The Lord has given me the ability to knit, and a way to praise Him even more. This hobby of mine has enabled me to benefit others and provide comfort for them and myself. Years ago, when I did not understand why my mom loved working with yarn so much, I tried several crafts and none of them suited me. I took up crocheting for a little while; okay, maybe only a few days. I tried knitting, but couldn’t really understand or memorize the steps and motions. I also did watercolor for a couple weeks, macramé for a lesser period of time, and I even made a short-lasting business on my street by making lanyards! All of these phases apparently led up to knitting; my niche in the leisure world.

The reason that I attempted knitting for the second time was because I longed for a hobby. It’s very simple. I was incessantly hearing others talk about and mention their hobbies, and longed for one myself. Before I tried knitting for the second time, my mom was crocheting a sweater with intricate cables and textures and I wanted to do that too! I was mostly intrigued with the cables all over it; that is what really turned me on! I wanted to make something like that, but not in crochet. She asked me if I was sure that I didn’t want to do crochet and I replied, “No. Knitting!” So, that was that! Things started off slow but quickly picked up speed, because I wanted to knit, and knit many different things. When I started, I could do only the knit stitch and the purl stitch. Now, I have been knitting for only about a year, and I can do intarsia, fair isle, cables, etc. The Lord has instilled in me a passion for knitting and a longing to venture out into the land of knitting. What a great place! I wanted to do intricate cables and such, so I pursued after my interest and did it! Thank you Jesus!

My mom figured that if I was going to learn knitting, since she was already acquainted with the basic knit and purl stitches, she should refresh her memory and learn a little bit more about knitting. I would definitely say that she learned more about knitting; it is her main hobby now! Not only did she get me started in this wonderful pastime, she embarked on a journey herself! She does not crochet anymore. She has been a knitting wiz for quite a while now! I am extremely proud of her! I thank Jesus every day that he has blessed me with knitting. After all, if it weren’t for Him, I wouldn’t have understood knitting when I tried it again. If it weren’t for Him, I wouldn’t have the desire to knit. If it weren’t for Him, I wouldn’t be knitting!

The Lord has blessed me, and others, in so many ways! For example, I am currently knitting a baby blanket for my favorite toddle, Rachel. The blanket is a simple honeycomb pattern, although it is not a cable. It includes slipstitches and basic stockinette, which add up to a rather pleasant looking piece. The blanket is made up of a marvelous baby yarn that is sky blue, and the other yellow. It is also quite soft; even Rachel said so! One morning when I was to baby-sit her, I took with me the blanket in progress to show her parents. Rachel ran up to it and rubbed the fabric between her fingers and stated “sooooft”. That was considerably rewarding for me and has motivated me to finish the project sooner. I adore knitting garments and such and then giving them away. In that, I am blessing others with what the Lord has blessed me.

If someone wished me to recommend a hobby, I would undoubtedly suggest knitting. It provides comfort, is small and can be taken anywhere, is easy to learn, yet offers endless ways to improve skills with progressively harder techniques. And – most importantly – gives glory to God on the highest. I am extremely thankful that the Lord has supplied me with a passion to fill the gap in my hobbies. Something that will last, something that I can pass on to my children one day, something that I can use to praise the Father evermore!