Prayer Shawls

Seems like forever since I posted anything to my blog. So what have I been up to lately? I've been knitting prayer shawls for my local church. Two shawls are finished and are shown folded below on my ironing board:

The shawls are rectangular using k3, p3 stitches to make a patternweave design. I chose k3, p3 and three rows before switching to p3, k3 as it reminds me of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The top shawl is true raspberry color and the shawl on the bottom has a mixture of green, red, purple, turqoise, brown and gold colors. I had the raspberry shawl completely knit using a different design and did not like how it turned out. There was nothing else to do, but "frog" it and start over. The yarn is from my stash. The next picture is a better look at the design. The raspberry shawl shows up red here, but it is really the color of the first picture.

I delivered these to the church and am now working on baby sweaters for charity that will be put together with other baby needs to be delivered throughout the US and around the world.

There is such a good feeling when I knit knowing that the finished product will either comfort someone or keep a little one warm and that all of my love for God is included in each stitch.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. It is always a great day for me! Easter reinforces everything that I believe about Gods love in a really big way.

Baby Goes Victory Gardening?

Just a quick post about Bunny's little sister Baby and her new gardening venture. I would like to say that she is working with her Mom on making a Victory Garden, but it is a raised bed garden instead. Baby has planted tomatoes and onions in temporary containers. She has flowers growing in other containers. Baby and her Mom are taking a couple vacation days this week and are going to put together their raised bed garden. The beds will contain a number of 4' x 4' containers. She has some ideas about other vegetables and flowers that will be in the garden and I am excited to see Baby's handiwork. Pictures will be posted soon of Baby's garden.

Baby is the cook in our family and has given us some great meals with her creativity. She inherited her love of cooking, especially baking, from her grandmothers. Her great great grandmother worked in a bakery. Baby works in a bakery at a local high-end grocery here. Wouldn't Pops (my Dad) and GGGrandma be proud of her culinary skills? I know we are. Her GGrandma would be happy to see her gardening skills too. GGrandma used to love planting a little garden and flowers. I guess you never know what will sneak through the gene pool to our children.

So you will know, Baby and Bunny are my nieces that live next door to me. What a joy it has been to watch these two grow up into fine young ladies! Proud aunt that I am......

Proud Aunt That I Am

This aunt has to do a little bragging on young niece--Bunny. She has finished stitching a large sampler named "Elements". Needless to say, I am very impressed with the finished project both front and back. She asked me to teach her how to cross stitch when she returned from England (after a year getting her masters degree) and that was all it took. She bought books, checked books out of the library, searched the internet and then went to stitching. The "Elements" sampler pattern was a gift to Bunny for Christmas. She has been working on it steadily over the last few months. So now I would like to share the finished object:



I am just immeasurably proud of Bunny. When she frames and hangs her handiwork, I will post again so you can see the finished piece. Bunny, I hope you don't mind that I snatched your picture from your blog to show it off to the knitting community.

Just a Little Knitting

I've ventured off into some more charity knitting and then some knitting for a friend who wanted a scarf or two or three or four. This has been what I call mindless knitting, but it was fun. Here is the charity knitting I have been doing for Save The Children:

It was an easy way to use leftover yarn pieces and not let the yarn go to waste. I modified the intermediate pattern on the Save the Children web-site from knitting a flat piece that has to be seamed to knitting the cap in the round. I believe knitting in the round is much more effective, faster and less needlework at the end. I changed the ribbing on some of the hats so the knitting would not get monotonous. The hats are premie and regular size depending on the size of your yarn.

These are the scarves I knitted for a friend at work. She wanted a narrower scarf that could be worn inside the office and that weren't bulky to wear in the Deep South. So here are the results:

The picture doesn't show the yarn definition that well, but then you get the idea. Friend was happy with all four. I am making another black scarf for her to give as a gift. This friend also wants to learn how to knit and you can guess what she wants to learn how to knit. So we will go shopping after work one day and get all the appropriate items to teach my friend how to knit a SCARF.

I've taught our receptionist how to knit a sock. I really did think she was taking on too big a project since she hasn't knitted anything in quite a while. We'll have a 101 on kichener stitch for the toe of the sock. Other than that, she did just fine. She is working on the match to her sock and should be done soon.

Need to get back to the recliner and pick up the crochet hook and finish a baby blanket.

Thanks Bunny for helping with the pictures for the baby caps and scarves!

One Year Blog Anniversary - January 26, 2009

Yesterday was my one year blog anniversary! I was going to post yesterday, but by the time I came home the lower back was hurting too bad. So I got ready for bed and crawled in and never got back out. So I am posting a day late.

I have thoroughly enjoyed posting my thoughts and knitting projects for the past year. Above all, it is a means of sharing and making friends in the blogging world that I would never have known otherwise.

My 2009 has an agenda for knitting along with crocheting, embroidery, sewing, cross stitch and walking one mile every day. Before I really get 'rockin and rollin' with some of these projects and ideas, I have to schedule surgery on my lower back. The third epidural has worn off and it hasn't been a month yet. I've made it up in my mind that I can't spend all my evenings laying down. So by the end of the week, I will have called my doctor. For me, it's choosing a better way of life other than constant pain.

I look forward to another year in the blogging world and all the posts and reading the posts of others!

Inauguration Day!

History will be made today with the first African-American to be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. The real transition of power will start today.

After all the hoopla, it will be time to get down to business. Our nation is struggling. We need our folks in Washington to sharpen their pencils and WORK. I'm really quite tired of hearing speeches. I'm looking for results. Main Street is struggling. People are hurting. I know changes won't happen overnight, but let's get the ball rolling Washington!

A thought crossed my mind one day regarding unemployment and businesses closing: If our Congressmen had to go without a paycheck or benefits or housing, I bet they would make changes a bit faster. What do you think? Sometimes, I think the lawmakers in Washington are in a bubble and are isolated regarding the state of our nation and what actually makes this country tick. Maybe they need to live for a month with people who are struggling to understand their economic plight. Don't let them access big money. Live on menial means.

I'm looking at the Northern states and how bad the unemployment is right now and the harsh winter to boot! Food banks and church pantries are probably depleted in these economically impoverished states. It is sad when my local church stated that their food pantry was low because it wasn't just individuals that needed food, but whole families. And we are in a state that right now seems to be a little stable, but maybe looks are deceiving.

Well, I'm jumping off my soapbox and will get ready for work.

Congratulations to our new President and Vice-President!

KnitForKids Sweaters #6 - #12

Finally, I finished my KnitForKids sweater projects for 2008 and now have time to post the pictures. Here are sweaters #6 - #12:

Sweater #6

Sweater # 7

Sweater #8

Sweater #9

Sweater #10

Sweater #11

Sweater #12

And the last picture above is sweaters #1 - #12 all folded and ready to be shipped to the Knit For Kids organization. I was bound and determined that I would meet this goal with bad back or not. This past Friday, I had epidural #3. My back has kept me from sitting for long periods of time. I have figured out how to lay half-way down in bed and yet sitting at good angle so that I could finish my childrens sweaters. I have different goals for 2009, but it does include a couple Knit For Kids sweaters.

On to other projects that include: two baby blankets and one baby sweater. Then back to my adult knitting for Bunny and Baby (their sweaters).

Happy knitting everyone!