For Phillip, with Love

We make prayer shawls and give them to people who are grieving. We send them to members of our congregation, to the next of kin of soldiers lost in war, to friends who lose their sons all too soon and in tragic, senseless ways.

We never quite know if what we do is something useful. We don't ask people if they want a shawl, we just send them one. For all we know, we could be intruding on someone's private pain and giving them something we think will make it just a little better.

Corp. Phillip Brodnick was killed in Iraq in a Blackhawk crash. We sent a prayer shawl to his mother and one to his father. Last week, we received a check for $100 from his mother for our ministry. She told me in a phone call she wanted to make a donation and we expected to receive maybe $25. $100 for our ministry is enough for 5 prayer shawls, but the way we will do it, we will get 15-20 prayer shawls from this donation.

This gracious and wonderful donation has inspired us to create a program called "For Phillip, with love." Each prayer shawl we make that includes a skein of yarn purchased with this donation will include a note that says: "This prayer shawl made possible through the donation of a soldier's family." in the corner will be the letters FPWL. The yarn we purchase will be placed on the altar during a worship service and blessed.

In the future, anyone who makes a donation of cash or yarn will be able to designate who the items will go to: children, women's shelters, wounded soldiers, even animals and there will be a note commemorating the donation and in the corner will be the FPWL - "For Phillip, with love" because this program started with a mother's love and her desire to pay it forward.

The Purple Afghan

I finished this afghan last month. It took a few weeks to knit and I was having a problem because there had to be a crochet slip stitch done along the 'cross section' of the afghan and it took me a little while to figure it out. But I did figure it out and now Billie (my maid of honor) owns the afghan because she loves the purple. So, while it was probably headed towards the sale - it is in a happy home.
It was made with...oh, you know, Caron by the Pound in lavender, orchid and dark violet. Double strands of each. The pattern is from Classic Quick Knit Throws. It is the autumn one and I have to say though it was relatively quick, it wasn't easy. I think they rate it as intermediate level and I would have to agree.

Alas, I did not finish my afghan in time to medal for Ravelympics. I would have received two more medals had I finished, but it just wasn't to be. I picked up some new clients instead and I've had to put down all things knitting and....work!

In fact, I must leave here and go back to my desk for a few hours of work before I can turn in. Hopefully, I will be in bed by 2!

When Is an Afghan Not an Afghan.

Ok, so here's another pillow that started out as an afghan. I made about seven of these Aran cable squares and for whatever reason, didn't feel like finishing the remaining five squares I would need. So, I turned two of the squares into a pillow. Just like I did with the beach blanket. Unlike the beach blanket squares, the rest of the cable squares will go into an afghan. They are being used in Cai. Which I wanted to finish in time for the Ravelympics, but I won't be able to get it done -I'm just on the second of five strips. However, I am keen on finishing it as I am pulling stitch patterns from different sources to complete the 25 square afghan. The pillow will make its way to the November sale where it will sit with the beach blanket pillow. Hopefully someone will want to give it a nice home.

Purple Quick Knit

Isn't it cute? It looks blue in the photo, but that's just because of the flash. It's my favorite color-purple. The one on the right is without the flash. (I just stick things on Marilyn's head and take pictures. She's so used to it, she just kept on knitting away. I'm not sure if I stuck a pom-pom on the top, though I think one would look really cute.

This was going to be my entry hat for Ravelympics, but decided I needed to design my own - pray for me friends, I still have four strips to complete in five days to earn my afghan marathon medal. It's going to be a photo finish!

This is almost the same as the other quick knit hat except I used a different stitch. It's a knock off from Quick Knit - Cool Accessories. It's probably Caron By the Pound because I don't have any other yarn in purple. Well, I think I have some Hobby Lobby yarn in purple, but I haven't knit with it yet.
Check out the archive for the info on the hat!

Progress - Whether We Like it Or Not

I went back and re-read my very first post made on December 20 of last yeat. At that time, I had three projects going and I think I finished only one. The scarf was a gift for my brother-in-law, and I've never seen him where it. I made one for his wife and I've never seen her wear hers either; but I suppose that's beside the point.

The two things that didn't get made were kinda made. I made seven of the twelve Aran squares needed to complete the Aran Square afghan. Don't know why I stopped, but two of those squares have been turned into a pillow (I will upload the photo one day) and the rest are now part of an in progress project called 'Cai" for Ravelmpics. The garden gate afghan was about a foot away from being complete when I decided I didn't like it and that became the Cable Comfort Afghan. I will do the garden gate again, but I probably won't use that Thick & Quick yarn. Don't get me wrong - LOVE the yarn, but it does make for heavy afghans and....I digress.

The point on progress comes from learning how to knit in grade school (on pencils cuz we didn't have needles) and not picking it up again until a few years ago. I started keeping track of all my projects in a spreadsheet (and in this blog) and as of today since Dec 07, I have completed 38 different projects. That's about 1 project a week. So I'm making up for not knitting for all those decades. It's amazing the needles are out of my hands long enough to write a blog and to write for a living. .

Like many other things in life, I didn't think knitting would have a place of importance. (Kinda like algebra) But I find knitting is a connective fabric. I am connected to my church through the knit group I started, the community who receives those goods and who partner with us to create more and give more, to those friends seen and unseen who also knit, and to God from whom all good gifts are sent.

Whether I like it or not, knowing how to knit is a talent. Sharing what I knit is a gift. Wanting to use it in service to others is an offering. And knowing the difference is progress.

As Medea would say: "Hallelujer!"

Olympic Hat & Scarf

Here they are! My Olympic Hat & Scarf.

These were items entered into the Ravelympics! I have Cai, the afghan left to complete.
So, these were made mostly with Caron by the Pound, but the ring colors were made with yarn that was donated by someone. And I still dig the Pom-Pom on the hat. (Thanks to my hubby for being willing to model the hat!)

The scarf is mostly stockinette and it's folded and pinned to take out the curl. It's over about five feet long (I think). These will be available at the November Bazaar (sold separately).

I'm in the SistahFriends Ring

There I was going through some blog rings when I hit the button for the newest member of the Sistah Friends ring and I was looking at myself!

Yeah, cuz a girl needs her sistahs, and the sistahs my mama gave me don't knit.
So glad to be in the company of women, sistahs and friends!!

Quick Knit Scarf

Well, I'm just a knitting fool since the Ravelympics started. I still have the olympic scarf and the cai afghan to go, but this was almost done so i thought it would be best to go ahead and finish it up.

This scarf goes with the hat (that's Marilyn modeling it). They're both made with Red Heart yarn on size 9 needles. The hat was modified from a pattern found in Quick Knit - Cool Accessories and the scarf was made up from a stitch I found in a stitch dictionary and thought it would make a great scarf. and so it does.

this cute little set will be sold at the November Bazaar - come on by and buy it!

Olympic Hat

So, here's my Olympic Hat! That's the hubby being the model. My favorite part is the Pom-Pom made with my pom-pom maker! It was a challenge because my original thought was to make a cap when I decided to make it into stocking cap. My first hat design!

Ravelympians Unite!

It's almost time for the Ravelympics to begin. I am entered into three events: hat dash, scarf stroke, and afghan marathon. Oops, make that four, I am also in the design discus since I'm designing all the things I am making.

Tomorrow is also a StitchCraft session so I will be knitting with friends at the church. I already have the designs in mind. I will need to cast on during the opening ceremonies and complete them all within the next 2.5 weeks. That shouldn't be too hard. If I stay up late this evening and finish the scarf I'm working on now. (The added incentive is that when I finish the scarf, the set will be complete and they will go from my house to Marilyn's house where all the completed items are stored!) Less stuff in my house - more stuff in her house; that's my definition of fair. (Hey, I store the yarn at my house and trust me, there's a boat load of that as well.)

Good luck to all the Ravelympians and to all the Olympians as well. I hate the United States has silenced our athletes about other things going on in the world - it's not just sports; it's sportmanship and that goes beyond the playing field. I think we should let our athletes be all around people and not just players.

But I'll watch the track and field and the other events because i love the games and the sports!

The Blanket That's Not a Blanket

So, when is a blanket not a blanket? When you make the squares and start to put them together and realize they don't match up well.
Then you're left with a handfull of 15x15 squares.

So, you pull out the old bag of fiberfill and make yourself some pillows. It's ok if the sides are slightly off because only one side really shows and when you want a little different look, you just change it to the other side. (That's my story and I'm sticking with it!)

These darling squares will now become funky pillows and they will be taken to the November Pancake Breakfast and Bazaar and they will go up for sale. I must say it probably isn't the best use of the yarn, but it is a use. I also have some cable aran squares that will make it to the pillow heap. They're supposed to be an afghan as well but what can one say?

Well, This is a Surprise!

59 As a 1930s wife, I am Superior Take the test!

Ok, so I found this on Cozy's blog and found it on a few other sites. Since everyone scored poorly, I thought there must be some sort of trick. So, imagine my surprise to find out that in the 1930's I would be considered a superior wife.

I'm not showing this to my hubby. It would only make the poor man laugh and that could cause some acid reflex and it would not be pretty.

Mind you, I believe I am quite the wife. I love being married mainly because I know I married the right guy - kinda makes it a no brainer. But right guy or not, this marriage gig takes some work and the thing is - even if you live together first (which we did for a year) you're not prepared for the moment when it all becomes legal. I remember standing at the altar after the vows saying: "Wow! I'm gonna need a lawyer to get out of this!" What can I say, I'm a die hard romantic.

Trust me, it's not easy being a good wife without a good husband involved. My mother-in-law survived her first marriage to my hubby's dad and found happiness in her second to a man who wasn't mean, abusive or drunk. Now, people would say she was a saint in her first marriage - but who ever goes into marriage thinking of sainthood - I know there were some sins I wanted to commit the moment I could legally get away with them cuz I was hitched!

I want to be a superior wife and though I may have made one in the 1930's I wasn't even born in the 30's. I want to be a good wife in the 90's, & 2000's. But I don't think I am going to tempt fate by find a quiz that tells me if I would be a good wife today.

I'll just have to take my own word for it!

Keeping Up With My Own Joneses

I have vowed not to go this long without posting again. I am still a little messed up over the recent tragedy that befell one of my best friends (See the Travis Wrap post) and that has thrown me off my game.

But I have decided to make myself come back. I have redone my schedule and I am looking at things with a renewed perspective about time and getting done those things we need to get done so we can get done those things we want to get done.

What I want is to be able to drive traffic to my blog. To be able to really earn a good living (not super rich, but comfortable enough) with my writing. I want to be of good use to God and man. I want to love my husband.

And knitting....I want to knit like crazy!!