98-year-old woman trapped by earthquake crocheted while she waited for rescuers, reports The Guardian.
The earthquake which hit Italy on Monday left scores of people trapped under the rubble but even as the death toll rose, hope remained: people were being pulled out alive.
One of those people was 98-year-old Maria D'Antuono. She was trapped for 30 hours before she was rescued and spent that time busy with her crochet hook and yarn.
Maria is clearly an amazing woman, and we very much admire her spirit. We wish her a speedy recovery from her ordeal, and hope that her house will quickly be rebuilt.
Her story reinforces something we already knew: in times of trouble, yarn can help you get through it. It seems obvious, in one sense: distractions make the time pass faster, which is probably why thrillers sell so well at airports.
But there's another side to it: creating something, watching something progress can help you get through tougher times than a delayed flight: knitting and crochet have been used to help with chronic pain, depression and grief.
Many stitchers will have seen the effects in their own lives, but why does it work? Well, the research is underway and if you'd like to find out more – or join a community of people who are already using crafting to help them get through rough spots – visit Stitchlinks.
Posted by addie (127.0.0.1) on April 08, 2009 at 04:17 PM BST #
Posted by Rose (127.0.0.1) on April 09, 2009 at 06:18 PM BST #