Osborn Fiber Studio

This is Mom, giving you the last of my 3 posts for this “12 Days of Christmas” series.

I have a very special friend who is going through a tough time right now….her 18-year old son is really sick with Crohns and eventually had to go into the hospital on Christmas Day!  After 5 days he is back home, but now she is dealing with tube feeding him at home, AND 4 of her family members have the flu AND she struggles with SAD during the winter anyway.  She is a strong woman having to face a lot of challenges!

There is so little I can do to help, so I took some consolation in making a prayer shawl for her birthday, which happens to fall around the last day of Christmas, Jan. 6.  I found a pattern in Rebecca’s book called “The Prayer Shawl Companion” by Janet Brisow and Victoria Galo.  Their web site is:  http://www.shawlministry.com/

In earlier months, my friend saw the progress of MY mom’s sweater (3 yarns a-slip-stiching) and she kept saying how much she loved blue and brown together.  She is also allergic to wool.  So while visiting Rebecca over the Thanksgiving break, I stopped by the knitting store where she works, and bought some bamboo yarns in blues, browns, and tans.

Note – this lovely yarn is 4 different colors of Berroco Seduce. I knit a few rows and liked it very much. ~Reb.

This is a modified pattern from the prayer shawl book, since the original was knit with thicker yarn and larger needles.  All I did was knit 3 repeats of a 28-stitch pattern instead of 2.  The 9 colors of browns and blues are made from only 4 different skein colors.  (I’m so sorry I threw out all 10 labels, can you believe it?  And I can’t find my receipt OR the book!  Fail!!  I will find the book as soon as I finish cleaning up from Christmas, I promise!)  Each little hank was 71 yards for a total of 710 yards.  I used nearly all of it.

The final piece is 60 inches long and 18 inches wide.  I carried up the 4 colors  as I knit, and so decided to crochet an edging along both sides, to hide the strings along the edge.  It gives it a nice finished look, although it’s a bit thicker and stiffer on the side where I carried up the yarns.  I was very happy that I actually managed to line up all the holes at the end!  There were many times that I had to rip out rows because I messed up the pattern stitch and noticed too late that the holes were not lined up.  There are always small mistakes in whatever I knit, but I figured on this project, the holes have GOT to line up!!

Before I started knitting, I did as the book suggested…..I prayed over the yarn in a quiet place in my house.  Then I cast on and began the piece without any radio or TV.  I also prayed often for her while I knit.  And since it was a prayer shawl, I didn’t think I should watch any violent TV while knitting it.  That may sound dumb, but my friend is very particular in her TV watching, so it just seemed more respectful to watch only TV she would approve of while I was knitting HER prayer shawl.  Basically, this was a Christmas season project.  I began it right after Thanksgiving, and ended it yesterday, so I had great fun watching oodles of sweet Christmas movies.

The yarn has lovely drape and feels soft to the skin.  I also love the sparkle it has, as well as a bit of a “rustic bamboo” look to it.  I can’t wait to give it to my friend later this week.  My hope is that it will help keep her warm this winter, and help her feel extra-loved by God AND ME!