Hennessy - Knit, Pray, Share

Table of Contents

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE , OREGON

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Cover by Emily Weigel Design

Cover photo Melica / Shutterstock

Photo on page 90 galinka_zhi / Fotolia

All other photography by Jay Eads

Interior design and production by Dugan Design Group

K NIT , P RAY , S HARE

Copyright 2019 by Lisa Hennessy

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97408

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-7819-4 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-7820-0 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Hennessy, Lisa, author.

Title: Knit, pray, share / Lisa Hennessy.

Description: Eugene, Oregon : Harvest House Publishers, 2019.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018061519 (print) | LCCN 2019000560 (ebook) | ISBN 9780736978200 (ebook) | ISBN 9780736978194 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: Knitting Patterns. | Knitters (Persons)Prayers and devotions.

Classification: LCC TT825 (ebook) | LCC TT825 .H46 2019 (print) | DDC 746.43/2dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018061519

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F irst and foremost, I have to thank my heavenly Father for the inspiration and guidance for writing this book. I also thank Him for all of my family and friends who have been so supportive of this endeavor.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without my husbands love and support with all of my writing and knitting.

I have had many people praying me through this. I wish I could list and thank every person who has been instrumental in this journey, but I fear I would unknowingly leave someone off the very long list of thank-yous. However, I would be remiss if I didnt give special thanks to my knitting friends: Mary Dahms, for helping me proof and knit these patterns, and Patti Delsandro, who not only helped me knit some of these projects but also assisted with some of the pattern designs. My daughter, Danielle, was a huge help with some of my editing as well as helping with the videos on my YouTube channel. My dear friend Carla from graduate school has been through this process with me a few times, and I cherish her editing skills, as well as my sister-in-law, Sonia, who has been a sounding board during this entire book process.

I am so thankful for both Harvest House and my agent, Adria Goetz, for believing in me and my mission of sharing Gods love through knitting. None of this would have been possible without them sharing this vision.

Lisa Hennessy

Contents

W hile this book is about knitting and making a difference in Gods kingdom, its also about more than that. Even though I grew up in the church and considered myself a Christian, I really didnt know who Jesus was. Unfortunately, it took a tragedy for me to realize this.

At the age of 28, I unexpectedly became a pregnant, widowed single mom. During that dark time in my life, I discovered a faith I didnt know I had. God turned my pain into purpose and my hurt into hope. Restored by the loving hand of my Lord and Savior, I went from being a broken, hopeless widow to a child of God as He transformed the painful pieces of my life into beautiful blessings, including remarriage to a wonderful husband and father to my children.

One of the ways God brought beauty out of my ashes was through knitting. Because of my grief journey, once I became more proficient with this skill, God gave me a desire to make prayer shawls to give to others who were broken and hurting. From there, I began to knit more gifts and share them with others. And I began to think of ways that more people could join me on this knitting journey.

Part of my passion for sharing my knitting was inspired by our worlds disconnect. Knitting keeps me from being mindlessly enslaved to my phone. It reminds me to focus on not just what I am making, but it also allows me time to pray about the person for whom I am creating something. Not only does the act of knitting help me reflect internally, but it also causes me to engage with the people around me, whether they are other knitters or just individuals inquiring about my work. My craft allows me the opportunity to start conversations and build connections.

When Im with a group knitting at a coffee house, other customers around us may be connected to the Wi-Fi, but we are connected to one another. Knitting allows us to do something with our hands besides scrolling on our smartphones. I believe God gave me this creative passion for a purpose: to share His love through my hands and heart. I love how knitting helps me take the focus off myself by redirecting my energy toward making gifts that will bless others.