"Kitty and Yarn" speaks to a simpler time.

I grew up with lots of cats and a grandmother who knitted. Put those two elements together and there is the painting "All Tangled Up".

When I was a young child my grandmother had me wrap the yarn into a ball for her, later she taught me how to knit. I can't tell you how many times the cats got into the yarn. We often didn't know the cats were stalking us while we were knitting. I remember learning to keep track of the knitting by repeating "Knit two, Perl two" and suddenly a cat would pounce. Then I would laugh and be annoyed all at the same time as the cat bounded off.

So, although the cat tangled in the yarn is a trite image, it is trite for a reason. Many of us experienced the joys and frustrations of trying to knit with cats around. Sometimes I wonder if this still happens? Do people still teach little ones to knit? And are the cat's still pouncing on the yarn? Or is the new image a cat pouncing on the computer key board?