Living and Knitting in Color

        I love starting a new color. Here I am talking about my knitting, specifically the shawl I am making, designing as I go, whether this is a good idea or not. A couple of years ago someone gave St. Walburg Monastery a lot of yarn – about 5 big plastic storage containers full – it seems like they are mostly left-overs from projects, many balls/skeins without wrappers which name the color and give specifics regarding the fibers.

        For the most part, the items which have been made have washed well and the acting assumption is that they are polyester. Several of our sisters have made lovely afghans, lap robes, shawls and other items. 

        I have been making different kinds of things that use multiple colors because there is not enough of any one color of yarn for a big project. I have made some large items like afghans, as well as smaller ones like hats (for cancer survivors), baby items, etc.

        A few weeks ago I picked out “yarn” that is really thin, probably 2 ply, more like cord for wrapping packages. There were several balls of various colors and I decided to knit them into this shawl I am currently working on. Because the yarn is so fine, I use small needles (size 4) and it is taking about an hour to work across each row. So you know that it is going to take a long time to finish the shawl. With each color I also vary the pattern for those rows. It’s a way for me to stay interested and I am a little surprised at how it’s turning out.

        All of this, of course, is a metaphor for life. We don’t have control over the yarn/ gifts that come to us, but we do have choices about how we use them. We seldom have just what we want or enough of it, but we find ways to “make do” and, if approached with a positive attitude, that usually works out well. The gifts and people who come into our lives bring with them blessings and challenges. And, when we let the Spirit guide us, we can come up with works of art (or develop into Works of Arts).  All colors be welcome!

       Sr. Dorothy Schuette, OSB

Socks and Our Times

I began knitting socks 4 years ago after a year in which I lost my mother and a very good friend. This new project required concentration which provided a needed distraction from my grief.  The rhythm of the stitches brought me a sense of comfort. I delighted in my emerging sock and in the women with whom I connected during lessons.  I learned patience as redid some parts and laughed out loud when I tried on my first sock only to have it slide down my ankle. 

            After a long hiatus I picked up my sock knitting this past weekend. In the quiet, with only the gentle sound of my wooden needles and the feel of the yarn I remembered my ea

rly days of sock knitting. My thoughts then moved to today and what lessons my sock knitting offers in light of our current times of violence, separation and unpredictability. 

·                                 Just as stitch after stitch forms a sock so do our actions, prayers and meditations make a difference in our world as we practice daily.

·                                 Focus is necessary in navigating the anatomy of the sock. We are created by love for love…our task is to remove the barriers to love and to hold our focus amidst the changing world.  (Sometimes have to circle back and repair when things don’t go as planned.)

·                                We need company. We are wired from birth for relationships which nurture and help us learn the lessons of life (or in knitting). We are also often spurred into action by our compassion for another.

            May we each one stitch/step at a time persevere in our prayer, hold our focus on the call we have received, and seek to take actions which foster connection and compassion.

          Sr. Kimberly Porter, OSB