I told you earlier that yarn would be more than one reason I’m retiring. If it’s not trips with my daughters to yarn shops near and far, it’s organizing my yarn stash and contemplating what I might make next.
Reason Five - by Linda Cobourn (substack.com)
I know I’m not the only yarn enthusiast, but I couldn’t find any scientific or psychological reason why some of us are so addicted! So, I offer my own:
Yarn appeals to our senses.
Offered in a vast range of colors, textures, content, and styles, yarn is nice to touch and feel. There is even a faint perfume to yarn: wool, cotton, acrylic.
Yarn allows us to be imaginative.
Yarn can stir our imaginations, allowing us to create in our minds the next project. We might even take a chance on something new and inventive, which leads to the next reason I propose.
Yarn is forgiving.
A project that doesn’t turn out the way we thought it would can be ripped apart, a method we knitters refer to as “frogging.” (Because you “rip it”.) It can be repurposed to something else entirely. But even it the project we tried doesn’t work out, it’s for certain that we have learned something in the process.
Yarn is meditative.
Some yarn patterns are complicated and may make us work harder. But some are very easy, two or three stitches to remember in a predictable pattern. Like yoga, the repetition can be relaxing.
Yarn products make excellent gifts.
Most people—and you know who they are—will appreciate a handmade hat, scarf, or baby blanket. Don’t waste your time on those who will not appreciate your time and effort. Give them an Amazon gift card.
Yarn saved my life.
Well, not literally, but during the years when Ron was a frequent flyer to hospitals, my yarn bag kept me occupied instead of worrying what was going on in the exam or operating room. In fact, my daughter and I both had “go bags” or yarn projects we’d grab before we followed an ambulance down the road.
Do you have a hobby or passion that has seen you through difficult times?