Lyn Briggs Designs

Last weekend I was going away with my family and as usual, I wanted to take a knitting project with me; just in case I had some spare time to knit. The only project I have on-the-go at the moment is my Wild Wool Shawl, but I’m working on the lace edge and it’s quite big and not very portable, so I decided that it could stay at home and I would take my go-to-travel-project, socks, instead.

The timing was perfect, because I had planned to knit a pair of socks as a gift after the shawl was finished. I even had the pattern selected, Key to My Heart Socks by The Kitchen Sink Shop. (By the way, she also designs really nice dishcloths and has a free monthly club.) as well as the yarn, from my favourite local yarn dyer, Sockworthy, in a pretty pastel rainbow colour. Decided it would make a perfect travel companion.

The socks, originally designed for Valentine’s Day, are shorties and have heart designs around the leg and toe. The project bag is Cat Free Zone, a variation of my Take A Break project bag, I made when my cat Flossie (who is no longer with us) liked to put her head into my knitting bags to see if there was any yarn to play with. Now, my cat Milly likes to do the same thing. Unfortunately, the ‘Cat Free Zone‘ sign doesn’t seem to have any effect on her.

How much knitting did I do?

Not much! Before I left home, I had worked eight rows of rib on the band of one sock and when I came home, there was still only eight rows of rib on the band of one sock. Isn’t that the way? If I hadn’t taken any knitting I would have wished I had. I did take my knitting and wonder why I did! Can’t win.

Want to stitch the cat?…

If you would like to make your own version of the Cat Free Zone project bag, the Take A Break pattern is on special in my Etsy Shop until the end of February, and you can download the Cat Free Zone stitchery here. Instructions to attach the stitchery to the bag, are the same as the Take A Break instructions.

Waiting on the Lord…

When I was sitting on my computer wondering what to write today, a framed cross-stitch hanging above my desk caught my eye. It says:

“Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord”. (Psalm 27:14)

It made me wonder what the psalmist was waiting for.

Psalm 27 was written by David and as you read it, you get a picture of a man under a lot of pressure. He is surrounded by enemies and has been forsaken by his family and is asking for God’s protection and deliverance.

Have you ever felt like that? Everything is against you, there’s no relief from the endless pressure from family or work responsibilities and you feel overwhelmed. What do you dd? In similar situations, I’ve done a lot of different things, for example, get angry and take it out on people around me; feel sorry for myself because no one understands; feel resentful because no one wants to help; blaming myself or others; eat the wrong foods; watch too much tv; and the lists goes on. Guess what? All of those things didn’t change the situation but actually made it worse because I hurt other people as well as myself.

David on the other hand, went to God and with total honesty told Him how He felt and asked God to help him. Then, despite the circumstances he was facing, his faith in God did not waiver and David could say:

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Ps 27:13 NIV)

That’s what David was waiting for: to see the good things that he knew God was going to do in a seemingly hopeless situation. David was encouraging himself to stay strong while he waited for God’s deliverance.  

Next time, you feel under pressure and overwhelmed, follow David’s example. Have an honest conversation with God, telling Him exactly how you feel, and ask Him for help. Remind yourself of His faithfulness in the past and wait for Him to work in your situation with an expectation that He is a good God and will always work for your good. (Rom 8:28)

So why would I fear the future? For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life (Psalm 23:6 Passion)

Until next time

Lyn