Gracious Words

"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."

Proverbs 16:24

Grace. Grace is the Small Steps virtue for May.

Do you know how many definitions there are for the word "Grace?"

–noun

1.

elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.

2.

a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment.

3.

favor or good will.

–verb (used with object)

14.

to lend or add grace to; adorn: Many fine paintings graced the rooms of the house.

15.

to favor or honor: to grace an occasion with one's presence.

—Idioms

16.

fall from grace,

a.

Theology . to relapse into sin or disfavor.

b.

to lose favor; be discredited: He fell from grace when the boss found out he had lied.

17.

have the grace to, to be so kind as to: Would you  have the grace to help, please?

18.

in someone's good / bad graces, regarded with favor (or disfavor) by someone: It is a wonder that I have managed to stay in her good graces this long.

And we haven't yet touched the uniquely Catholic definitions. I could write about grace every day for the rest of the month and not run out of definitions to explore. But this evening, I sit in a coffee shop and ask God about grace and the only thing that runs through my head is "All's grace."

It's a signature line, dear and familiar.

It's a song.

And I wonder, could it be a call to action?

This world--inside this screen, connected with the taps and touches on keyboards flung the worldwide--this world of Christian blogging?

It's getting a bad name.

But bloggers can't claim to be purveyors of clarity unless they do so with charity, she said.

"Charity is one of the biggest challenges we face," she said, because "freedom is both a gift and a source of temptation for our egos."

Elizabeth Scalia, quoted here.

It's becoming known far and wide for its vitriol.

Why, as people of a Holy God who instructed us to only use good words, is it so easy to fall into the patterns of this world? Grumbling. Spewing negativity. Finding fault with each other. Making nasty comments (all in the name of differing in opinion, of course). Why? What's the point of it? Are we not set apart to do good works? Are we not called to let our light shine before men? And what about that salt and light thing?

Adeye ~No Greater Joy Mom

For its darkness.

And not for its light.

It's not just Catholics. It's not just Evangelicals. It's not just the Eastern Orthodox. It's all of us.

All. Of. Us.

Without discrimination. I could link and link and link to examples of words cast into cyberspace without grace.

But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth.
[9] Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices
[10] and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
[11] Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scyth'ian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all.
[12]

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience,

[13] forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
[14] And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
[15] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
[16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
[17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

~~~
[23] Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men,
[24] knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ.
[25] For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Colossians 3 RSV

No partiality. He calls us all to the same standard. When we serve Him as we're called, all's grace.

Pick a definition. Which one would you like? There is no definition of grace that includes ugly words, no definition that exhorts us to eat our own. Last year, I struggled with the dark side of the internet. It was real and close and personal. I sought solace. I made peace. I was granted the grace of clarity and I found it remarkably easy to forgive.

All grace.

This spring, I watch in horror as I see graceless words, barbed and pointed, wound another. And another. I watch in wonder, from a distance this time. A safe distance?

No.

There is no safe distance. We are the body of Christ and the body is abusing itself.

It is time to stop and think and ask ourselves before posting.

Is there Grace in what I say?

Does it bless?

Bless.

Look at every definition, above and then, look at what the Church asks.

We are called to charity, yes, but we are called to more. We are called to be filled with grace. Filled with Grace. 

Actual Grace.

Temporary supernatural intervention by God to enlighten the mind or strengthen the will to perform supernatural actions that lead to heaven. Actual grace is therefore a transient divine assistance to enable man to obtain, retain, or grow in supernatural grace and the life of God.

Fr. John Hardon

STATE OF GRACE

Condition of a person who is free from mortal sin and pleasing to God. It is the state of being in God's friendship and the necessary condition of the soul at death in order to attain heaven.

 Fr. John Hardon

My question is so simple: Can we be in a state of grace while spewing or reading muck on the internet?

All's grace.

Or it should be.

To live a life of grace, we must grant each other grace.

We need to use the internet as tool to get to heaven.

It's a matter of life and death.

Would you share your thoughts with us, let us find you and walk with you? I'd be so grateful and so honored to have you as a companion. Please leave a link to your blog post below and then send your readers back here to see what others have said.You're welcome to post the Small Steps Together banner button also.

Yarn Along with my Girlies

The big news on the knitting front this week is that Karoline has learned to knit without repeating, "in, around, through, off" or the full version, "In through front door, once around back, peek through the window and off jumps Jack!"

When this grand milestone was reported to Elizabeth via Skype, the conversation went as such:

Karoline: I can knit without saying the rhyme! I don't have to say it and I still know what to do!

Me: So, what does that mean Karoline?

Elizabeth: Karoline, does that mean that you can now knit quietly?

Karoline: What?! No! It means I can knit and talk about other things. Ahhh, knitting and talking. Two things I love so much!"

In honor of The Great Accomplishment, this week's Yarn Along is all about the girls' knitting. (Mine is documented in the Baby Surprise Jacket KnitAlong.)

 

We actually took out the sewing machine this week, blew the dust off of it, and made project bags. It's all about keeping tidy:-). The bobbin was annoying, tension was terrible, and I remembered that I have yet to enjoy sewing.I really think that if I could just master the mechanical side, the rest would be fun. But I can't. It's always something mechanical. 

Karoline is knitting and talking. Her favorite "reading" material this week is the Life Magazine issue of the Royal Wedding. She's perusing the pictures and telling stories in her head and to everyone and anyone who will listen to her talk. And talk. As typical for Life, the pictures are gorgeous. A bit of a fairy tale. And we hope they live happily ever after. She's knitting a rainbow scarf with the yarn she dyed a few weeks ago.

Katie is knitting for Ginny's Hats for Japan project. She's nearly finished with this baby hat. She's reading Ramona the Brave.

Mary Beth is knitting a beautiful scrunch scarf out of amazing chunky alpaca. It's soft and lovely. And on that blue Kindle? At long last, after YEARS of waiting, the third installment of the Penderwicks series. Oh, the joy! She's waited with great expectation for this week and her sisters are happy to hear her read aloud.

Be sure to visit Ginny for more knitting and reading news. And check out the comments below if you feel like talking and knitting (you and Karoline;-).

Random Thoughts and an Urgent Prayer

~I haven't forgotten about our Small Steps Together Study. Look for a post on Thursday. I'm giving a talk tomorrow and dedicated my writing time to that in recent days. Also, there has been a flurry of knitting and writing about knitting as the Knit Along casts on. I do promise you that this won't be an all-knitting, all the time blog;-).

~There is still time to join the Knit Along. Just leave a comment after any of the Knit Along posts. You have to have told us you are in to qualify for the prizes. I saw a sneak peek at the prizes and, really, you want to qualify.

~The weather is so beautiful here that I'm really glad we homeschool. We're down to the basics this time of year. We'll ramp up to a fullblown course of studies when it 95 and dripping humid.

~I sort of miss Lent. Actually, I miss the discipline of Lent. The longer I live the litrugical seasons, the more I am certain that we need to guard against feast seasons becoming a pass for gluttony (or sloth or any number of other vices). Those lenten disciplines bore great fruit. Back to that plan. Oh, and, I can do without sugar forever. Truly.

~Finally, and with all heartfelt sincerity, please pray for Elizabeth DeHority today. This is the first day of a new chemotherapy regime.

Please God, wrap her in your Grace. Comfort her; hold her; console her. Give her family the strength and grace and courage they need to face the challenges of this season. And God, let us help her to carry this cross, to remember that we are knit together in love, to have all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures or wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:2)

Baby Surprise Jacket Knit-Along: First Ten Rows

Good Monday Morning:-)! Are you ready to knit? Did you look at your pattern and utter some version of, "Huh? This is like no pattern I've ever before seen. I'm out of my element knitting when I can't see where the knitting is going?"

How do I even start?!

The good folks at Schoolhouse Press have graciously given us permission to post Elizabeth deHority's answers to just those questions when I posed them to her. I read her "translation" and then read the pattern and tah-dah!

{The First Ten Rows}

Remember, if I can knit this jacket, you can knit this jacket. Without further ado, here are Elizabeth's line by line words of wisdom for the first ten rows:

This is garter stitch, so knit every row.  Don't purl back, BUT remember that you do your decreases on row one (after cast on, that's row zero) and on odd rows.  Once I get a couple of rows done, I mark the side that FACES ME ON ODD ROWS.  You'll see this below at Row Five.  That way when you put your work down, even without the pattern, you can tell where you are and where to go.

 

 

Use just the regular stitch markers that you know and love.  You will need four, but five makes things easier.

 

Cast on per the pattern, putting simple plastic stitch markers after stitch 29, 42, 118, and 131.  (row zero)

 

Row 1:  Knit to marker, move marker.  Knit five stitches.  Slip one stitch from left to right, without knitting.  Knit the next two stitches together, then PSSO:

Pick up that stitch that you slipped, which will be the second over on your right needle, with your left needle, and pop it over the first one.  (pull it over and drop it like a necklace around that K2tog.)  Here's a video, demonstrating PSSO (also called a double decrease).

Knit 5. Move marker. knit 76. Slip marker.  Knit 5.  Then do the double decrease again. Knit 5. Slip marker. Knit 29.

 

Row 2:  Knit  back.  Big breath.  That row one is always tricky :-)

 

Row 3:  Knit to marker. Move marker. Knit FOUR. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO.  Knit four.  Move marker. Knit 76. Move marker. Knit FOUR. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO.  Knit four.  Move marker. Knit to end.

 

Row 4:  Knit back.

 

Row 5:  Stick a safety pin or a yarn loop on the side facing you, maybe on row three or something, so that you know when the pin is facing you you're on an odd row.  Then:  Knit to marker. Move marker. Knit THREE. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO.  Knit THREE.  Move marker. Knit 76. Move marker. Knit THREE. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO.  Knit THREE move marker. Knit to end.

{Elizabeth Foss  (How many Elizabeths can we get in on this project anyway?) note: you don't see a marker for the right side in my pictured project because I'm switching yarn every other row. Once I finish a ridge, I switch. I know when I'm on the right side because it happens every time I switch. Of course, this only works if you are striping every ridge. Honestly, I can't even remember why I decided to stripe this much. I'm sure there was a perfectly good reason somewhere along the way.}

 

Row 6:  Knit back.

 

Row 7:  Knit to marker. Move marker. Knit TWO. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO.  Knit TWO.  Move marker. Knit 76. Move marker. Knit TWO. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO.  Knit TWO move marker. Knit to end.

 

You should see a diagonal line forming where you are decreasing.

 

Row 8:  Knit back.  Breathe.

 

Row 9:  Knit to marker. Move marker, knit ONE, slip one, knit two together, PSSO.  Knit ONE.  Move marker. Knit 76. Move marker. Knit ONE. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO.  Knit ONE. Move marker. Knit to end.

 

Row 10:  Knit back.  End of day one. 

 

{My BSJ with bulky yarn, handspun by Elizabeth deHority. White and Pinkish purple stripes, for my tiny two-year-old to wear right around her third birthday. Actually, after Elizabeth DeHority saw these pictures, she declared the yarn too loose and sent me all new yarn. Now, I've knit using these instructions twice. New pics on Ravelry.}

Let us know how you're doing! Please leave a comment, and then leave a link as well, so we can find you. (If you don't have a blog, join anyway. You can post pictures to the Flickr group. Just take pictures as you knit along and upload them to the group so we can Ooh and Ahh.) I'm looking really forward to seeing what yarn you've chosen and what ideas you have about stripes and such.

Before We Knit

Elizabeth DeHority has graciously offered to help us through the knitting of a classic Baby Surprise Jacket (there are 14,564 pictured here). This jacket is knit from an Elizabeth Zimmermann pattern, which can be found in the The Opinionated Knitter or in the video (also available at Amazon here). If you are a new knitter, I highly recommend that the pattern you purchase is the line-by-line  ABCSJ pattern available at www.schoolhousepress.com. The link will take you to the page. You have to scroll to find the pattern. I'm sorry, but there is no direct link to the product. The line-by-line pattern is much easier to understand than EZ's original rendering.

Please let us know if you're joining us. You don't need a blog to join. You can post photos of your progress to the You can post pictures to the BSJ Knitalong Flickr group.

 

If you do have a blog, please put a small button on your sidebar and grab a large one for your progress posts

Here, again, are button codes. I think they are copying correctly but let me know in the comments if you have problems with them:

Here are codes:

Small:

<p><a href="http://ebeth.typepad.com/reallearning/2011/05/baby-surprise-jacket-knit-along.html"><img src="http://ebeth.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c543553ef014e8853e47b970d-800wi" alt="" /></a></p>

Large:

<p><a href="http://ebeth.typepad.com/reallearning/2011/05/baby-surprise-jacket-knit-along.html"><img src="http://ebeth.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c543553ef014e8853e916970d-800wi" alt="Bsjlarge" /></a></p>

If you are still having trouble with button codes, I beg your pardon and your grace. Please leave a note in the comments and I promise to work on it.

Look for a post detailing prizes real soon. In the meantime, Elizabeth DeHority answers more of your questions below:

We've talked about what a knitter needs to know to start a BSJ... really and truly, if she can cast on and do a knit stitch, she can knit this whole sweater.  There are a few other stitches and things that we'll need, but none are hard and we'll have videos of all of them.

 

Here are two more frequent questions from email and my ravelry messages:

 

1.  Why do I need to do a swatch if I don't have to make my knitting match a certain number of stitches per inch?

 

Good question!  First of all, some people ARE trying to make a specific size sweater, and therefore need a certain number of stitches per inch,  I want my sweater to be about a size three, but shorter (for George, who has short upper arms like many people with Down Syndrome)  Therefore, I needed to be sure that my yarn and my needles worked together to give me 3.5 stitches per inch.  But even if you don't need a certain gauge, a swatch is valuable.  First of all, every knitter is different, and the size needles you need to make a nice fabric from a particular yarn might be very different than those recommended on the ball band.  And what if there IS no ball band?  Several knitters who have signed up are using handspun.  They really have to experiment to decide what needles give the best results.  Also, since your sweater will be babywear, it will get washed.  And washed.  And washed.  Even machine washable yarn changes quite a bit after that first wash.  Or what if you're trying a new yarn and you discover after washing your swatch just once that it gets all distorted or pilly?  You might not want to spend so much time and effort until you exchange your yarn for something more durable.

 

2.  I want to make stripes.  How do I do that?  How many rows until I should change colors?

There are some color-changing guidelines ("when" in the pattern conveys to "where" in the sweater) in the ABCSJ pattern.

 

You can change colors whenever you want.  I'm alternating 10 rows of my main color with 6 rows of contrasting colors, Elizabeth Foss is changing colors every two rows, Ginny and my mom are using self-striping yarn. 

 

If you're knitting only two rows with a new color, you are going to carry your yarn (both colors) up the side of your work. To keep things neat, every time you switch colors, just give the yarn a little twist with other color before knitting the first stitch.

 

If you're knitting more than two rows, it works best to cut your yarn, leaving a nice long tail to weave in later.

 

Pull about the same amount of tail from your new color.

 

Tie a loose knot close to the edge of your work, and just start knitting.  When we sew it all up and do the finishing, we will talk about weaving in ends.

 

There is one other thing to think about when you plan your colors.  If you change as you start a right side row, the rows with the odd numbers, your color change will be a solid line, like this:

 

If you start your new color when the wrong side is facing you, when you are about to start knitting an even numbered row, your color change will look like this:

 

Either way is fine.  I have made sweaters with all the changes on one side or the other, and I've made sweaters with changes on both sides.  often if I'm using a muticolored yarn, I want to make the changes on the wrong side, to mix the colors up more.  My sweater this time is all solids, and I want the stripes to be smooth, so I'm going to change only when I'm starting odd numbered, right side, rows.

 

Leave questions in the comments below and we'll answer there. That way, everyone can benefit from the answers. no doubt, there will be questions as we move along. My mom borrowed my The Opinionated Knitter book to knit her sweater, and she looked at the pattern there (which is not the all written out kind) and said, and I quote, "This should be fine, looks pretty straightforward to me"  I'd hope it would be easy for her; she's the one who taught me how to knit, and I think she's knit even more whole big fancy sweaters than I've knit plain little baby socks.  By the way, happy mother's day, mom :-)