Knitting Along the Way

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

My page-a-day knitting calendar had a quote for Sunday, and it got me thinking. "It is a long road from conception to completion." ~Moliere
In knitting, as in all creative pursuits, it is a long and often winding road from the conception of a project to its completion. This is especially true for me! This past weekend I set myself the goal of doing the "finishing" (e.g. sewing seams and attaching buttons) on several knitted projects that have languished, some of them for years. Humor me as I reflect on part of the journey.
I learned to knit when I was young, but could only really do scarves or teddy bear blankets in garter stitch (knit every row). In college, a friend's mother showed me how to purl (there are two basic stitches in knitting: knit and purl), and I played around with it, but still only beginner scarves. It wasn't until I had been married for about 2 years that I rediscovered knitting. We were starting to think about having children (or rather, I was thinking and dreaming about it, and Adam was starting to get used to the idea). Although we agreed it was too soon to actually conceive a child, we were taking some of the preliminary steps, which for me included a lot of research. And, somewhat surprisingly, knitting. I started a baby sweater. I didn't admit to anyone else that it was a baby sweater, but I knew, and that sweater was tangible evidence that change was working its way into our lives. There is something wonderful about creating through the work of your hands; it is hard to describe, but knitting is soothing, meditative and stimulating all at once for me. I was learning new skills, producing a usable garment, and preparing for a baby, mentally and physically.
Then came the heartbreak of miscarriage. The baby sweater-in-progress was laid aside as I grieved; it was too much at first to work on it. But I continued to knit on other projects, and it was a solace, giving me time to process mentally and emotionally without being overwhelmed with the pain and immersed in depression. Knitting could either keep my mind off of what I didn't want to think about, especially when I was in settings that were not conducive to full-on grieving; or knitting could keep my mind just occupied enough that thoughts and feelings that would otherwise overwhelm me could be dealt with and prayed over. Eventually, part of the healing process included finishing that baby sweater, and I finished the knitting. But I couldn't quite bring myself to sew it together and add buttons. I told myself I would finish it when we had a baby to hold.
Well, I finally completed that sweater this weekend. Three years after starting it, the time was right to finish it. And it fits Naomi!! So, the long road from conception to completion is finally ended for that sweater, a significant marker on my journey; it was wonderful to put it on my baby girl, conceived and completed in my womb. And I also finished several other knitting projects this weekend, many of them for her baby brother, who is nearing physical completion himself. Both of my babies have a long road ahead before they will be complete persons, as do I. I pray that they will come to know the joy of traveling with Him, who is the author and finisher of our faith, the One who starts the journey and sees it through to the very end. And maybe they will pick up knitting along the way, too. :)