TINK is Knit Backwards...

I started crocheting in earnest in 2005 when I went on a business trip with my husband. The plans I had to antique with a friend fell through and I was left with hours and days of free time. So I picked up a skein of yarn and a "teach yourself to crochet" kit for less than $10.  It was remarkably relaxing, and it because a favorite way to fill my time, even leading to migration from paper to audiobooks, and later podcasts.

During the next ten years, there were lots of scarves, hats and scarfs that flew off of my hooks. But my yarn life took a dramatic turn when we moved back to Germany in 2014. Just a few days after arriving in Stuttgart, I discovered a group of women knitting and crocheting in our Post Starbucks. Little did I know how much my life would change. Funny, irreverent, loyal, great teachers... they have it all, and while many have come and gone, it's a really wonderful place to grow friendship and skills over the years.

They have taught me much. First of all, collecting yarn and actually making something from it are two different hobbies. Germany and Italy have some of the most amazing natural fiber yarns... merino wool and silk are some of my new best friends. The colors, the textures, the variety of options... it really boggles the mind.

Second, since most of these new friends knitted, they wanted to share that gift with me. So on a late November day, my friend Becky invited me over for pizza and put a set of circular needles in my hands at said, "Knit!" And because she makes amazing pizza, I did what she said. Since then, I've made six or seven shawls (which I love) and attempted a pair of socks, which gave me absolutely ZERO joy, so no socks for any of you.

Third, they taught me that understanding how to TINK is as important as knowing how to KNIT. Tinking is the process of actually unknitting what you have just done. In crochet, when you see a mistake, you figure out how far back you have to go and you just pull it out, rewind on your ball, and pick up where you left off. In knitting, it's not that easy. Pulling out your needles often leaves you with a terrible mess. Tinking lets you work backward to the place of your mistake, maybe a dropped or skipped stitch, and then move forward when you've figured it out.

But the best benefit to me of learning to tink is figuring out how the stitches actually work. That means paying attention and asking the right questions... what came before... what will come after... when am I in over my head and need to ask for help? Do I keep ripping out the mistakes or let them be a testament to how much I've learned in the process? (this is related to the question, do I post a picture of the mistakes for all the world to see?)

It is so easy to live life on autopilot... cruising along just the way we've always gone. Running into roadblocks or unexpected situations often throw us off course, and we are not sure what to do. Knitting and tinking remind me that there is no mistake big enough to cause us to just throw in the towel, especially if you love the yarn and project that you have chosen.

The same is true in life. We will make mistakes or be impacted by the mistakes of others. Life doesn't always go the ways we want to expect. A life of faith and knitting encourages me to choose well, to start something new, give away the things I make, learn new things, ask questions when I need help, and release what I don't love.

I used to say that I love it when my fiber world and my faith world crossed paths, but more recently I've realized that they are all the same world... God continues to show up everywhere, even in the places and projects where I expect it the least. 

Yeah, God!

Peace, Deb