Knitting as “Active Meditation”
A few years ago I was in an airport on my way to a training course and was at a kiosk to purchase some trail mix (and chocolate, of course). My eyes glanced over at the book section, and one book in particular really grabbed my attention. It was almost as though it had neon lights flashing at me. The book was “The Friday Night Knitting Club” by Kate Jacobs. I felt the nudge to buy it and start reading it on the plane. The book inspired me to try my hand at knitting again, as I hadn’t done much knitting since making my twins’ baby blankets. (The twins came 6 weeks early, so the second blanket was a little shorter than the first and didn’t get the trim 
And I was so busy with two one-year-olds, I didn’t even make a blanket for my youngest!)
I hadn’t realized that knitting had become popular again. Many celebrities are knitting now, including Julia Roberts who is producing and starring in the upcoming movie “The Friday Night Knitting Club”. Men have taken up knitting as well, including Russell Crow.
Starting up knitting again has been so good for me. I find it to be an “active meditation” from the repetitive motion (I prefer to make simple patterns so I don’t have to pay too much attention and think too much). When I knit my breathing slows down and I get into a nice, relaxed state. It’s a way for me to stop the busy pace of my day and just refresh for a bit. I also find that it is a way for me to access my creativity – not just in what I’m making, but ideas and inspiration come to me as I knit. I know to always keep paper and pen handy when I sit down to knit.
I’ve made it a practice to consciously infuse what I make with loving thoughts and prayers, and I call on the angels to infuse it with their energy and blessings. It’s like the “prayer shawls” that many people in churches and organizations make to give to those who need prayers and healing energy. They pray while making the shawl, which infuses it with the blessings.
I’ve made scarves and blankets; and skirts, sweaters and purses for toddlers. I LOVE making cute little girly things since my kids are all boys! You can imagine how many ways doing this is good for me – I get to be creative, working with beautiful colors, (and I love picking out really soft yarn as it feels so good in my hands); I get my girly fix; I get into a relaxed, meditative state, and I get to infuse these things with Love and blessings.
If you choose to give knitting or crocheting a try, start out with something simple, like a scarf. Allow yourself to make mistakes. Start out doing it for the simple pleasure of the repetitive motion and the relaxation. Let it be something that you just wear around the house or when you take walks. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect. Just let yourself get into the groove with your first one.
Enjoy!
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