Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Brown (11/26/09)
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TITLE: KNIT OF BROWN YARNS | Previous Challenge Entry
By Sharon Eastman
12/02/09 -
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Level: Intermediate
KNIT OF BROWN YARNS
December 2, 2009
The soft old afghan draped loosely over the light brown loveseat. It consisted of a variety of colors mostly in brown tones. Dark brown yarns edged it while colors of sepia, beige, and specks of amber accented it. Once it was a stunning work of art, but its beauty had faded with time. The afghan passed through three generations, who used it reverently for calm and comfort.
Many baby’s cries were soothed when the old brown afghan was swaddled around them. Mothers would rock them until they drifted off to sleep.
Many teenagers nestled in its warmth to find solace from the ache of a romantic heartbreak. Tearstains sprinkled on the afghan as a young heart was mended.
Some women used the afghan’s colors as a decorating scheme in their homes. The browns, beiges, and ambers spruced up a room so elegantly. The afghan was arranged fastidiously over couches, loveseats, and rocking chairs.
Men also loved the afghan. Its warmth provided security and peace after a long hard day at work. They’d wrap themselves up in this brown cocoon, and slumber would come as quick as their heads hit the pillow. Soon the trouble and stress of the day would evaporate into this cozy mass of yarn.
Ultimately this afghan functioned most as a coverlet on cool winter nights. While blankets provided warmth, the gentle heat of it added extra comfort to cool feet, chests, and limbs. Because of its heat and softness, everyone who used it felt cradled as a baby.
The brown afghan not only provided comfort; it had a history. During World War II a young woman, Lorraine, was waiting for her husband to come home from service. They were deeply in love, and their separation caused heartache for both of them. To occupy her time and appease her loneliness, Lorraine decided to knit an afghan. It was knitted of yarns all David’s favorite colors. These colors also represented the colors of his favorite clothing, brown with brown tones. She knew it would take time to create and finish the afghan. She used a lacy, wavy ripple stitch to construct it, and her heart would swell with love at each knit and pearl stitch.
While Lorraine was knitting one brisk lonely night, a knock sounded at the door. It was an officer from the Navy informing her that her beloved husband, David, died a hero’s death in the line of duty. With a broken heart she placed the nearly finished afghan in a trunk with all the souvenirs of their love and relationship. Life continued for Lorraine, and she eventually remarried bearing three children.
Years later, after Lorraine died, her daughter, Janet, was digging through the old trunk. Tears seeped down her face as she read the beautiful, wartime letters written between Lorraine and her sailor husband. When she discovered the brown afghan, Janet swooned with delight. It was a beautiful family heirloom! She noticed that it needed a few more rippled rows, but, as a knitter, that posed no problem. She would finish it and drape it across her golden colored recliner. She was a practical person who used things, not let them rest in a trunk.
As she knitted, Janet pondered many things, the past, love, and the Lord.. She felt blessed to have discovered the afghan, which was lost for years. Because she enjoyed knitting, anything knitted was dear to her. With yarn over needle she reflected upon the Bible verse, “For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13 NIV
The Lord uses the strength of knitting to form babies in the womb. A knitted item will stretch and tighten simultaneously. It is a slow process. Like the human race, a knitted item is strong, colorful, and unique. The analogy of knitting by the Lord is a wonder, a work of art, just like the old brown afghan.
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