Knitting as Ancestral Memory: Grief, Yarn, and Hands That Remember

In this intimate episode of Halva for the Heart, I share a raw voice memo I recorded two years ago, just moments after I had the experience of my hands had been taken over by my ancestors ✨

It happened when I had sat down to start a knitting project, but I couldn't remember how to cast on. After struggling for awhile and almost getting frustrated, something unexpected happened: my hands just knew what to do. It felt like my grandmother was moving through me, guiding me through a cast-on method I didn't remember learning. It got me thinking about yarn as memory, knitting as something our ancestors pass down, and how grief can actually live in your hands.

This episode is about communing with your ancestors through fiber work, how your body remembers things your mind doesn't, and why knitting and stitching got written off as "just hobbies" when they're actually powerful spiritual practices.

This episode is an invitation tp grieve through fiber, to let your ancestors teach you through your hands, and to trust that the wisdom is already there.

In this episode, I explore:

• Knitting as ancestral memory and embodied wisdom
• Fiber, yarn, and cloth as grief companions
• Why slow crafts are sites of resistance and care
• Handwork as a way to grieve what was never taught
• Passing down love through making, not perfection

Invitation
If this episode speaks to you, you’re invited to join our Fibers of Grief circle, a monthly online gathering exploring grief through slow stitching, yarn work, and visible mending as care practices.

🧶 January’s circle focuses on working with yarn
🪡 February’s circle will explore visible mending

Sign up ➡️ here

If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...

• Leave me a 90 second voice note
• Message me on Instagram
• Send me an email

Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
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🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân