Prayer Shawl Directions

Prayer Shawl Directions:

If you are not entirely familiar with how to make a prayer shawl, please check out the Prayer Shawl Ministry website http://www.shawlministry.com for the original knitted and crochet Prayer Shawl patterns and ministry origins. It does not matter whether you prefer to knit, crochet, or even sew a lap quilt, the idea is to give a hand-made garment to envelop one with your blessings and love!

Finished size of shawl should be between 26”- 30” wide x 60” in length (not including fringe). This may take 2 ½ - 3 skeins of chunky (bulky) yarn. (170 g net weight, 166.5 m each) Or, you may use double strands of 8-10 skeins sport weight yarn with size 10 1/2 needles.

Fringe: If you choose to make fringe, plan using about ½ skein. Fringe can be an integral part of the prayer shawl. Joan Johnson, Coordinator of an active prayer shawl ministry, St. Luke's Knitting Ministry in Bloomington, Minnesota, tells me they tie each fringe to avoid fraying. While tying fringe, a knitter/crochetier prays for the recipient of the finished shawl. Recipients of the shawls often comment how much they like the fringe. Some have remarked they use the knots for praying - like prayer beads! Thus, the fringe becomes an essential part of the shawl ministry.

Using a large needle (size 10 1/2 to 13), cast on stitches in odd-divisible multiples of three - 51, 57, or 63 sts. The seed (moss, rice) stitch is used throughout pattern. i.e., as the stitches face you, knit the purl stitches, and purl the knit stitches.

· Attach a Card: Using a small piece of matching yarn, attach a card to the shawl. Many of the church-based prayer shawl groups have their own card. It should include washing instructions from the yarn band. My card states: “This shawl may be washed/dried in gentle cycles.” Include your name and address so the family may thank you IF they feel the need, but please do not expect a thank you. These families are grieving and may not be able to bring themselves to write a note. Just know in your heart they do appreciate the time and love you have given to remember their loved one.

Below is a sample of a card I've used in the past. You may or may not want to share personal information as I have.

“I send you this prayer shawl hoping it will wrap you in the bright yellow sunshine of love and warmth of (name’s) memories. May you feel (name’s) presence and gain strength from it. It was designed specifically with you in mind to give you peace, nourish your strength, and feed your soul.

My daughter has completed two tours in Iraq in Ballad and Camp Victory. I think of our soldiers every day, pray for their safety and a peaceful swift resolution so all can come home. I have spent the past year sending prayer shawls to our wounded soldiers at Walter Reed, but recently have sought out the families of our fallen soldiers. Thank you.”

Attach a Charm: Consider attaching a small charm to a corner with the same yarn. If you are interested in buying an angel, cross, star, or various other symbols, check out the following website: http://www.goodshepherdgifts.com/charms.html I use the one pictured here. It is shown as a necklace, but I purchase it without the cord in quantity. If interested, call the website (1-866-648-4849) for terms.

Be creative in buying yarn at a discount. Prayer Shawl groups generally share a discount card from A.C. Moore reducing the cost from $4.99/skein down to $3.99 per skein. WalMart sells Red Heart yarn at $2.10/skein! See below for other ideas, including the "Nifty Knitter" allowing beginning knitters to make a prayer shawl in a fraction of the time! If you have suggestions, please share them.

The Pilgrims' United Church of Christ in Fruitland Park, Florida prayer shawl group has made about 400 prayer shawls in the last three years. They make money for the yarn by recycling and making greeting cards to sell at the church. People bring in old greeting cards; one of the ladies uses the fronts and some verses to remake a card using card stock, then they sell the cards for $1.00, using the profit to buy yarn. Jelenne from this ministry says: “For a small group of four women, I think that God has really blessed our ministry with the shawls and people really seem to enjoy and need them.”

Sam Newton from Trinity Lutheran Church Prayer Shawl Group in Pembrook Pines, Florida shared her group's note which they include with each prayer shawl:

This is a prayer shawl – your wings to take you above your troubles. Wrap it around you when you are sad, happy, needing comfort, cold, ill, worried, at peace, needing answers, have no questions, ministering, socializing, or praying. Let it be a place where you can meet your God – all encompassing, non-judging – where you can just be! This wrap has been blessed by the hands and intentions of the knitter. It holds many prayers and good wishes. As you wear this shawl, may you be cradled in hope, kept in joy, graced with peace, and wrapped in love.

Sam’s group uses the “Knifty Knitter” loom, a knitting novice’s delight. Bought at craft stores, this inexpensive device allows non- knitters to make prayer shawls. Some advanced knitters use it because it knits much faster than with knitting needles.

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Boca Raton, Florida, headed by Janie Lester, makes a gorgeous prayer shawl which includes a cross at one end. Below is the pattern, or you may contact Janie asking her to email you a copy: SASHMIGOSH@aol.com

Row 1: Work K3P3 pattern for 26 sts. Place marker, P29 sts. Place Marker. Work in K3P3 pattern 26 sts.

Row 2: Work K3P3 pattern for26 sts, slide marker, K29 sts, slide marker, work K3P3 pattern 26 sts.

Row 8: Work pattern 26 sts. K11, P7, K11, work pattern 26 sts. (this begins base of cross)

written and designed by Janie Lester 4/2006, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Boca Raton, Florida:

Janie’s Notes: Instructions for W&T (wrap and turn) are on the next page. For accuracy, keep track of every row. Janie made a sheet of numbers 1 - 90. There are 90 rows to the pattern, then repeated. Due to serpentine twists, you can easily get confused, so Janie suggests checking off each row to know where row to begin next. For the prayer cloth she did 90 rows, plus added rows 1-15 again. All together there were 105 rows. If you desire the flag pattern, use the specified variegated red/white/blue yarn below – website is given to order. It’s expensive, but one ball makes 6-7 prayer cloths.

100 g balls - Schoeller – Stahl; Fortissimi Colori (Color is red/white/blue), Made in: Czech Republic

Fortissima Socka Stars and Stripes" from Schoeller + Stahl is a fingering weight sock yarn, 75% wool and 25% nylon, that has different strands plied together to create the patriotic stars and stripes effect. Machine washable in cool temperatures.

Note: the yarn makes the stripes itself, less than 1 ball does it all. 1 Ball can make many Prayer Cloths

For striking flag effect: to start, begin with red. You may have to cut off beginning to get to the red.

Below are two different instructions for W&T:

1. Wrap and turn (W&T) - Bring yarn to front of work, slip st from LH needle onto RH needle, bring yarn to back of work, slip st back onto LH needle, turn.

2. Instructions for Wrap & Turn:

Short-rowing is the name used to describe where you turn your work in the course of knitting a row and work back. If you don't wrap the next st you inevitably end up with a very visible hole.

Here is how you do it:

Abbreviations:

P = Purl

K = Knit

Sl = Slip the next st Purlways

Method:

For Garter St:

K to the point where your pattern says to turn but don't turn the work yet.

Bring your yarn to the front of the work, Sl the next st from the left hand needle, take your yarn to the back of the work, Sl the st back to the left hand needle.

Turn your work. If you still have a visible hole you may work the wrap the same as for st st (instructions follow).

For Stocking St:

Wrap the st following the directions for garter stitch.

The next time you knit the wrapped st, knit the wrapped yarn along with the stitch it is wrapped around, thus:

Put the needle up through the wrap on the right side of the work, put the needle through the st (knitways if you are going to knit the st, purlways if you are going to purl the st), and K (or P) the two together.