Patterns and PROJECTS Abound!

Half the fun of knitting is the actual yarn-and-needle action. The other half is dreaming about what to make next. Scrolling through the Pinterest app on my phone is the most pleasant way to kill a few minutes while waiting in line somewhere that I've found yet. The pictures pull me in for a closer look, the accompanying patterns just a thumb press away. Once I've expressed interest in one type of item, ten ideas or more for something similar pop up in the stream for me to check out next. It's like an attention current that I can't escape from, a whirlpool action that sucks time away from me and whisks it right away. But what a way to go! The process of pinning an item to one's one board holds it there for easy access in the future; unfortunately I've pinned so many things on my Knit-a-Bit page that scrolling through them to find a particular pattern can be a project in itself!

I love the variety of having several projects going at once, and I work on a different one each day until an approaching gifting deadline forces more attention to be placed on one over the others. This month's knitting opportunities for any given day include the two squares for the afghan I'm knitting simultaneously with my daughter-in-law-to-be, a sweet pair of baby booties in pale yellow, a cabled gift card holder made up in blue, and adding length to the scarf made with that Painted Desert yarn. A knitting emergency like a lost cable needle, darning needle, or shortage of yarn can sometimes put a halt on a particular project until the problem is resolved; it's always good to have another project (or two or three) to work on in the meantime.

God understands our fascination with looking ahead with anticipation to the next project; the Bible says he does the same with the days of our lives. He is even more excited about our future than we are, and His joy comes in seeing our response to the great things He has in store as they unfold. Some of them are a long-term work in progress, so He always has something cooking on the stove in the meantime while character traits and necessary skills are being developed in us in the intervening years. Multiple projects mean there is always knitting pleasure at hand to enjoy; similarly I want to make sure I pull all the joy possible out of each day I've been given...while looking eagerly ahead to what is coming next down the pike!

“'...For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'...”

(Jeremiah 29:11)