![Knots, Wool and Loss
[Strain 1]
Now trip, light Time, and laugh with nimble feet,
Though wool lies crossed in merry disarray.
What once did fret now dares my hands to meet,
For knots may yield as dancers skip their way.
[Refrain 1]
Pull not in wrath, my dear, but with careful cheer,
The thread will run when force doth disappear.
[Strain 2]
O roving skein, thou art a cunning thing,
That feign’st a snare yet mean’st a playful test.
I chase, I pause, I circle, tug, and sing,
Till tangled care grows lighter in my breast.
[Refrain 2]
Thus, joy is found where once I named it pain,
And wit unties what sorrow bound in vain.
[Strain 3]
But stay—where hide my needles, swift and slim?
Those dancing sparks of steel now fled my sight.
Beneath the chair? The sleeve? The daylight dim?
They mock my search and vanish out of spite.
[Refrain 3]
Come back, bright friends, and end this merry chase—
No galliard runs aright without your grace.
Paul Glover with apologies to John Dowland
12/02/2026](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vhpdq6m6ajve2p3gueoqteov/bafkreifxpwm6hbaonlss7o4ie6z3v635ljwiklsp2r2f2ozyp5gjaosfui)
Knots, Wool and Loss
[Strain 1]
Now trip, light Time, and laugh with nimble feet,
Though wool lies crossed in merry disarray.
What once did fret now dares my hands to meet,
For knots may yield as dancers skip their way.
[Refrain 1]
Pull not in wrath, my dear, but with careful cheer,
The thread will run when force doth disappear.
[Strain 2]
O roving skein, thou art a cunning thing,
That feign’st a snare yet mean’st a playful test.
I chase, I pause, I circle, tug, and sing,
Till tangled care grows lighter in my breast.
[Refrain 2]
Thus, joy is found where once I named it pain,
And wit unties what sorrow bound in vain.
[Strain 3]
But stay—where hide my needles, swift and slim?
Those dancing sparks of steel now fled my sight.
Beneath the chair? The sleeve? The daylight dim?
They mock my search and vanish out of spite.
[Refrain 3]
Come back, bright friends, and end this merry chase—
No galliard runs aright without your grace.
Paul Glover with apologies to John Dowland
12/02/2026
I was listening to music by John Dowland while in the company of someone knitting, unknotting and cursing the loss of needles. It struck me that the dour ideas of Dowland would go well with the stresses of knitting angst, so I wrote this galliard! #Dowland #Knitting @knittingcultlady.bsky.social
