Wednesday, September 15, 2010

"Knitting is the saving of Life" - Virginia Woolf

By Holly Van Houten

Inspired today by this quote from Woolf to finally begin this blog.  A friend who spins and dyes her own yarn -- and was my first spinning teacher :) -- posted this quote from Woolf on Facebook this morning.  I had to know more and a quick google search brought me to this lovely portrait... painted in 1911 or 1912 by Vanessa Bell while Woolf was working on the draft of her first book The Voyage Out, 1915.   Woolf had already been in and out of "rest homes" and made this statement about knitting to her husband, shortly before they were married.  Of course, knitting only saved her temporarily.  But, it's comforting to think of knitting as the therapy that helped stave off her suicide for some 30+ years... allowing her the time to write her masterpieces.

I'd like to think that my own mind is not quite as troubled as hers, but knitting is certainly therapy to me as well.  It's not only therapy -- it's craft -- but, I'm guessing that's why it's therapeutic for me.

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