BOOK BY: Sharon Mondragon
Calling all knitters!
This is an interesting story about a group of praying knitters who make a difference in the community where they live. It’s a story about not knowing the people you associate with, until you do.
The Heavenly Hugs Prayer Shawl Ministry is ousted from their regular meeting space when the pastor of their church hires a volunteer to repaint the prayer chapel. Without a better idea of a place to go, the four women who have knitted together for years end up knitting, and praying while they knit, in the coffee shop in the mall.
The women are challenged by a cast of interesting characters who remind the women of the private challenges they face outside their Wednesday morning ministry time. Characters of all shapes, sizes, ages and hair colour, walk onto the page defying the traditional ministry goals of the staunchest member, and leader, of the group. As the women knit in the mall, they discover a way of ministering to people outside of the church building and realize how they can reach the community for Christ. Their table fills with prayer requests on napkins, and their lives become better for it.
As new characters enter with their own prayer requests, the ministry ladies eventually reveal secrets of their own to one another, tapping into the power of praying for each other.
There’s a lot of knitting lingo that knitters will find interesting. The descriptions of patterns are detailed enough, that even readers who don’t knit can imagine what the shawl turns out like.
This book is full of redemption stories as each Heavenly Hugs knitter faces her own heartache.
There are conversations with God and strangers comment on the force field surrounding the knitters that more conservative readers might wonder about. Similarly, some readers unfamiliar with prayer shawls may have more questions than are answered in the story (the author provides a list of resources at the end of the book on prayer shawl ministries).
I found the story moved at a slower pace than I am used to. By mid-point, it felt like the story was finished as it wrapped up nicely some plot points at Christmas. However, that’s when the story became interesting…
There are some surprises along the way, and each character receives her satisfactory ending.
If you love to knit and read a feel-good story, check out The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady
I received a copy of the book as part of I Read with Audra book tours. All opinions expressed are my own.
A Bit About the Book
A knitting group’s change of scenery changes lives in unexpected ways
Margaret, Rose, Jane, and Fran had a good thing going: meet every week in the quiet of their peaceful chapel and knit prayer shawls. No muss, just ministry. That is, until their pastor boots them out of the church in his last-ditch effort to revive the dwindling congregation.
Uptight Margaret isn’t having it. Knitting prayer shawls where people can watch is the most ridiculous idea she’s ever heard of, and she’s heard plenty. Prayer belongs in the church, not out among the heathen masses. How are they supposed to knit holiness into these shawls if they’re constantly distracted by the public? But with no choice, the others embrace the challenge. They pack their knitting bags and drag Margaret—grumbling the whole way—to the mall with them. She can’t wait to prove them all wrong when it fails miserably, and show the pastor that she always knows best.
Without the familiar mold the group has been stuck in, their own losses, pain, and struggles rise to the surface. And the people and situations they encounter every time they try to sit quietly and knit are taking them a lot further out of their comfort zone than they ever imagined. Can they find the courage to tackle the increasing number of knotty issues they learn about in the community–or will the tangle be too much to unravel?
Sharon J. Mondragon’s debut is warm and delightful, full of real laughter, grief, and personality. It beautifully illustrates the power of women across generations to reach people for Christ.
To read an excerpt of The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady click here.
A Bit About the Author
Sharon J. Mondragón writes about the place where kindness and courage meet. Her debut novel, The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady (originally titled The Heavenly Hugs Prayer Shawl Ministry)was the 2017 winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis award in the Short Novel Category, and she has also been recognized by The Saturday Evening Post where her short story, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” was an Honorable Mention Awardee in the 2014 their Great American Fiction Contest.
Mondragón has been active in prayer shawl ministry since 2008 and currently serves as facilitator for the prayer shawl ministry at her church, St. Paul Episcopal in Waxahachie, TX. She also knits with the Circle of Healing at Red Oak United Methodist Church. She is a Level 2 Certified Knitting Instructor through the Craft Yarn Council and teaches beginning knitting at a local yarn store.
Mondragón is the mother of five grown children and has four grandchildren. After 26 years as an Army wife, she has settled in Midlothian, TX with her hero/husband, her laptop, and her yarn stash.
Visit Sharon Mondragón’s website and blog at www.sharonjmondragon.com and follow her on Facebook (Sherry Mondragón) and Twitter (@SJ_Mondragón).
A GIVEAWAY!!
