Julie LeeSong Norman - Knitting by faith

As promised, this book is dedicated to my fifth grade school teacher, Mrs. Ann Chambers. This is not the original book that I wrote about my runt of the litter cat. Nevertheless, my promise to dedicate my first book to you has finally been fulfilled.

K nitting by Faith

Copyright March 2013 Julie LeeJung Norman

All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part, store in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means - electronic, mechanical or other - without written permission.

S cripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

I t is a truth almost universally acknowledged that a knitter, while knitting, thinks. A knitters thoughts can be about the project at hand, which yarn to buy next, what to make for dinner or solutions to the worlds problems. The process of knitting allows a knitter to use both sides of ones brain, by using both left and right hands simultaneously. This can lead to some focused thinking and meditation. When that knitter is a Christian, the thoughts can invariably lead toward faith. In my case, the result is the book you are reading right now.

In 2009, I came home from a two week trip to India, where I had spent time teaching women to knit. While processing the experiences and still jet lagged, I wrote out a rough story of some of my experiences. After two more trips to India to work with women and teach handcrafts, I revisited the story and polished it. As other writers critiqued it, I began to realize that the story of my experiences in India would make a good ending to a book on knitting and faith. I already had other short pieces written; some that Ive used while teaching in India and others as they came to me while I was knitting. Knitting by Faith was born in those moments and you can read the piece that started it all in chapter twelve, The Day I Checked My Knitting.

The following chapters are written from the perspective of an evangelical Christian. Other than a few years of Bible College, I have no formal theological training and this book should not be taken as such. A professor of theology once told me that our theology changes and should change as we grow in faith; keeping essentials the same, but the gray areas can alter. This writing reflects my perspective at the time of this publication.

These reflections are shared with you so that you may be encouraged, strengthened and challenged in your knitting and faith. May you knit on through all circumstances with courage and faith.

Master Knitter

The innocent sleep,

Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care...

~ William Shakespeare from Macbeth

I once dreamt that I was in Gods throne room. It was evening and many people were dancing and having fun in the open area in front of the dais. I sat on the outer edge of the dance floor up a slight rise and took as much enjoyment in watching the people as they did, dancing. I was content to be there and sat knitting a pair of socks to the rhythm of the music.

Jesus walked towards me and asked if He could sit next to me. I immediately said, Yes and scooted over to make room for Him. He sat down and then He did something that surprised me. From a fold in His robe, He took out a ball of yarn and some needles and started knitting with me to the rhythm of the music.

We knit together, watching the dancers and I felt a deep companionable joy. I stole a few glances at his yarn and needles and couldnt quite figure out what He was knitting. Inevitably, I asked the question that knitters have been asking each other since the beginning of yarn.

What are you knitting? Would it be a pair of socks like I was working on? A chemo cap for a cancer patient? Or even a prayer shawl?

Jesus didnt answer me in words; He held up His knitting and showed it to me. The knitting wasnt any specific garment that I could recognize. I studied it curiously and then all at once I realized that I was sitting with the Master Knitter of all Master Knitters. I shouldnt have been surprised, but it hadnt occurred to me before that Jesus knew how to knit.

As I sat there with a simple project of hand knit socks, He was knitting people, situations and life. And of course He was good at it because after all He invented the art of knitting. He created sheep, alpaca, goats, angora bunnies and all fiber bearing animals. He created cotton plants, hemp, flax and all fiber bearing plants. And if that wasnt enough, He owned the sheep on a thousand hills, never mind the cattle.

I began to understand that Jesus knits better than anyone else could ever comprehend. His knitting was beyond yarn and needles, our method was a mere shadow reflecting His art. He knit together the universe, the earth and the people. His fiber is everything and everywhere including our souls and lives. Whatever He works and knits together in His hands will not need to be ripped out. He is the Master Knitter of Master Knitters.

He put His project in His lap and then held out His hand to see what I was knitting. My pair of socks now felt like a childish scribble but I held them out to Him anyway. He smiled and admired the work that I had done mistakes and all. I could never come close to His skill, but I could do my best with the abilities that I had been given.

When I awoke, the dream was still strong upon me. I felt an acute sense of connection to other knitters, present and past. After all, I had been sitting next to the Master Knitter who showed me how ancient His craft was.

That day when I picked up my needles and worked on my socks, my knitting felt a little more sacred in my hands. As the yarn slipped through my fingers, I felt as if Jesus were still there, knitting with me. I was inspired to knit something that would have meaning and connect with others. I could pray for the person for whom I was knitting. I could make something to give to someone in need. I could teach others the craft as many knitters have done before me. Knitting could become a form of ministry whether the recipients knew it or not. I would no longer be merely knitting an item. Instead, I would be knitting comfort, love and care.

A few years have passed since I knit with the Master. But I still think often of Him sitting in His throne room, knitting. Perhaps He is sitting there, knitting by Himself. But I believe that He often goes out to sit with other knitters, as He did with me. He doesnt join others in their knitting to show off how great a knitter He is and how much worse their knitting is in comparison. There wasnt a feeling of inadequacy when sitting with the Master Knitter. Instead there was a feeling of companionship in a joint venture. He joins with us so that we can experience fellowship with Him.

Lifeline

She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.

- Proverbs 31:13

K nitting a sweater may not seem like a spiritual practice, but finishing my Tangled Yoke Cardigan became one for me. I fell in love with the pattern when I first saw it in a magazine: a simple knit cardigan with a row of cabling across the yoke. I chose a cranberry colored yarn and cast on. The main body of the sweater was knit from the hem up and was fairly easy in stocking knit stitch. I knit the two fronts and back as one piece. The sleeves were finished next and then attached to the body of the sweater.

The instructions and photos of the pattern showed that the rows of cable were next to knit. I have always loved to knit cable patterns but this pattern looked more complex than any I had done before. If I made a mistake here, it would be difficult to rip out the stitches and find where to start from again. And if I couldnt figure out how to restart the pattern, I might have to rip back even farther and lose hours of knitting. Since I did not want this to happen, I took preventative measures and chose to put in a Lifeline.