Yarn: the fabric of life?

So, what’s the worst possible and most frustrating thing about yarn? I mean, when used properly it produces soft and lovely products .  But... if you do this one thing wrong you can literally waste hours and end your day frustrated and feeling useless.

I learned how to crochet. Yep, took a few times, but now I get it.  

When I was growing up I was given a tangled up mess of yarn and I would spend hours untangling it and rolling it  into a ball. Why? I have no idea. But I proved that I was the most patient person in our family or maybe... the world! Lol! 

If I had known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have developed “super” patience.  

So, back to my “yarn”. Yes, I just did that. 

I bought some fabric to make what are called “lovies” for children in crisis. If you want to help with this cause there’s a foundation called, “Joy in the Cause”. http://joyinthecause.org/ You can find them online. It’s a great organization and it’s why I learned to crochet. 

“Lovies” are small blankets that are 20x20 and have yarn fringe to make them soft. They have to be those measurements because they go into back packs that first responders give to children in crisis. Recently a child suffered burns. The first responders  gave her a back pack with a “lovie” in it and that child clung to it while she was in pain. 

I’ve been enjoying making these blankets and praying for the children who will receive them. Until today... 

You see today I discovered why it took me hours to untangle yarn. One key piece of information could have saved me a lot of time... maybe enough time that I could have learned to crochet at a much younger age. 

Listen to this...  it’s valuable information. 

When you start to use yarn there is a piece of loose yarn on the outside. It looks like you should just be able to start from there. But, looks can be deceiving. Hence my warning...DO NOT PULL THAT STRING!  If you do... you are doomed to untangle a mess. Your fingers will get tired and you’ll want to scream.  

No, the trick  is to go inside the yarn and find the loose end inside. The outside is a trap!  If you pull the hidden string from the inside things will go smoothly. It will be like putting butter on hot toast. But if you pull the wrong string.,,

I figured this out a few weeks ago by watching someone else crochet. It made perfect (or not) sense. So that’s why I spent hours unraveling yarn as a kid. I pulled the wrong string. 

Well tonight I was finishing a “lovie” and the thought crossed my mind...”is it really that important to start with the inside string?” For the past three hours I have proven the fact that you must start with the inside string. See, I started with the outside string and had to cut the yarn to finish my project after spending hours trying to untangle it. 

So, you know how my mind works by now. This must be an analogy of life. We usually think that we have to work on some outward flaw before God will accept us. I’ve heard people say, “ I’ll go to God when I get my life right”... in essence they are pulling the wrong string. Life gets tangled up and it takes years to fix. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses and start over. Like tonight I had to cut the yarn and fold it into the freed yarn. It’s not as pretty or as strong, but it works. 

If only I had started from the inside I could have finished many “lovies” tonight. Life is like that. I can’t fix the outside until I change the inside.  I guess that’s why God looks at the heart of a person and isn’t as interested in how we look or act on the inside. 

So. Reach in, find that one string and start crocheting. If you pull the wrong string you’ll spend hours trying to make it into a ball. What purpose does a ball of yarn serve? It certainly isn’t a  “lovie”. 

Something to think about.