The Yellow Sweater

A short story about an injury eased by obsessive knitting.

Welcome!

Thanks for finding me—stick around and subscribe!

For the past two years, I’ve poured my art into the digital world, sharing it mostly through Meta. And while I love the likes, hearts, and messages about how my work made you laugh, cry, or remember something long forgotten, nothing beats the real-life moments—bumping into you in the cereal aisle, bumping into each other downtown, or crossing paths at the farmers’ market. Even an unexpected postcard, text or email - those unexpected creative connections? That’s what I live for.

So, I’m shifting. Moving more of my creative energy from digital spaces to real ones—and moving my online home from Meta to Substack. I’m trying new things. Who knows where this will go? Want to find out together?

1. The Inspiration

The Yellow Sweater was the first comic I made! On March 3, 2024 - almost a year ago! It open a creative waterfall of expression -I wasn’t ready for. It gripped me. I felt like I finally found the door to let it all out. I spent the next few months completely consumed in autobiographical comic creation.

2. The Story

In 2021 (was it? these pan years are a blur), I wasn’t just lifting weights—I was on fire. I had qualified for Nationals in Olympic weightlifting, bringing some decent lifting totals to my age and weight class. Training was intense, and I was ready. But then, mid-session, a sharp, searing pain gripped my right hip. The kind of pain even a stubborn, high-tolerance-for-pain lady like me couldn’t ignore. Just weeks before the competition, I knew—I was out. Done-zo. And I was pissed. Sad.

Somehow, in that swirl of frustration, I picked up my dusty knitting needles. I didn’t stop for two weeks. What came of it was an oversized, misshapen white wool sweater—ugly, but mine. And I was damn proud of it.

I figured I’d dye it. Did I research the best method? No. I just threw some turmeric and coffee grounds into a pot of simmering water and dunked it in. Twenty minutes later, I had a bright yellow sweater… with an oil stain smack in the middle - right over my heart. What was I thinking?

Instead of giving it to my dear farmer friend who inherits all my knitting misfits - I leaned in and kept this one. I wore it, not despite its flaws - but because of them. It got packed away now and then, but when life hit hard in 2023-2024, I found myself reaching for it almost daily. One day, a friend called it my armor, and something clicked. That moment sparked the comic—a story about the messy, unexpected ways we lose, heal, and gain something new.

3. A Connection: Tecnu Tip!

After years of wearing my proudly stained yellow sweater, a friend introduced me to Tecnu. Originally invented to remove radioactive fallout during the Cold War (a job it never actually had to do), Tecnu found its true purpose when the inventor’s spouse discovered it could strip away the rash-causing oils of poison oak and ivy. My friend Mara, made even another discovery—it also removes oil stains on clothes.

My life was forever changed.

I treated the sweater, and sure enough, the stain disappeared. Unfortunately, so did the sweater’s size. After already shrinking it twice, this final wash rendered it too small for me—but just right for my grandmother, who now wears it while tending to her vegetable and herb garden. A fitting new chapter for a well-loved, well-worn piece of the story.

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