Knitted or Knotted

[During this time of staying put due to the Covid 19 thing, I have not been able to take up some of the speaking engagements at a number of churches. However, I have written up a couple of things that I had already prepared and thought I'd share them here. This is one of them.]

Knitted or knotted *      Reading Psalm 139: 1-5, 13-18

I’m a knitter.

            And yes, I natter – quite a lot!

            Some would even say I’m a nutter…

In the eighties a dear friend, Anna, now 91, taught me to make knitted lace; she did large tablecloths and I did small doyleys.

It involves very fine needles and cotton and intricate patterns.

It’s important to get the holes in all the right places and dropped stitches are a nightmare and mistake take ages to unpick.

Recently I decided to revive my skills after a number of years and knit a gift for my granddaughter Hannah’s engagement. It was a busy time just before Christmas and I was distracted by many concerns. It was quite a mess and had holes in some of the wrong places. So I gave it to a friend with the suggestion she put it on her table with a potplant on top of it to hide the mistakes.

And I made another one for Hannah…

 

Did you know God is a knitter?

Psalm 139:13b says ‘You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.’

And God has the pattern for each of us.

Recently I read the book ‘Knot One, Purl a Prayer, (available through the library system).

It was about using knitting as mediation. I was never good at sitting still and thinking or meditation but knitting intricate patterns helped me be quiet and focus.

Mostly, I now sit and colour but that’s talk for another day,  because you already know that God is great at colouring in.

The book included this prayer

Creator and Great Repairer

I count on you to mend

When I mess things up

Help make them whole

Undo my failures

Unravel my mistakes

Surprise me with your perfect stitches

May I once in a while find one in my work

That is, may we sometimes see the pattern forming.

Mistakes need unpulling. It can be painful as in knitting, but is necessary for the design.

And so they become part of the pattern.

So is this a bit fanciful? God as a knitter?

I went looking in the Bible and found other places where it talks about knitting.

Chronicles talks of king David saying, ‘My heart will be knitted to you’. In Judges it talks of the people knitted together as one. So, it’s about being as close as the yarn in a knitted item. It expresses unity and closeness and love.

Then I went looking again. I have always loved Julian of Norwich who lived during the time of the plague in Europe. She is famous for her writings including the phrase ‘all will be well, and all will be well’ – even during a time of death and plague. I knew the icon included a cat and I though I had read about her knitting as well in her time of seclusion (social isolation?)

Then I found this

‘Julian uses the image of knitting to describe the distinctive relationship between God and humans. Humans are knitted by God in their making (Psalm 139) and God is knitted to humanity by becoming human.’

We are all knitted together in love.

God knits us into the pattern for the kingdom, God’s dream for the world.

We are loved. God is closer than we can imagine

We are never alone

Glenys Badger  April 2020

*In case you wondered about the 'knotted' bit. Just think about your knickers...