The Great Unagi
Dyeing has quickly become an obsession. I thought that I would just do this for fun here and there and now I'm daydreaming about what new and fun colours to put together and taking pictures of inspiring colour combinations in the world wherever I go.
Despite the fierce passion though, I'm still working out the kinks with how much dye to add to water to get the colour I'm picturing and coming to grips with the fact that I need to start ignoring the little voice in my head that always insists to add "just a few more dashes" to a bottle, even though it's supposed to be a light and subtle colour.
When I first started adding the blue to this yarn, I realised I had definitely indulged that little voice far too much. This was supposed to be a very light turquoise (practically pastel) and then I was going to do small hints of the green with proper spatters of the cherry red. After I added the blue and red, and it looked like an aggressive fourth of July decorations, I decided that the green needed to swoop in and save the day.
Even though it wasn't what I was originally going for, it did start to capture my heart and eventually my brain took to the new input and started conjuring strange and mystical scenes where this yarn would belong.
My favourite tale for this was the story of the Great Unagi, an eel of colossal proportion that makes its home in a vast lake that fishermen attempt to trek and fish on. It would be a magnificent creature with mostly blue and white scales with the occasional red and green- as if it were calico like a koi fish.
If the fishermen on this lake didn't
If the fishermen on this lake didn't show respect to the waters or to the upkeep of their boats or fished in a reckless or greedy way, the Great Unagi would awaken from its slumber and rise to attack their ships, leaving them stranded with their only option for survival being to try to swim ashore.
I imagine these people who fished going home to their families, and reminding their partners and children to be mindful of how they treat the lake and to always be cautious when going out onto its waters. They would gather around the table to eat, and tell stories of the most exquisite and sturdy ships being pulled into the depths, never to be seen again.
Then of course, you would have the old fishers of a forgotten age that would know to share their biggest fish with the Great Unagi, and so long as they stayed kind and humble in the face of this magnificent being, they knew they would go unharmed.
Someone then would of course have a story about how a bad storm came one night when they were trying to get home, and the waves caused the ship to capsize. Frightened and struggling to stay above the crashing waves, they called out for help. It would be then that they feel a strong yet slightly ridged form underneath their feet, and before they realise what is happening, they find themselves held slightly above the rough water's surface and being taken to land.
The person would tell the story with a wistful tone, as if in that moment this fearsome creature had become a friend they knew they would never lose.
At least, that's the story I hear when I see this. Maybe it says something different to you.
Stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned.