Holy Cowl...calling all knitters!

I have an office that looks like a Costco warehouse. I mean, really.

It is filled with the latest art projects from Welcome Art, the drum set we use for our Tuesday services in one corner, household items for those who are newly housed in another, and bins and boxes of donations that come in even on days when I am not there. And somewhere, in the midst of all this is my desk, which---like Costco---offers free samples of snacks homemade from my kitchen and made especially for our volunteers.

The other day I walked (tripped?) in to find yet another addition to our stock: bags and bags of yarn.

The yarn was mostly Red Heart acrylic and it made my own heart warm to see this since this is the only yarn my mother insists on using for the afghans she loves to crochet.

Our donor, a neighbor from the co-op apartments across from the church, had visited me a day earlier because she had heard we had a group of knitters at The Welcome Center. Barbara, a petite woman with a Southern accent (that's Virginia, not South Phila) sat down to share with me how she had crocheted hundreds of hats for two cancer clinics where family members had been patients. She was now ready to try her hand at the digital sewing machine that she had barely time to use. Sharing her stash of yarn was a step towards doing this.

Smart woman, I thought. To say yes to one thing, we often have to say no to something else.

Anyway, we had a delightful visit and I learned how Barbara had been a competitive roller skater, how she made marbleized paper, and we even managed to squeeze a brief crochet lesson
into our visit. Barbara seemed perfectly comfortable sitting among the bins and boxes and even sampled one of the treats of the day...oatmeal marble cookie bars. My kind of woman.

So we have this yarn, and on Friday a group of us will sort and knit and in between stitches I know I will hear life stories that will be made easier to share as we slide those little knots back and forth on the knitting needles that I keep in a cup along with my pencils and pens.

So, I invite you and anyone you know to be part of our group by making a simple project called a "cowl."

After making one for myself, I realized how practical this was for life on the street.

A cowl is like a very loose turtle neck that is just the neck part. It is like a scarf that is connected that you put over your head to keep your neck warm. But here's the best part...you can also pull the scarf up over your head, like a hood. It doesn't fall off, and can even be worn while asleep (if you are sleeping in your clothes to keep warm outside, this is important.)

The pattern is simple, even for beginning knitters:

Cast 120 stitches on to size 9 circular needles and join, placinmg a marker on the right hand needle.

Knit 2, Purl 2 ribbing for 2".

Knit for 7" more.

Knit 2, Purl 2 ribbing for 2".

Bind off loosely.

My cowl was done in merino wool. We will be doing a bunch others in Red Heart acrylic which is washable and warm (and covers my office floor at the moment).

I believe cowls were a part of the garb that religious orders (like monks) used to wear. Thus the name I gave it, "Holy Cowls."

If you make one for yourself, please think of our friends on the street and keep them in prayer as you knit. If you'd like to share your cowl, it may be sent to The Welcome Center, 2111 Sansom Street, Phila, PA 19103.

Happy knitting!