Knit One, Purl a Prayer: A Spirituality of Knitting (Active Prayer) [ペーパーバック]

It is not often that I read a book straight through, and even more rare that I read straight through a book with a word like "knit" in its title. Still, when I picked up a copy of Peggy Rosenthal's "Knit One, Purl a Prayer: A Spirituality of Knitting" (Paraclete Press, November 2011), I read it in its entirety, in a single sitting, and came away thinking I should take up knitting.

Rosenthal's is a lovely, well-researched, and personal book, from its appealing cover design of a pile of warm-colored knitwear to its beautifully composed writing and organization. Set in well-spaced, easy-on-the-eyes type, the book comprises just six chapters, each turning on the well-known phrase "knit one, purl two". In the Preface we first learn how Rosenthal came to regard knitting "as something like praying with prayer beads" but then, as she got more involved with the craft, came to see how "my spirit engaged in a new way." We are shown over the course of the book that it is possible not only to knit a prayer but also to purl pain.

In Knit One we learn how the rhythmic movement of needles and yarn through the hands can be "an aid to settling the mind and spirit into deep repose"; how, wherever it's done, knitting invariably creates community, even as each individual knitter necessarily follows a pattern unique to the picture in her own mind; how the working of yarn into loops and stitches is a series of steps that can be model or guide, followed or broken, a metaphor for the steps, and missteps, we take in daily life; how, when life is filled with pain and grief, knitting, as both singular and communal act of creation, can be healing, requiring no words. By the concluding chapter, when we come full circle, we are able to link appreciation of the handcraft taken up by so many people the world over with understanding that what happens after those first intentional stitches and rows are made opens us up to something spiritually nourishing and sustaining. As Rosenthal relates in a final and moving personal story of how she came to own a blue prayer shawl, there is much more to knitting than can be imagined from browsing through a craft book or stepping into a store to purchase the simple tools of needles and yarns.

Noteworthy are Rosenthal's inclusion in each chapter of one or more meditations that reinforce discoveries about the practice of knitting -- as means of prayer, as meditative tool, as stress reliever, as problem-solver, as creative act -- suggested activities, and a particularly generous helping of other knitters' voices. It is through the latter, these expressive, articulate, insightful, and often witty voices, that Rosenthal gives credence to her own narrative and meaning to a second definition of the word "purl". For purl is not only the knitting stitch that we create and can see; it embodies, through its definitional sense of motion and sound, a force that is invisible and works upon us. And, to our benefit, it is articulated again and again in the pages of Knit One. In sharing the many voices she has collected in her book, Rosenthal makes it possible to visualize the power of many knitting needles moving together with intention, sometimes at odds, sometimes in silence, but always with what Rosenthal describes as "astonished gratitude as a beautiful and useful object is created" through the work of the hands. "Making," the author repeatedly affirms, "is part of the essence of our humanity."

A bonus that should not be overlooked: At the end of each chapter Rosenthal includes a knitting pattern (with supply list and instructions) that addresses that chapter's theme.

And one suggestion: While reading, you might want to keep a highlighter ready to underline or star the numerous knitting-related Websites that Rosenthal mentions and the names of poets, professional writers, and bloggers whose wonderful stories and quotes about knitting she shares.

Seeing the high review rating (more than 4 stars) given to this book at the time I ordered it, I expected a good read. What I got instead was an author rambling on as though she is an expert about spiritual things that everyone knows via common sense already. She seems to feel as though she has discovered something "deep" which she needs to share with the rest of us. The fact is that knitting is knitting. Yes, it's relaxing ... yes, it can help get our mind off the various troubles that inevitably touch all our lives ... & yes, it can add joy to our lives by just our engaging in the process of it ... but it is not akin to the Second Coming! As with any craft or activity you can channel thoughts of God into it. While taking a walk you can look at the creation around you & meditate on how God has blessed you with the beauty you encounter along the way. While cooking a meal or baking a loaf of bread for the family next door who are in the midst of a crisis of some sort you can pray for them as you add the ingredients, mix them together, & package the meal. While knitting (or crocheting, of sewing, or cross stitching) you can pray or meditate on a piece of scripture as you make each stitch. Again this is common sense ... yet the author had to write a poorly written book to tell people this? It's not often that I stop reading a book before I get to the end. I hate to have wasted the time I've already invested in reading it & I hate to have wasted my money. There is also a part of me that thinks it's going to get better. This book doesn't get better. I forced myself to read it longer than I should have. I stopped at Knitting Through Public Pain, the last section of Chapter 5 (there are 6 chapters in the book). I wish I had stopped sooner. No, I wish I hadn't bought the book at all.

A good book for knitters. I read it when I'm finished knitting for the day. The author gives several points to consider when you are knitting and the positive effects this has on lives of others.