Scarves that Wrap Us in Creation

The Theological Necessity of Crocheting in the Winter

Each year when summer begins to falter and autumn lies just around the corner, my thoughts abruptly turn to needle crafts and yarn. Though I have knitted and crocheted during summer months throughout my life, these days I have found my hobbies woven into the tides of the seasons. The thought of knitting warm hats and crocheting wool blankets has little allure in the summer months, but as soon as the air changes, I turn once more to cozy needle crafts.

I’ve been knitting and crocheting since I was a child. Growing up, my next-door neighbor, Mrs. T, taught a few of us local girls various domestic skills each Wednesday. She introduced us to the world of knitting, crocheting, embroidery, quilting, sewing, and baking. We made slippers, quilts, aprons, skirts, cinnamon rolls, and pies. Looking back now, I think I’ve only started realizing how blessed I was to have such a kind and patient teacher. So many of my creative endeavors today stem from those Wednesdays next door at Mrs. T’s.

Though I didn’t know it at the time, those Wednesdays gifted me with more than invaluable domestic skills. They also provided me an avenue by which I could participate in God’s work of Creation. In my adult life, as I read and reflect on the first few pages of Genesis, I begin to understand the meaning found in my daily tasks. Like all of our pursuits on this earth, the peace and joy I find while crocheting a blanket or knitting a hat is rooted in the Beginning.

Making things that are not merely useful, but also beautiful, is an essential part of what it means to be human and created in God’s image and likeness. When our lives are reduced to the minimum necessities of life and we forget to set aside time for art and beauty, we fall into a trap of utilitarianism and despair. God has given us hands to till, nurture, and arrange the natural beauty we were created into. We are tasked both with the back breaking jobs of creating shelters against the elements and putting food upon the table, as well as the delightful tasks of arranging flowers, trimming Christmas trees, and crocheting yet another rusty brown scarf for yourself.¹

Now is there really a theological necessity of crocheting in the winter? Is Heaven closed to those who aren’t able to successfully wield a crochet hook or brandish a pair of knitting needles? Certainly not. But from the beginning, God calls us to tend the garden. We are not meant to merely keep the weeds at bay. We must also plan and make way for beautiful plants and flowers. Likewise, we are not meant to merely put food upon the table. We must also bring beauty into our homes.

So perhaps this is the year to finally complete that unfinished craft project in the attic. Maybe it’s time to pick up wood carving, painting, or knitting. If you want to start smaller, this might just be the time to get extra sprinkles for the sugar cookies or add some ribbons and bows to your Christmas gifts. Or, if you happen to be like me, it might be time to pick out yet another rust-colored ball of yarn and make yet another scarf to wear as a cozy reminder that all of creation is wrapped in His love.

1. Okay, maybe not everyone is tasked with crocheting multiple rusty brown and orange scarves for themselves. That might be a vocation of my own.