Frogging Ride

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,  for His compassions never fail. ²³ They are new every morning;     great is your faithfulness.

I had extremely productive plans for the holiday weekend!  There was a wedding to attend and as I packed my three projects for the ride, I noted the progress of each.  These were not projects that needed to be cast on, okay one did need to be put on the needles but the rest were at least 60 rows in.  I was looking forward to a pleasant ride with my needles clacking their soothing cadence with music softly playing.

Alas, then the car air conditioner and the cd player went out.  No biggie, I could still knit, but that morning I neglected to fortify myself with a cup of coffee.  So not having achieved full wakefulness I picked up the needles and  pattern, allowing my faulty memory to tell me where to begin, I totally neglect to re-read my notes, so I did not include the necessary increases in those twelve rows.  In frustration, I stuffed that project back into the bag and picked up the next “mindless” project. Admittedly, I had already made two minor mistakes that only a perfectionist would have caught, then my coffee deprived mind made mistake number three.

Three strikes and  that project was now out and hastily packed away.  The breeze picked up and I sat and pouted, fussing at myself and trying to figure out what to do.  I did not read the directions again, I did not make sure that I my mind was in the right space to move forward.  Riding home the next day later, I pulled out the project and began pulling out ALL of the stitches.  I’m sure the trucks looking down in the car thought I was knitting, but nooooo, I was frogging!  There was quite a bit of tension released as I wound that sweater back into a ball.

Like life, I am still learning to acknowledge and recognize my errors.  I am resigned to be more patient with myself and others.  Life is filled with constant lessons should we be willing to learn and embrace our mistakes long enough to acknowledge, confess and release them.  Did I not read my Bible that morning?  Had I neglected to find out God’s plans for my day?  Without fortifying myself with the Word, the reading or patterns and directions won’t happen.  Knowing God’s plan for the trip, would have diminished the frustration I caused.  Thankfully, God permits do overs, His mercies are fresh and new every day. I am grateful for the blanket of forgiveness that cover our lives should we be willing to learn and move forward.

Making His praise glorious!

Ree

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Crashing through the Yarn Wall

 

Proverbs 14:10 (NIV)

¹⁰ Each heart knows its own bitterness,    and no one else can share its joy

Oh my goodness, happened again!  I was going merrily along and bam that wall popped up!   I was once again blocked, stymied, according to blogger Peaceful Knitter, my knitting mojo had flown the coop/gone on vacation, was nowhere to be found. No matter how many exciting new patterns I read on All Free Knitting or added to my Ravelry que nothing was motivating, encouraging or jolting me back me into picking up those needles and relaxing into knitting nirvana.

I picked up a book and started reading, something I used to do as relentlessly as I had been knitting. It seemed that my old reading love had been replaced by knitting my new, productive, time-consuming hobby. Picking up a book reminded me how much I always enjoyed reading and how it transports me to new exciting places, introduces me to new friends and fuels that round the corner, beneath the shelf spot of my mind where the mojo might have gone to seek quiet restful peace.

More often than not we fill our lives with so many new and exciting things that the tried and true are often relegated to spots of less importance.  This also happens with our Cristian walk, the fire that burned brightly  when we first learn the wonderful truths can over time die down or almost distinguished by busyness or overwork.  It is important to build our continued joy and happiness in God.   Proper alignment with reading God’s word and working to do for others provides moments of bliss.  Deciding to knit something for someone else, sped my mojo’s return from vacation.  Glory to God for the daily lessons and moments of sheer joy!

Making His praise glorious!

Ree

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Not one Stitch

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⁷ Give all your worries to him, because he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NCV)

For two days, the needles have been silent.  Fingers have not felt the soothing slide of yarn, ears have not heard the rhythmic clicking and clacking of stitches being woven together nor have my eyes viewed rows of progress.   Every single work in progress,  all of them, came to a screeching halt.   What the world, how could it be the very thing that has fueled my days and blog had stopped.  I have been perplexed and in a word, lost.

One innocuous phone call and my world went into a silent, motionless holding pattern.  Not upset, not resigned, not spurred on, just…nothing.   Oh then last night the dam broke and the tears and words flowed, freely and unchecked.  I was impatient and once again questioning God, Poppa why? what? when?  As usual, He spoke, the whisper caressed my ear, gently patted my back and dried the tears.  “I got this!”  That was it, all He said and I realized again that the life I had surrendered so long ago, remained surrendered.  My self-imposed worries and fears had to be laid down at His feet.   Freed, I plan to pick up the needles and work on a project of praise and thanksgiving.

Making His praise glorious!

Ree

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Blessing in Pieces

 

¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.  1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

With the holidays safely in my rear view mirror I uttered a sigh of relief. For months I knitted, hats, scarves and shawls each piece, while carefully honing my newly minted knitting skills. Finding just the right pattern and in my mind seeing the smile on the faces of the recipients.  Each piece stitch prayerfully knit for the receiver, prayers of piece and covering. For couples prayers of connections done in matching color schemes. I know cheesy but when creating in love cheesy does not enter the equation.  I smiled as I created thinking about how Noah ushered two of every species into the ark there I was doing hats and scarves quirky sets, meant to wrap the wearers in something just for them.  

Our Father, God has provided everyone special gifts of their own.    Most of these gifts are to be shared with others in any number of ways.  The most important gift to all of was Christ and I certainly want to share Him with as many people as I can!

Making His praise glorious!

Ree

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In the Potter’s Hands

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⁶ He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.It  has been a little over a year since I picked up knitting needles and began this journey of knitting with God.  As I was reading Jeremiah and re-reading the story of the piece misshapen in the Potter’ hand I thought back on my year of projects.  Jeremiah 18:6 (NIV)

I, an acknowledged, novice somehow neglected to check my gauge in the early days, ok it is still a problem, and as a result there was more than one odd-shaped, twisted, gaped piece that should have never seen the light of day.  In the beginning the idea of taking it apart, after hours and days of diligent work was unimaginable.  What a difference mere months made.

I might bind off to the last stitch, but if it is wrong, it is wrong it is wrong and out comes the ball wonder.  More than once in my life I have been that imperfect work in the Potter’s hands, how thankful I am that He takes the time to make me over and over, and over again.

Making His praise glorious!

Ree

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Who Am I?

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Psalm 45:9 Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.”

 Who are you?  Where are you from? What do you do?   Many times I have been asked these very questions and had my tongue get stuck in the acrobatics of forming a witty, relevant, on point response.   By reflexive rote, I would state my name, somehow weaving in that I am someone’s daughter, mother sister or spouse.  The reality of me had become so intertwined and enmeshed with others that I could not clearly state who I was.   I neglected to take the time to follow the ball of tangled string in order figure out who I truly am.  That task was something I could not or was unwilling to do until God stepped in and pulled on the string and began the unraveling of the jumbled strings to clarify my discovery.   Only with His hand upon me was that the truth of who I am revealed.  While my life is still tied to others, I can now state with pride that I am a child of God, a writer, knitter,  a daughter, and prayerfully a servant in the service of the same God who calls me daughter!  This same God who freed slave redeemed and remade my seemingly insignificant life by simply claiming me and calling me His own! 
 
Making His praise glorious!

Ree
 

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Staying Centered

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Don’t go to extremes on anything. Make God the center of your life and you’ll be content. Ecclesiastes 7:18 (Clear Word)

 My thumb hurts, no doubt due to the marathon, rapid-fire, repetitive knitting session I engaged in over the weekend.  I have no one to blame but myself  for my discomfort.  The people pleasing part of me, that still desires to make others happy, took a big  bite out of an ego cookie and knitted two hats in less than 24 hours.  For those more experienced crafting folks who can knock out a hat in a few hours that may seem like nothing, but for an almost minted yearling, I was pushing my envelope.   I was determined, focused, in a word –  I was a machine and now I am in pain!  I wanted to fulfill a wish for someone else to give a gift and was doggedly persistent in the desire to produce a quality product in a short period of time.   I was in such a hurry I didn’t even take a picture of the pain producing piece of work, so you will just have to believe me that they are pretty.  There might be a dropped stitch or two and some other flaws that may appear in the wash, so I wouldn’t suggest a vigorous washing!  I went to an extreme, the day began with me focusing on God, I was reading, studying the Word, writing and discussing the goodness of God and other weighty subjects and then the chapeau request.   Yet, through the pain, the seeming unfocused thoughts of my one woman knitting marathon I know this to be true, God was never far from me.  While I may not have prayed on every stitch, He was with me and though it appeared I was outside the lines, He knew my heart and mind would once again be turned firmly and securely back to Him.

Making His praise glorious!

Ree

 

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Knot frustrated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

With the holidays season bearing down upon me sooner than believed my knitting has been kicked into high gear. With the exception of working hours, ok a few rows at lunchtime, my needles are not stilled. Completing one project last night I announced my goal of starting three projects! All in the same night, I know very ambitious. Projects one and two were cast on and begun without a hitch, but number three? I pulled yarn and it knotted. No sooner had I cleared that knot, a clump of stubborn twisted ones revealed themselves. I unravelled, untwisted, followed loops and  broke out in a sweat.  These stops and starts were slowing my progress and the fringes of frustration were creeping up. There was a part of me that wanted to just give up and go to bed, but no! I decided to create a new ball of yarn. Along the way more knots, but an instituted new strategy, I held the 

 

closed my eyes said a prayer and when I opened my eyes there was a new calm. This happened quite a few more times.  Reinforcing once again my lesson that nothing in life is unimportant to God and that time spent with Him untying knots, waiting in line or sitting quietly is wasted.  Every moment that could bring frustration when turned over to God is filled with peace.  I still have knots to unravel and look forward to knitting and spending more time with God. 

Making His praise glorious!

Ree

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