“This is an awe-inspiring book about a very meaningful spiritual practice.”—Spirituality and Health
Knitters—there are 53 million of them in the United States alone—are part of a long and quiet tradition that's both plainly practical and deeply spiritual. With needles clicking, they weave together not just garments to warm the body but also comfort and companionship to nurture the soul.
This tradition is flowering today through knitting ministries, a worldwide ecumenical movement of small groups of women who gather to pray and knit for those in need. As they create shawls for people burdened with illness and sorrow, their handiwork becomes an expression, not only of their love and concern, but also of the loving care of the God who works through them.
In this beautifully illustrated book, the authors—a United Church of Christ minister and a Roman Catholic laywoman—share stories of how the knitting ministry has touched lives and hearts around the world. They offer directions for knitting the shawls and for starting a parish or community knitting ministry. The book also provides a selection of prayers, written from many faith traditions, to offer along with each completed shawl.
Susan S. Jorgensen was a long-time spiritual director in private practice, leading retreats and workshops across the country. She was the founding editor of Presence: The Journal of Spiritual Directors, and the author of several books and articles on liturgy and spirituality. She died in 2014.
Susan S. Izard is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ serving as pastor of spiritual life at First Church of Christ, Congregational, in West Hartford, Connecticut. She is particularly interested in biblical reflection and contemplative practices and how we integrate God's continual revelation into our everyday lives and care for others. She lives in Connecticut.
"As a recipient of a shawl when suffering with cancer, I can tell you that nothing warms the soul so much as the gift of another's careful, skilled hands. Read this book and become knit into this mystery."—The Rev. Donna Schaper, author of Sabbath Sense: A Spiritual Antidote for the Overworked
"Both richly spiritual and highly practical, Knitting into the Mystery is an excellent resource for those who have, like me, discovered the contemplative, spiritual joys of knitting."—Molly Wolfe, co-editor of Knitlit: Sweaters and Their Stories...and Other Writing About Knitting
"This is an awe-inspiring book about a very meaningful spiritual practice...In a time when spiritual practices are expanding in so many fascinating and special ways, this is an essential volume for church libraries. For as the authors of Knitting Into the Mystery put it, our hands are God's hands."—Spirituality Health
50 Best Spiritual Books of 2003 Fredric and Mary Ann Brussat of Spirituality and Health
"Fans of knitting will be, shall we say, hooked: the book offers practical steps on selecting yarn and knitting simple prayer shawls, but its most enduring feature is the heartwarming stories of shawls knitted and given as artifacts of prayer."—Publishers Weekly
"Knitters—there are 38 million of them in the United States alone- are part of a long and quiet tradition that's both plainly practical and deeply spiritual. With needles clicking, they weave together not just garments to warm the body but also comfort and companionship to nurture the soul. This tradition is flowering today through knitting ministries, a worldwide ecumenical movement of small groups of women who gather to pray and knit for those in need. As they create shawls for people burdened with illness and sorrow, their handiwork becomes an expression, not only of their love and concern, but also of the loving care of the God who works through them. In this beautifully illustrated book, the authors—a United Church of Christ minister and a Roman Catholic laywoman—share stories of how the knitting ministry has touched lives and hearts around the world."—The Presbyterian Outlook
"...an informative and inspiring guide to the spiritual practice that has given birth to a worldwide ecumenical movement. This is an essential volume for church libraries...."—The Lutheran
"What makes this volume different from its how-to brethren, and such an inspiration, are the touching stories about sharing and healing and renewal."—Easy Knitting
"Anyone who may consider knitting shawls merely a mundane or old-fashioned task will have a new point of view after spending time with Knitting into the Mystery by Susan Jorgensen and Susan Izard. Full of inspiration and wisdom, this book is a treat for the soul and for the eyes."—Mary McWilliams for The Lighthouse
"In the introduction, the authors quote Isaiah 43:39: ' Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?' Read 'Knitting into the Mystery' and you will."—Ardeana Hamlin, Bangor Daily News
"Those readers familiar with reading about spiritual matters will find the book inspiring. For those thinking of starting a shawl-knitting ministry in their community, this book may offer the needed motivation."—Edie Eckman, Creative Knitting Magazine
"Those readers familiar with reading about spiritual matters will find the book inspiring. For those thinking of starting a shawl-knitting ministry in their community, this book may offer the needed inspiration."—Creative Knitting
