God settles in for the evening,
radio on and the latest project to hand —
four double-pointed size 13 needles and a basket of 5-ply yarn.
Your hands made me and fashioned me —
you clothed me with skin and flesh
and knit me together with bones and sinews.
There’s a myth
that the home of a drowned fisherman
could be told by his gansey.
When I wash up
on the shore of the river of life,
I am counting on God to recognise my pattern.
Clare Bryden “Knit together”, The Merton Journal, Vol. 33 No.1, Eastertide 2026.
See the book of Job 10.8a,11 (and for comparison Psalm 139.13-14a, NRSV numbering).
Gansey — A hard-wearing, hand-knitted, woollen jumper traditionally worn by fishermen around the British Isles. They are knit from a tough, fine wool of one colour, traditionally navy blue or cream. The fine gauge of the stitches makes dazzlingly intricate designs possible, with an immense range of patterns recorded around the coast.