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11-06-09 (Patterns)
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Stephanie McIver
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Nov 06, 2009 13:38 PST
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Steph’s Stuff
11-06-09
(Patterns)
Tonight I have been asked to give a demonstration of a skill I’ve
possessed for a good many years. I am going to teach how to crochet at
a craft night for the women of my church.
It’s true. I do love to crochet and have gifted many of my loved ones
over the years with items to warm them, like the afghan I made my
brother for Christmas one year. Keeping in mind that he is 6’4”, I
made it extra long. His comment for my months of work? “Gee, did you
make me a car cover?” Thanks, Steve. Have you noticed there haven’t
been any more offerings coming to your house? I am currently finishing
up a baby blanket for a little girl named Violet who will be born in
late December—or early January. It is in various shades of purples and
lavenders and grays—a sturdy blanket that will keep her warm in the
winter and is tough enough to be thrown on the grass next spring when
she goes to her first picnics.
I have made a lot of different items, booties and sweaters, bonnets and
hats, mufflers and doilies. I even made a tablecloth of lacy white
thread—that was a six month long project and the subject of many
admiring looks as I carried it from place to place—always ready to add
another row when a few spare moments presented themselves.
Crochet is a simple craft—there are only a few basic stitches. Once you
have mastered them, you can make just about anything, as long as you
have a pattern to follow. Doilies and lace are more of a challenge than
most blankets or scarves. I liked making them for a time just to see
how that pattern would emerge, one round after another. I tore out a
lot of rows when I realized that one little mistake caused every
subsequent row to be off. That was frustrating, but the finished
product was worth the effort. In the case of lace, you MUST follow the
pattern or the results won’t be what you want. I like filet
crochet—where you draw a picture in yarn or thread. In that type of
crochet, you MUST follow the pattern exactly or your picture won’t be
recognizable. I made an afghan for a girlfriend one year, with a big
sunflower in the center. My daughter liked it so much that she
requested I make one for her—and I did, in secret, at the same time I
worked on the other one—I just worked on hers while she was at
school—and she was delighted to find it under the Christmas tree. “How
did you DO that?” she marveled. “It’s not even the same color as the
other one! You must have worked double time to get it finished for me!”
I did. It was worth it. She still has it today.
There are other crafts that aren’t as precise. You can paint—or
sculpt—or build birdhouses—or scrapbook—and be as free with those
projects as your imagination will take you. With crochet, you must be
extremely well skilled to make up your own designs—and I am not at that
level. I LIKE to follow the patterns. Some are written better than
others. They are easier to figure out. I look for certain books, read
them a bit first, before I commit my fingers and the investment of
materials to a new project.
God’s patterns are pretty precise too. He gave explicit instructions
when he told them how to build the Tabernacle. Every single detail was
laid out, down to the smallest nail and most hidden inner joist. He is
the expert—He can craft so many different things in infinite variety—but
we are simpler creatures. We do well to look for the pattern He has set
out for us. And in saying that, I have to also realize that my pattern
may look NOTHING like yours. We are each His unique design and our
pattern will follow the grid that HE has laid out. It is perfect for
US—each of us, individually. That is His special genius love—and I
continue to marvel at the vast and beautiful variety of His plan.
“For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Master, Jesus
Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to
the world, set free from the stifling pattern of pleasing others and
fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can’t you see the
central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do—submit to
circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is
creating something totally new, a free life! All who walk by this
standard are the true Israel of God—his chosen people. Peace and mercy
on them!” Galatians 6:14 (MSG)
Follow the pattern He has set for your life. Look for it. Embrace it.
Submit to the pain of tearing out the rows that do not add up correctly,
knowing that the end result will be the pattern He saw all along.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what
God’s will is—his good, perfect and pleasing will.”
Romans 12:2 (NIV)
What is His pattern for YOU?
Fondly,
Stephanie
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