Untangling the Big Ball of Wool
Have you ever tried to wind a skein of wool into a ball? I have recently discovered that it's not as easy as it looks. The first time I tried it, I ended up with a big, tangled mess. The second time, I used a special wooden wheel to stretch out the skein while I wound it up. It worked much better. I have yet to try the human yarn winder method (which replaces the wooden wheel with a pair of hands from a willing volunteer.)
How is this related to the creative process? Well, for me, the metaphor goes like this: a little of bit of preparation and planning—along with proper tools and more than one pair of hands—can really make the process smoother and less time-consuming... but if we do end up with a tangle, we need to apply patience and determination to tease out the strands, little by little, until we have something we can knit together into almost any kind of product, in an infinite array of patterns and styles.
Mind you, we could avoid most of the tangling issues right from the start by limiting ourselves to the basic pre-packaged wool found at any big box craft supply store... but if we want to benefit from the unique attributes of artisanal quality resources, we better be prepared to invest the extra time and learn how to wind it all up properly.