn... it's a great way to lick the Emotional Flooding Monster.