Like many sheltering in place knitters, I’ve been tapping into my stash for yarn for prayer shawls these days. A few weeks ago I pulled out some yarn has been unable to tell me what it wants to be for three years. As I tried again with this pattern and that pattern, I found myself fretting. It seemed important to make a shawl with this yarn now, and the yarn was being really picky. The stripes the yarn kept forming just didn’t look right. My Google newsfeed, however, came to the rescue. In addition to news, I also receive articles about knitting and teasers for patterns. A free shawl pattern from Expressions Fiber Arts caught my eye. It’s called Palette and comes out shaped something like a parallelogram, which meant the stripes would lean artistically instead of going straight across. I downloaded the pattern (thank you, Expressions Fiber Arts!) and set off on my new shawl journey. To my delight, the yarn was very happy with the pattern. As for me, I loved the fabric the pattern created–soft and squishy. I thought about how comforting it would be for the person who received it, whoever God had in mind.
I soon learned who it was. One of my prayer shawl buddies, caregiver for her husband, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, missed our weekly Zoom meeting. When I contacted her, Ruth said that even though she’d been looking forward to it all week, she’d forgotten, because the disruption of their routine has really taken its toll on the both of them. One thing that had been helping them both a great deal before the pandemic was a wonderful respite program called The Friends Place, where her husband went three days a week to visit with others and participate in activities. Without the routine of going to The Friends Place, both my friend and her husband were struggling. I wondered what I could do for them to break up the monotony and give them both a change of scene. As I pondered this and asked some other prayer shawl buddies for ideas, I realized that the shawl I was making, so soft and squishy that it was the essence of a hug, was for Ruth. My joy in making this shawl deepened as I knitted.
Last Wednesday, my husband and I arranged a driveway visit with Ruth and her husband Roger. Ruth and I stood on opposite sides of the driveway, stretched out our arms and hugged each other from afar. The four of us shared news, chatted, and most importantly, laughed. One of my long-distance prayer shawl buddies had told me how music really helps Alzheimer’s patients, so I loaned them a collection of 60s music for Roger and some calm, contemplative music for Ruth. The visit was a heart lift for all four of us.
We visited again this Thursday, bringing Ruth’s completed shawl with us. Amidst the joyful news that The Friends Place was now doing activities via Zoom, I handed Ruth the bag with her shawl in it. If you’re a prayer shawl maker, you won’t be surprised to hear that the yarn I bought and struggled with three years ago turns out to be in the colors Ruth loves best. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the wonder of making prayer shawls–the nudges from the Holy Spirit, listening to God through listening to the yarn, the miracle of timing–and the joy on my friend Ruth’s face.