blanket blessing

When our friend Rachel was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer, Steph and Katie organized a group on Facebook to make a community blanket for her. I helped with the planning and sewing up, and I contributed a couple pieces as well. Our instructions were to knit a 36" strip in any width with worsted weight cotton or cotton blend in bright colors.



We thought we'd end up with a small lap blanket, the right size for curling up to read a book or watch TV.



We weren't expecting to make a tent.



But that's okay. The more blanket, the more love, right?



I so loved the blessing Renee posted for her Afghans for Afghans blankets, I'm reprinting it here. (Hope you don't mind, Renee!) I think it's beautiful and speaks to people at various - how do I say this? - points on the religious spectrum.

Blessing of the Blankets

Blessed be the hands that have touched life:
Hands that bring forth new life in lands far away,
Hands of mothers who nurture new life in hard places with warm hearts,
Blessed be the works of your hands.

Blessed be the hands that have touched life:
Hands that teach young ones how to read and add,
Hands that create a thirst for knowledge and minds for learning
Blessed be the works of your hands.

Blessed be the hands that have touched life:
Hands that generously give of their time and talents to those that they do not know
Hands that seek peace in a time of war,
Blessed be the works of your hands.

Blessed be the hands that have touched life:
Hands that stitch by stitch link humanity together across the continents
Hands that create beautiful garments of warmth for cold nights
Blessed be the works of your hands.
This we pray in the name of the Creating God. Amen.