Hello friends,

Welcome to 2024! This brand new year is bringing with it some brand new frontiers — as all new years should. Monday morning, Claire and I will pack The Knitting Pilgrim set and props into our trusty Kia Rondo, and begin the 12-hour trip to St. Louis and the APCE (Association of Partners in Christian Education) 2024 conference, where I’ve been invited to perform the show and present a workshop titled “Knitting as a Spiritual Practice.”

Of course, I’m looking forward to the first presentation of The Knitting Pilgrim south of the border, and can’t wait to chat with the audience members after the show. What I’m REALLY excited about (okay, I’m slightly terrified, too) is the workshop. When the invitation was extended, I jumped at the chance. I have been contemplating knitting and spirituality for a long time, and have wanted to build a workshop about it, because this is what The Knitting Pilgrim — and my knitting practice — is all about.

I see spirituality as the understanding that we are all inextricably linked by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. For me, knitting is a physical manifestation of spirituality. Knitting is an act of creation, linking things together, making them or repairing them. It brings comfort, peace, and care to the knitter — and to whoever is the benefactor of the knitter’s craft. The repetitive, contemplative action of stitch after stitch dissipates stress, and invites enlightenment and insight — literally, in the meditation of knitting, we often achieve inner-sight: we see inside ourselves. And when in flow, we know that what we are doing is possible, though perhaps difficult, and our sense of time disappears. We forget ourselves. We feel part of something larger. And we create something beautiful.

During the workshop, we’ll be working on a small piece based on a blessing painted on a small wooden block Claire and I received years ago from a good friend of ours, Deborah Huber-McBride, a Canadian Presbyterian minister who works with an order of Nuns in Versailles, France — Les Diaconesses de Reuilly. Here’s a shot of two versions of the “Peace Patch” and their inspiration:

As I mentioned, I’m a bit nervous — or is it curious? — about how the workshop will turn out. But hey, I’ll be working with folks who are into spirituality and knitting… It’s hard to see a downside there.

We’ll let you now how it goes.

In other news, it pains me to say that my kirknitsofficial Instagram account is no longer under my control. Sadly, some nefarious individuals are now using it to push bit coin. It’s a long story which I won’t go into here, but the good news is that I have a new account, and you can find me on Instagram at kirkdunnknits. Please feel free to unfollow the previous account, and follow my new account, kirkdunnknits. Hope to see you there.

the knitting Pilgrim talks

We continue to release new episodes of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, which explore the imagery of the Stitched Glass tapestries in conversation with faith leaders and academics

episode 117: the Qu’ran

The Qu’ran

In episode 117 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, I speak with Imam Jihad Turk of the Bayan Islamic Graduate School about the holy book of Islam, The Qu’ran. We talk about the history of the Qu’ran, its importance to Islam, and its consistent thematic message to Muslims about how they should live their lives with justice, compassion, mercy, truth, and beauty.

“The (Qu’ran’s) very first commandment is to read. This inspiration...transformed a society that was largely illiterate within just a couple of generations to being one of the most prolific civilizations the world has ever seen.” -- Imam Jihad Turk

Episode 117 is available on YouTube here: KPT 117: The Qu'ran

Or, all of the podcast places, like KPT on Spotify, if you’d rather listen than watch.

Episode 118: Bamiyan Buddhas

Bamiyan Buddhas

In Episode 118 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, I welcome back accomplished physician, scientist, theologian, and Muslim community leader Dr. David Liepert as we chat about the section of the Islamic tapestry depicting a 6th century statue of Buddha in the Bamiyan province of Afghanistan, and how the Taliban twisted the Islamic prohibition on idolatry to justify its destruction.

"It’s just tragic how easy it is to do bad things in the name of something good." -- Dr. David Liepert

Episode 118 is available on YouTube here: KPT 118: Bamiyan Buddhas

Or, all of the podcast places, like KPT on Spotify, if you’d rather listen than watch.

If you have any questions about any of my projects, would like to book a talk, workshop, The Knitting Pilgrim or Spycraft, please reach out to me at kirkdunn.com.