Prayer Shawl

Cathie Sanders, Northtipton

 Knitted shawls are enjoying a major comeback at this time.  Once thought of as beneficial only to elderly grandmas rocking away their time in slightly creaking rocking chairs, shawls are now turning up everywhere on old and young.  It seems we’ve rediscovered how easily a shawl travels, how well it keeps the back and shoulders warm, and how much it can add to an overall look, be it casual or classy.

 Shawls can be lacy or sturdy, patterned or plain stockinette.  They can be made of casual acrylic yarns or comfy cotton or warm wool or glittery novelty yarns, all depending on the occasion for which they’ll be worn.  And we’ve worn them for a very long time.  Shawls were evident in Scotland, England, and Ireland even before 600 A.D.  Other countries surely had them as well, and they may even be traceable back to ancient Egypt.

 A Prayer Shawl is a special type of shawl.  First, it is knitted with one person in mind.  That person may be a family member, a dear friend, or anyone in need.  Second, with each stitch, if the shawl is hand knitted, or with each row, if it is machine knitted, a prayer is said for the recipient.  When the shawl is finished, as it is given to the special person, all the prayers that were thought during its making are also part of the gift.

 This tuck stitch, knitted as a tuck rib, would make a beautiful shawl and is easy to knit, tucking all those prayers and good thoughts up inside each row.

Yarn:  Lightweight, such as 1 strand of 2/24
Tension:  NA
Machine:  Any machine with patterning capability and ribber

 CO 65-0-65 both beds as for full needle rib.  Complete circular rows.

Main Bed Carriage set to tuck in both directions.  Ribber carriage plain.

Knit 600-1200 rows (determined by size of the recipient).  Transfer all stitches to main bed and bind off very loosely.