Embracing the Mystery

Over the last month, I have leaned into uncertainty with a joyous diversion: a mystery knit along.  My grandmother taught me to knit as a child, and over the years it has brought lots of extraordinary gifts into my life:  good fiber friends, opportunities for challenge and learning,  a sense of satisfaction that comes from working with my hands, and grounding in the physical world as a counterweight to professional life in the spiritual.

One strand of yarn – itself composed of countless fibers – is shaped, stretched, turned back on itself, pulled through, passed over, composed in layers by the hands of a skilled knitter to become something beautiful and useful.  A hank of yarn is pure potential, already realized in the spinning of its fibers, and not yet become the fabric that conveys warmth to the knitter and beauty to the beholder.  In my knitting, I have learned about being teachable, about teaching others, about making mistakes and fixing them, about learning to live with imperfections, and about finding beauty and meaning in the process of creating, not just the creation. 

When I began the mystery knit along, I had no idea what the final product would look like.  I knew that it would be a shawl (so fit wouldn’t be a challenge), and I knew the requirements for yarn (five skeins in four different colors).  The designer of this project is known for his use of bright colors and interesting stitch patterns, and so I figured that even if the final product wasn’t something that would get a lot of wear, I would likely learn something and have some fun along the way.  I convinced my sister to join me in the adventure.

Each Friday a new section of the pattern is released.  Social media lights up with other participants, seeking advice and sharing “spoiler” pictures.  (Fortunately, they do give spoiler alerts!)  There are videos introducing tricky techniques.  And lo and behold, around the mystery that is being made known, a community has formed.

Of course, I’ve had significant doubts through the process.  Will the fiber I chose have the right drape?  Will these color choices cohere into something that makes sense?  Will I ever wear this shawl?  But it has also given me lots of opportunities for play and imagination.  Where is this heading?  What if I changed this feature?  I have been able to listen to my own instincts when they suggested veering off the suggested path.

Most of all, it has been an opportunity to practice trusting the process – a lesson so worthy, that it bears repeating.

I’m nearing the end of the mystery knit along.  And I’m giving thanks for this joyful opportunity to lean into the unknown, to practice trust, and to learn about myself and my craft.