This set of Mandalas for Marinke comes to us from Selina in Exeter (UK) whose tagline on Ravelry (@knittedruby) reads, “Knitting and crochet are the only things that keeps me sane in this mad, mad world.” Selina has been knitting since the age of 5 and crocheting for the last five years. She shares briefly, “had my ups and downs and needed wool, hooks and needles through it all!” And then she elaborates,
“Like you, I was very sad to hear about Wink. I had been reading her contributions to “Simply Crochet” magazine in the UK and occasionally checking out her blog. Her way with colour always inspired me.
Craft has always been crucial to my wellbeing, through depression and even having both my hands operated on. I taught myself to crochet five years ago when one hand was in bandages from a carpal tunnel operation and I couldn’t knit.
Like Wink, Asperger’s and depression run throughout my family, and I would like her family to know what an incredible contribution she made, leaving us a great legacy of craft.
These are my first mandalas. I put off making some because I didn’t have a purpose for them but they were a joy to make, be with and explore.”
“Thank you, Wink, we miss you.”
For the depression awareness portion of this post, I turn your attention to The Monster You Can’t See: A Woman’s Struggle with Depression by Sarah Klegman over on HuffPo. It’s a detailed and honest and accurate account of what it’s like living with depression, from pre-diagnosis through medication to the point where you realize:
“I don’t have the answers, and dear god I am far from perfect and maybe I’ll never be totally healed — but I’m learning.
I take medication because it helps.
I do yoga because it helps.
I talk about it because it helps.
I write about it because it helps.”
Wow – thanks for including that article. It’s so nice to hear other people say how you’re feeling.