Why Knitting?

It kinda astounds me how few Christian knit.  For me knitting brings me to a still quiet place that allows me to hear God.  I often think: "God knit me in my Mothers womb".

If you are not a knitter you can't begin to understand that statement and how big that is.

As a knitter I discover the perfect yarn or pattern.  I study it, look over it... contemplate it and finally either reject or decide on it.  If it is a yarn I find first, I must now find a pattern.  The perfect pattern, the pattern that will show off how this yarn drapes in this way if it is wool, or stretch if it is cotton.  Then one must also think of how the colors will play with each other if it variegated.  If you find the pattern first, you must then locate the prefect yarn.  Alpaca?  Silk?  Linen? Each will make the finished garment wear differently.  Perfectly.

Then comes the knitting.  The hours of knitting, days on end.  And of course God is perfect, so no mistakes... oh no... no ripping (knitters term for unraveling) that garment because of a dropped stitch or a missed cable.

And then, it is finished.  Bound off, blocked and all the ends sewn in... lovely and made to just your size, the right weight and color that brings out your hair and eyes like no other color can and makes you feel like a million bucks...

I also think I can understand how sad God is with us as well.  A knitter doesn't make a sweater, or a shawl to be put into a box and never seen or worn... God doesn't give us things so we may hide them either.  A knitter may feel sad and angry if the gift that was given was something tossed aside and allowed to be moth eaten.  God wants us to see the things he gives as gifts.  Most knitters love when the recipient gushes over the gift, uses it proudly and proclaims who made it when compliments come.  God too wants us to use the gifts he has given us and wants us to tell the world who gave those gifts to you.

But most of all I think of the fall from Eden.  The stain on the garment that inevitably happens, the shrinking in the dryer or bleach in the wash after you told them how to care for it so painstakingly.  Something that you can't fix or repair, and how the recipient trys to hide it.  How when you ask "why don't you wear it anymore?" they hem and haw and finally tell you what you already knew in your heart.  And in some cases you know a trick, wash the stain out and the garment is as good as new, and sometimes you just have to forgive them and know the garment will have to live with the aftermath... because you know they didn't mean for it to happen.   God is like that too.  We ate the fruit and stained our soul and regardless of what we do we can't keep ourselves from sinning.  We hide in shame, for it but hiding doesn't fix it.  God can forgive us and sometimes he can fix it as good as new and sometimes he won't, but he can do more... better than a knitter he can transform us.  That is not to say he will restore us and make us into what we were before... no.  But you know, if you take that garment and cut here, sew here and add a button here... look!  Isn't this the cutest little tote!


edit to add: I am featured in this weeks Christian blog Carnival!