“Bless these
knitting needles so that they may become instruments of prayer and meditation.”
Prayer
recited at the opening of each shawl ministry gathering. (Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania)
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Monday, June 1, 2009
Monday, December 1, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Scripture
Psalm 139
1 You have searched me, Lord,
1 You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Homespun Yarn
I prefer to use Homespun yarn by Lion's Brand
BECAUSE:
- It perfectly fits the pattern.
- It comes in many colors.
- It is very soft and comforting
- It can be washed and dried by machine, and
- It is inexpensive.
I can sometimes find 3 skeins for the price of 2 at Fred Meyer. Fabric Depot at SE 122nd and Stark has a great selection of Homespun and other yarns.
Shawl Ministry History
In 1998, Janet Bristow and Victoria Galo, two graduates of the 1997 Women's Leadership Institute at The Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut gave birth to a ministry as a result of their experience in this program of applied Feminist Spirituality under the direction of Professor Miriam Therese Winter, MMS.
Care and the love of knitting (and crochet) have been combined into a prayerful ministry that reaches out to those in need of comfort and solace. Many blessings are knitted into every shawl. The knitter begins each shawl with prayers for the recipient. Intentions are continued throughout the creation of the shawl. When the shawl is completed it is offered a final ritual before being sent along its way.
As this gift has been sent along, some recipients have continued the kindness by making one themselves and passing it onto someone in need.
Thus, the blessing is rippled from person to person, with both the giver and receiver feeling the unconditional embrace of a sheltering, mothering God!
With the encouragement of others I started a Prayer Shawl Ministry at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Portland, Oregon in 2005. Now, as of 2012, I am continuing this ministry at St. David of Wales Episcopal Church, also in Portland, Oregon.
Care and the love of knitting (and crochet) have been combined into a prayerful ministry that reaches out to those in need of comfort and solace. Many blessings are knitted into every shawl. The knitter begins each shawl with prayers for the recipient. Intentions are continued throughout the creation of the shawl. When the shawl is completed it is offered a final ritual before being sent along its way.
As this gift has been sent along, some recipients have continued the kindness by making one themselves and passing it onto someone in need.
Thus, the blessing is rippled from person to person, with both the giver and receiver feeling the unconditional embrace of a sheltering, mothering God!
With the encouragement of others I started a Prayer Shawl Ministry at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Portland, Oregon in 2005. Now, as of 2012, I am continuing this ministry at St. David of Wales Episcopal Church, also in Portland, Oregon.
SHAWL Crochet Instructions
Crochet Version
Size K – 10.5
4 skeins of Lions Brand HOMESPUN yarn.
GAUGE:
5 V-Sts and 7 rows = 5½ [14 cm] Gauge Swatch: 6"w x 5½" h [5.25 cm x 14 cm] BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR GAUGE.
SHAWL
Before you start: Cut your yarn for the fringe, which can be from 3 inches to 9 inches long. Knot the ends of the fringes to keep the yarn from frizzing.
First Half Ch 51, place marker in third ch from hook to mark st placement.
Row 1 (Right side): (dc, ch 2, dc) in sixth ch from hook, *skip next 2 chs, (dc, ch 2, dc) in next ch; repeat from * across to last 3 chs, skip next 2 chs, dc in last ch: 32 sts and 15 ch2 sps.
Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc, now and throughout), turn; (dc, ch 2, dc) in each ch2 sp across to last dc, skip last dc, dc in next ch: 32 dc and 15 ch2 sps.
Row 3: Ch 3, turn; (dc, ch 2, dc) in each ch2 sp across to last 2 dc, skip next dc, dc in last dc.
Repeat Row 3 until piece measures approximately 36" [91.5 cm] from beginning ch.
Finish off.
Size K – 10.5
4 skeins of Lions Brand HOMESPUN yarn.
GAUGE:
5 V-Sts and 7 rows = 5½ [14 cm] Gauge Swatch: 6"w x 5½" h [5.25 cm x 14 cm] BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR GAUGE.
SHAWL
Before you start: Cut your yarn for the fringe, which can be from 3 inches to 9 inches long. Knot the ends of the fringes to keep the yarn from frizzing.
First Half Ch 51, place marker in third ch from hook to mark st placement.
Row 1 (Right side): (dc, ch 2, dc) in sixth ch from hook, *skip next 2 chs, (dc, ch 2, dc) in next ch; repeat from * across to last 3 chs, skip next 2 chs, dc in last ch: 32 sts and 15 ch2 sps.
Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc, now and throughout), turn; (dc, ch 2, dc) in each ch2 sp across to last dc, skip last dc, dc in next ch: 32 dc and 15 ch2 sps.
Row 3: Ch 3, turn; (dc, ch 2, dc) in each ch2 sp across to last 2 dc, skip next dc, dc in last dc.
Repeat Row 3 until piece measures approximately 36" [91.5 cm] from beginning ch.
Finish off.
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