Prayer Shawl Projects
The original Prayer Shawl Ministry was started in 1998 by two women -- Janet Bristow and Victoria Galo -- at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, as part of their study of feminist spirituality. The idea was to pray and meditate while knitting or crocheting the gift of a simple, rectangular shawl for a bereaved or ill friend. Since then, the idea of the prayer shawl has expanded to include woven shawls and shawls of different shapes and patterns.
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The Original Prayer Shawl
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The original prayer shawl was a simple knitted or crocheted rectangle that reached from one wrist to the other around the wearer's shoulders. The pattern was a simple seed-stitch pattern, beginning with K3, P3. Knitters cast on a multiple of six stitches, usually with rather large yarn and big needles. After the first row, the knitter would knit the purl stitches and purl through the knit stitches, creating a seed-stitch pattern rather than ribbing. The crocheted shawl was a simple chain stitch. Sometimes, a fringe was added, as well as decorations such as beads or feathers.
Symbolism and Cards
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The prayer shawl maker chooses her colors for her shawls carefully. Knitters and crocheters who are making shawls for breast cancer patients, for example, sometimes choose pink for their color. Shawls are made for celebratory occasions, too, such as weddings. Women make white shawls for such events, sometimes for both the bride and groom. A card often accompanies the shawl gift, explaining the symbolism of the color and decorations and expressing sympathy or hope for the future.
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Buddhist Prayer Shawls
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Not all prayer shawls come from the Christian or Jewish tradition. Buddhist meditators have used shawls for centuries to keep warm while meditating in cold rooms. Several authors of books about knitting as meditation come from a Buddhist perspective, such as Tara Jon Manning's "Mindful Knitting" and Susan Lydon's "The Knitting Sutra."
Woven Prayer Shawls
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Weavers have also become involved in the making of symbolic shawls. Kathleen Utts, at Wing and a Prayer, has made some beautifully textured shawls that look a bit like wings or ceremonial dancing blankets made by native Americans. She uses a lot of different colors and textures of yarns in her shawls.
Triangular and Lace Shawls
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The original prayer shawls were simple rectangles, but knitters in particular have been experimenting with shawls shaped like triangles or circles. Also, instead of a simple seed-stitch pattern, knitters often use elaborate lace patterns in their shawl knitting. Although the knitting then requires more attention, that attention itself is the meditation or mindfulness that energizes the gift of the shawl. Ravelry, an online community for fiber artists, has an active group of creative prayer shawl makers.
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