Knitter's Meditation

	Prayer shawls have presented me with opportunities to worship God in my life.
The prayer shawl pattern gives an opportunity for meditative contemplations. Three, three, three, the repetition that does not require thought quiets the body and frees the mind from the small thoughts, allowing bigger ones.
	Many times the person who will get the shawl comes into my mind early in its creation. I spend the whole time the thread is moving through my hands trying to connect God with the person who will receive the shawl.
I am able to be creative by adding to the shawl pattern. A fur stitch worked in the first and last row makes a beautiful fringe and reduces finishing. Knitters like to knit, not spend time weaving in ends and crocheting fringe.
	It is very satisfying to work with the soft yarn. The variety of colors that are available make each shawl a new creation, a new challenge. In the winter the growing shawl covers my legs, warming me as it will warm the recipient. I am comforted knowing the comfort the shawl will give.
Jesus asks us to love one another, to treat others as we would like to be treated. The shawls are a visible way to follow Him.

Photos by Joan Z. Oorbeck; Text by Pamela Fox Obed

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