knitting postcards



an early case of yarn envy!

 i taught myself how to knit in December 2003 using a copy of "The Complete Encyclopedia of  Stitchery" that my mom had passed down to me, some size 9 needles and some Blue Lion Brand Wool that i had purchased at Hancocks ... i was such a novice at this whole knitting thing and i had no idea (YET) about the abundance of yarns just waiting at my Local Yarn Shop .. and not just what the craft stores were stocking.

we were driving back home for Christmas and i was riding in the backseat for the trip, so i seized those 9 hours to try and make my first attempts look somewhat similar to the sketches on those pages. this was Long before the time when i was really acclimated with the plethora of videos and demonstrations on the internet, where counsel and advice are just a web address away .... or where pictures and patterns could lend encouragement and show me all the amazing yarns that were just waiting for me to try!  all i had was a flashlite to hold in my mouth when it got so dark because i was so determined to "get it right" before we ever made it to my hometown - -  i wanted to look like i "knew" was i was doing by the next morning!

so, 7 years later, i'm still learning and i'm still knitting ... in the car, at home, during rehearsals, while i'm standing in line and waiting, while i'm watching a baseball game, or sitting beside the pool, and especially while i travel.  and at some point i decided to collect skeins of yarn to serve as 'postcards' from these trips and times and places ... landmarks that would highlight the adventure, or the discovery, or the sweet time of fellowship spent with friends.  (any excuse [i mean justification] will do when it to buying yarn for my stash!)

One such postcard was found at a precious hidden gem of a yarn shop in St. Andrews, Scotland. This gorgeous silk and wool had been spun just for her shop. She had a cover design in Vogue Knitting, May 06, which had just come out,  and I was fortunate enough to meet her, talk w/ her about her patterns/designs and then have her help and suggestions about a simple pattern that would make the most of this gorgeous yarn!

                                                    cast on 21 stitches

Rows 1-5: knit.

Row 6: *k1, wrap yarn 3 times, repeat from *, ending with k1.

Row 7: *k1, unwind wraps, repeat from *, ending with k1.

Repeat rows 1-7 as desired, making sure to leave enough yarn to end with a final repeat of Rows 1-5.

i have sock yarn from various places (because one day i'll get around to making those socks!), i bought wool from several places in Scotland and made little felted bags as gifts to share with my friends that didn't get to go on the trip so that they too would have a taste of our visit.  i also have yarn and roving from the bus trip we made to the atlanta knitting conference last spring .... and the visit to st. louis to see Bo was marked with several skeins of yarn just waiting to be completed.  How sweet, any time i look in my knitting room i find myself grinning .. and reminiscing about where i've been .. and what's yet to be done!  Those simple pleasures ....

Such nostalgia is often recalled .. and memories replayed .. when i sit and knit and look back on the scrapbook of my walk with the Lord as well.  How quickly i tend to forget His blessings or His rescues or His encouragement during the events of my past because i'm so caught up in the panic/tragedy/immediate need of the current moment!  But when i obediently lay aside the burdens that i carry and focus my heart and sole attention on Him and His goodness i can and do see so very vividly all the stitches He has knitted Himself into .. the skeins of memories that are indicative of times when i knitted the day too tightly ... or when the tension was too loose and i made a bad yarn choice .... actually, my life is quite a swatch if you think about ... and looking back it's plain to see that He has taken all the yarns of my every day and woven them into a beautiful Sampler that reflects His master skill at making memories and teaching lessons all along the journey!  He has never left my side and has promised to be My Complete Encyclopedia of Stitchery for every situation that arises .....  detailed, step by step instructions ...

I am still confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

ps. 27:13-14

Precious Memoires ... How they Linger ... How they ever flood my soul! 

In the stillness of the midnight, precious sacred scenes unfold. 

As I travel on life's pathway.... know not what the years my hold,

As i ponder hope grows fonder, Precious memories flood my soul.