grafting

After working on the Funny Bunny Bath Towel i discovered several important things:

* i am NOT a designer.

* i will NEVER be a designer.

* sleeping at the Holiday Inn will NOT qualify me to call myself a designer.

* although i may have great ideas, i can NOT always manage to get them implemented!

* it's much easier to tweak someone ELSE's pattern than figure out your own original!

i spent several weeks working rather diligently on this simple little project ... or at least in my mind it was SUPPOSED to be an easy-peasy thing to knit ... and in principle it really is!  i just have managed to do all the possible things WRONG that you could ever think of!  in fact, one of the things NOT to Do for this pattern  was to put the 15 stitches from the towel portion on a holder and then using waste yarn do a 15 stitch provisional cast on as part of the hat.  in my mind you'd then knit the hat, unzip the provisional cast on and graft the 2 sections together.  [i even tried, once i got down to 15 towel stitches, simply casting on 45 addtional stitches and trying to knit the hat while still attaching and twirling the towel portion around!]

i used the kitchener stitch to join my hat and towel ... and it looks okay, i guess, but i was joining a stockinette section  (hat) to a garter stitch section (towel).  so .. i thought we'd look at a proper way to join two garter stitch sections, in case you opt to knit the hat to match the blanket identically!  A great source for this demonstration can be found at the Knitting Daily website .....

"To graft garter stitch, place live stitches on needles held parallel. Thread tapestry needle with yarn and go through first stitch on front needle as if to purl, then first stitch on back needle as if to purl, leaving both stitches on the needles. *Then go through first stitch on front needle as if to knit and slip it off the needle, go through second stitch as if to purl and leave it on. Go through first stitch on back needle as if to knit and slip it off the needle, go through second stitch as if to purl and leave it on. Rep from * until no stitches remain." 

The true purpose of grafting is to make seamless transition .... just another row of knitting that flows from one to the other, with no visible interuption .... and of course, in looking for life lessons and applications i immediately thought about God's desire of each of us .. to make that smooth line of what appears to be effortless blending .... so that the rows of my look like His!  Stitch by stitch, working from one needle/day .. to the next needle/day .... and slowly as the stitch slip off the needles they form a continuity of commitment, a blending of one row to another .....

and how i pray that although it may feel awkward, or He may have to tug a bit tighter in order to get mE lined up and mirroring Him, it will SO be worth the time and dedication He so willinging continue to invest in me!


"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. "  John 15:5

He didn't have to sleep at a Holiday Inn Express .... or anywhere else for that matter ... He is MORE than qualified to  be the Designer of my life .....  each and EVERY day!

not ANOTHER scarf . . .



a simple slip knot

 have you ever noticed that Scarves seem to be the catalyst and inspiration for many new knitters .... but WHY?  they are 12 miles LONG ... and take forEVER to knit, or so it seems, if this is one of your first projects and you have no sense of how to gauge the time it's going to require - - or even realize the monotony (rather than the relaxation) of simply going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth . . . learning the basic knit and knit and knit and knit ....

however, we have learned that the more comfortable we become with our knitting skills the more welcoming a scarf project can be simply BECAUSE of the repetition and the freedom to allow your mind to relax a bit as the rhythm of the needles soon brings a settling throughout .. an envelope of tranquility that creates a tiny cocoon within which you can dwell on the recipient of the scarf - - or the texture of the yarn as it flows from the skein, across your fingers, around the needles and off into a soft pile in your lap - - or the marvels of a pattern that develops one row at a time which is often such a reflection of how God works in our own lives - - patterns don't often make sense when judged solely on one ROW ... but cumulatively they are so intwined that their collective effort presents itself as a delicate and intricate work of art.

so . . with our extensive collection of scarves hanging as accessories for us to wear, have you ever considered a different option as far as HOW to actualy wear them?  not just draped and hanging like a long and slender upside down "U" resting on our shoulders .... what about a Slip knot ... or a 4 in Hand knot? 

 

For more ideas you can Check out this Crochet Me site, or any of the Knitting Daily patterns that might inspire you .... remember to consider the weight of your yarn AND the appropriate needle size in order to create a soft and subtle drape to the fabric of the scarf that you are knitting .... a strip of stiff and strong fabric might be a perfect and stunning statement if afforded the option to simply hang from your neck, but would hardly be a highlighted accessory if you tried to "knot" it .... the rigidity might appear more like a bow tie rather than a gentle boa ....  (just a little point to ponder there!  however, if you love the yarn, why not conisder going UP several sizes in the needles you use so that your stitiches are more fluid and the drape flows effortlessly rather than fighting to maintain its rigidity.)

Finding Rest for the yarn by thinking outside the box/label and adjusting your needle size is really a perfect solution though it may not appear conventional to some.  Finding Rest for my heart is much the same process.  Often in the midst of what would appear an obvious 'solution' to a problem, it's the still, small voice of the Lord that ends up being the true 'Solution' ... that becomes the Compliment to the yarn of my day .... that turns things from TENSE bow TIES into a gentle and soothing drape of Peace around my heart . . that apart from Him i can NOT explain.

You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. 

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

ps. 4:7-8