Kuna Matata or Tangled Up

The past two years, my knitting (and crocheting) has been the subject of ridicule from my friends - usually my male friends. Although I'll joke about becoming so obsessed with (possessed by?) knitting that I'll knit and drive, for the most part, it has become my secret shame. I worry about whispers of "Poor girl, she's still single so no wonder she knits. Or is it the other way around?" I resent images of old maids sitting in rocking chairs surrounded by a hundred cats playing with balls of yarn. This is why knitting is something that I hide from most people.

Anyway, I tell myself, I'm not THAT big of a knitter. I am eons away from being a yarn snob and will mix Noro with Red Heart in the same project. My local yarn shop does not know my name, birthday, favorite yarns, and that I favor English knitting. I have yet to develop carpal tunnel. Knit patois has not become an inherent part of my lexicon. ("Frogged"?! Pshaw, what the heck is that?!) And I don't exuberantly exclaim "Ah, Jaywalkers!" when someone holds up a pair of socks. Socks are only ankle and knee-hi, right?

However, I have found myself amassing a collection of yarn that I can call a "stash." Who knew yarn was something you could covet? I found a local knit group and attend meetings/outings at least once a month. I know that yarn can be made from bamboo, ceramic, and qiviut - even learned what a qiviut is. When Stephanie Pearl-McPhee came to town for a booksigning, I was there. My vocabulary has expanded so I even know what LYS, YO, UFO, and WIP mean. The most damning piece of evidence is this blog. I think it is time I came out of the (yarn) closet and admit that, yes, I am a knitter.

All the beautiful yarn, the original custom clothing, the creativity in action have entangled me in the world of fiber arts and needle crafts. Hence, the title of this blog is "Tangled Up." Since knitting and crocheting are more than just hobbies for me, this blog allows me to exploit the "intellectual" side of the crafts and vent my frustrations. Plus, I write complusively. So here goes...

(Note: "Hakuna matata," popularized by Disney's The Lion King, is a Swahili phrase that literally translates to "There are no knots/tangles," which is slang for "There's nothing wrong" or "There are no worries." Therefore "Kuna matata" means that there are knots/tangles, and everything is "tangled up." Tangled Up is already taken as a blog title so I had to resort to foreign languages.)