WIP Report: SE4 and WH10
Time for another look at Folkcat's Works-In-Progress (WIP). I've actually been knitting a bit more again. Sock Experiment 4 (SE4) is coming along nicely, especially considering the set-back I reported on last time. I've actually gotten about 28 rounds past the end of the instep increases, and I'm chugging away towards the toe. Keep your fingers crossed for me on this one - I can't, I wouldn't be able to knit!
Getting there, bit by bit
It's probably a bit boring when all I talk about is knitting socks. I'll bet some of you aren't sure I knit anything else! Well, another big category of my knitting is creating what I call Wearable Hugs (WH). This is actually my variation of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, as explained in the book, Knitting Into The Mystery. The book
explains the origin of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, as well as it's practice, and includes patterns to knit or crochet prayer shawls, guidelines for beginning and running a Shawl Knitting Group, and ideas for how to journal about your ministry knitting. At the back of the book, you'll also find text you can use to include with the shawls to explain the intent with which they were knitted.
For those who haven't heard of this before, the idea is simple. Shawls have always been a garment of comfort. They wrap around a person to make them feel warm, safe, and loved. Knitters who participate in the Shawl Ministry have chosen to use shawls as instruments of healing and/or celebration. They knit with mindful intent, often praying before beginning a knitting session, and keeping their thoughts on the recipient they are knitting for as they work.
Recipients may or may not be people they know. They are usually going through a stressful time in their life, such as cancer diagnosis or loss of a loved one. The shawls are also offered to people in times of celebration and life-changing events, though. Coming of age of a young girl, birth of a baby, or graduation, for instance.
Personally, I choose to call my shawls Wearable Hugs. This is not meant to diminish the spiritual value of the shawl. They are knit with as much spiritual power, no matter what name they go by. But it speaks more directly to the feeling I want them to invoke. When I give one to a recipient, I usually explain that I want to give them a big hug to show that they are loved and have support, but that merely wrapping my arms around them can never last as long as I feel is needed. Hence, I give them a Wearable Hug as a more constant reminder.
To date, I've given out 9 Wearable Hugs. The first was to a long-time acquaintance whose husband passed from a difficult bout with cancer. One went to a friend who moved hundreds of miles for a relationship she thought was the real thing, only to have it blow up in her face. When she got to travel to visit her Mama, I sent a shawl for Mama to wear and feel connected to her daughter. Another friend's dog was hit by a car and needed major surgery. There was the teacher from our bead store who had a baby; a friend who was beginning a long, difficult treatment for a mysterious illness that had finally been diagnosed; a stranger whose beloved dog had been stolen practically under her nose. There are a few others, but I don't need to list them here.
I currently don't have a recipient I'm specifically knitting for, so I'm trying to plan ahead a little. Almost all the shawls so far have been knit under duress, so to speak; I learn of a need, then knit for the purpose and hope I don't take so long that the appropriate time for the gift passes. So I'm trying to knit shawls during "down time", when I don't have a specific recipient in mind. I knit these from Lion Brand Homespun yarn. The latest, my tenth shawl, is using the color Florida Keys Green, and is about 2/3 done.
WIP: WH10
I may not report often about the WH project, since telling the world about it isn't the point, and I want to respect the privacy of those I give a shawl to. But it's worth knowing that it's an ongoing part of my regular knitting. And it proves there's more to me than socks!
Getting there, bit by bit
It's probably a bit boring when all I talk about is knitting socks. I'll bet some of you aren't sure I knit anything else! Well, another big category of my knitting is creating what I call Wearable Hugs (WH). This is actually my variation of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, as explained in the book, Knitting Into The Mystery. The book
explains the origin of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, as well as it's practice, and includes patterns to knit or crochet prayer shawls, guidelines for beginning and running a Shawl Knitting Group, and ideas for how to journal about your ministry knitting. At the back of the book, you'll also find text you can use to include with the shawls to explain the intent with which they were knitted.For those who haven't heard of this before, the idea is simple. Shawls have always been a garment of comfort. They wrap around a person to make them feel warm, safe, and loved. Knitters who participate in the Shawl Ministry have chosen to use shawls as instruments of healing and/or celebration. They knit with mindful intent, often praying before beginning a knitting session, and keeping their thoughts on the recipient they are knitting for as they work.
Recipients may or may not be people they know. They are usually going through a stressful time in their life, such as cancer diagnosis or loss of a loved one. The shawls are also offered to people in times of celebration and life-changing events, though. Coming of age of a young girl, birth of a baby, or graduation, for instance.
Personally, I choose to call my shawls Wearable Hugs. This is not meant to diminish the spiritual value of the shawl. They are knit with as much spiritual power, no matter what name they go by. But it speaks more directly to the feeling I want them to invoke. When I give one to a recipient, I usually explain that I want to give them a big hug to show that they are loved and have support, but that merely wrapping my arms around them can never last as long as I feel is needed. Hence, I give them a Wearable Hug as a more constant reminder.
To date, I've given out 9 Wearable Hugs. The first was to a long-time acquaintance whose husband passed from a difficult bout with cancer. One went to a friend who moved hundreds of miles for a relationship she thought was the real thing, only to have it blow up in her face. When she got to travel to visit her Mama, I sent a shawl for Mama to wear and feel connected to her daughter. Another friend's dog was hit by a car and needed major surgery. There was the teacher from our bead store who had a baby; a friend who was beginning a long, difficult treatment for a mysterious illness that had finally been diagnosed; a stranger whose beloved dog had been stolen practically under her nose. There are a few others, but I don't need to list them here.
I currently don't have a recipient I'm specifically knitting for, so I'm trying to plan ahead a little. Almost all the shawls so far have been knit under duress, so to speak; I learn of a need, then knit for the purpose and hope I don't take so long that the appropriate time for the gift passes. So I'm trying to knit shawls during "down time", when I don't have a specific recipient in mind. I knit these from Lion Brand Homespun yarn. The latest, my tenth shawl, is using the color Florida Keys Green, and is about 2/3 done.
WIP: WH10
I may not report often about the WH project, since telling the world about it isn't the point, and I want to respect the privacy of those I give a shawl to. But it's worth knowing that it's an ongoing part of my regular knitting. And it proves there's more to me than socks!
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