I read Karen Jason’s story, Someone Cares: Cross Fit, in the March 2017 issue of Guideposts, about her friend who cross-stitches pocket crosses, with great interest. I liked the idea of giving people who need support something tangible. Then a friend gave me a mini prayer shawl, five by five inches with a cross in the middle. That was something I could make…. I had plenty of yarn.
I’ve now knit more than 50. I attach a prayer printed on a small card to remind people that God is always with them. I translated the prayer into German for my cousin in Germany. I put a mini prayer shawl in a condolence card for a widow; she told me she clutches it when she goes to bed. And I plan on giving out even more this fall, when my church celebrates its 150th anniversary. I’m glad that something so small can have such a big impact.
To knit your own mini-prayer shawls, check out Doris’ pattern below. To download the pattern in PDF format, just right-click (control-click on a Mac) here to save the file to your desktop.
MINI PRAYER SHAWL
(Cross can be knit in second color; I use no. 5 needles for this project)
Cast on 20 stitches, 4 rows garter stitch
Row 5—K3, P14, K4
Row 6—K3, K5 (K4 second color) K5, K3
Row 7—K3, P5, K4 (second color) P5, K3
Repeat rows 6 & 7, three times more
Row 14—K5, K10 (keep 4 in Knit-2nd color), K3
Row 15—K3, P2, K10, P2, K3
Repeat rows 14 & 15 twice more.
Row 20—Knit across row K3, K5 (4 sts 2nd color) K5, K3
Row 21—K3 P5, K4 P5, K3
Repeat Rows 20 & 21 twice more
Row 26—Knit across (main color)
Row 27—K3, purl across, K3
Knit 3 more rows in garter stitch
Bind off.
