I've been knitting for years now--since well before Audrey was born. Even though my mom knits, I learned from women at work back in my days as a publicist-turned copywriter-turned editor at NavPress.
Every Thursday, a group of women met in the conference room over lunch to chat and knit. I'd walk by and saw something I wanted to be a part of. So they graciously invited me in and taught me to knit--dishcloths and baby hats to begin. I loved Craft Lady Lunch Day. Thank you, June and Helen!
Anyway, in all my years of knitting, I don't remember ever really blocking something. Until this past weekend.
Blocking is a process to shape what you've knit. First, you soak your project in warm water for a half-hour or so, then you gently wring it out, then you roll it up in a towel, then you pin it down and let it dry.
I've been knitting a lacy project (yep, the one where the needle broke and I had to start again--from scratch) and though it was pretty, it needed blocking.
On its own, it was twisted and curled and the pattern that I worked wasn't really visible (K2, *SSK, 2YO, K2TOG, K2TOG, K3, YO, *repeat). To see the lovely lacework, I had to hold it up, stretch it, pull it. And as soon as I let go, it curled right back again and the pattern was impossible to see.
It needed to be blocked to showcase what it was created to be.
And it got me thinking.
Sometimes we go through seasons of blocking. We get wound up too tight, twisted around, curled in on ourselves and the pattern we're meant to reflect isn't at all visible--to us or to others.
And so God blocks us.
It may feel like we're drowning a while--heavy and soaked with tears.
Wrung out--twisted and stretched.
Wrapped up and unable to move, stifled and scarcely able to breathe.
Laid flat and pinned to the ground, held in place and still unable to move freely.
But then.
In due time, at just the right time, when the work is done and we get up, we find that we've been given a new shape--one that moves freely and easily and shows off the pattern to its best advantage. We find that instead of twisted and turned and having to be pulled and prodded into shape, we actually look like the picture.
[Imagine a picture here--it's dark this morning and I never got the picture taken yesterday when it was light. I'll do my best to come put a picture up later today--after the sun comes up!]
Oh my word, Joanne... this was for me today. Thank you. Thank Him. Love you both.
Posted by: Heather C | December 01, 2010 at 06:14 AM
Perfect way of putting that!
Joanne - I do so wish you would show us (as best you can) how to knit. I can crochet, cross-stitch, but not knit. Can you show the basics of how to begin? Thank you!!!
Posted by: Kristy Beckendorf | December 01, 2010 at 06:17 AM
Bless your heart, I needed this today. My oldest (she's 8) is having a rough day which translates to be having a rough day. Through all the tears I need to remind both of us that God is working in us and we just need to be patient to see what He does.
Posted by: Tara | December 01, 2010 at 12:42 PM
Lovely! Thank you, Joanne.
Posted by: Ashley | December 01, 2010 at 03:38 PM
Needed this terribly today. Thank you...
Posted by: Melissa Thacker | December 01, 2010 at 04:09 PM
That was fantastically beautiful Joanne!
And on a day when I rode 12+ hours across 2 provinces, knitting a hat I completely undid 2 times (or was that 3?) and realized AGAIN I had made a major pattern mistake.
Posted by: MomPlusKid | December 01, 2010 at 07:47 PM
What a beautiful word picture!
Hmm... never thought about blocking to show off the pattern. (I crochet more often than knit.) I have a scarf I knitted that rolls up a lot. May be blocking is what I need to try. Thanks for the tip!
Posted by: Anuja | December 02, 2010 at 04:36 PM
Joanne, How very interesting it is that this came up today...well, we KNOW that it wasn't random...it one of those totally amazing God moments!! I am a new knitter...about a year. I am now working on a blanket that I will be piecing together with a bunch of squares that I am slowing knitting.
The subject of Blocking keeps coming up in everything I see/read/talk about lately. I keep looking at these squares and they look so pitiful all curled and mis-shapen and I know that to make this project work I am going to have to block them. I could NOT block them and just try to piece it together as is, but that would be doing the whole project a huge disservice. Their potential is there, but they definately need some refining and a good bit of training to make them what they were created to be. I will have to work on them. Of course it isn't really me who will do the work...I mean I'll just be the one pinning them down and following God's lead in training their young lives. God is the one who will actually do the blocking with those two amazing little girls he loaned me. Pretty cool how HE can block all of us at once too!! (I need blocking as much if not more than my precious babies do!!)
Thanks for...yet again...another reminder of what my job really is!!! How easy and lazy it is to take the path of least resistance...but that is not what we have been called to do as Moms, is it!!
Whew...I'm going to need to soak in that warm water for a good long time!!!!
Thanks Joanne!!
In HIS Mighty Grip~
Posted by: Shelley | December 05, 2010 at 09:32 AM