Synopsis

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.

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Praise

“The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady is a delight! With scenes as vivid and lively as a cozy PBS drama and characters so real they feel more like neighbors than anything else, this book was a joy every moment I spent with it. More than once, I found myself so absorbed in the story that I completely forgot I was reading. Laced with mercy, encouragement, and hope, this novel is a brilliant and lovingly written debut.”  ~ Susie Finkbeiner, author of The Nature of Small Birds and the Pearl Spence novels

“I love this book. Extraordinary things happen when ordinary knitters reluctantly move a congregation’s prayer shawl ministry from a quiet chapel to a busy mall. Their encounters with people they would not normally meet made me chuckle, occasionally weep, and finish the story feeling a gentle nudge from the author to ‘go and do likewise.’”  ~ Patricia Sprinkle, author of Hold Up the Sky

Review

I loved this book and devoured it pretty quickly. Sometimes a book just hits you at the right time and that was this book for me.

Four women make up the prayer shawl ministry at a local church and their pastor has set them out into the community to knit their shawls while the chapel is being repainted. Needless to say, Margaret is not pleased with this change. Margaret is something of a control freak and this upsets her strict routine and feels that knitting in public will not allow them to pray over these shawls for those that will eventually receive them. I think we all know a Margaret in our lives and sometimes change is good. The other ladies are more flexible and they don’t let Margaret try and run roughshod over them and change the date or make it a more private location.

While Margaret is the driving force, the other ladies, Fran, Rose, and Jane, are a solid contribution to the group and the story. All four of these women have their own demons to battle and those play into the story and how it brings people to them and how they can all make a difference one person at a time.

I loved how these ladies end up at the mall doing their knitting and that while they may think that they do not bring attention to themselves, they really do and others are curious about what they are doing and why. What these ladies don’t realize is that they did bring their ministry to the people and they were receptive to prayers and even being brought into the prayer shawl ministry circle.  I was encouraged at how they were accepted by the number of prayer requests they received from employees at the mall and it reminds us that even a small change can bring bigger changes to our lives.

The story flows and while there are some “tense” moments between characters, it also shows us grace and mercy, that forgiveness is powerful, and that we all need someone in our lives to be in our corner and root for us whether we know it or not. There are some sparks of love, protectiveness of parents, and getting through to one Dragon Lady that life is too short to hold onto anger and fear and that feelings need to be shared now and not later when it is too late.

This is a feel-good book that will be enjoyed by many. And if you are a knitter, there is even a pattern at the end if you want to give it a whirl. I have to say, this book made me want to try my hand at knitting!

We give this book 5 paws up.

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.

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