Christmas is coming, the dog is getting fat,

Please put a penny in to knit more hats.
This time of the year there is never enough hours to finish up all the projects you want to do.
I put a prayer shawl aside to finish 2 chemo hats. One of them will be a Christmas present. I'm trying to finish a scarf for my intern and one for my boss.
I have been looking for a good sock pattern. My new year's resolution is to make my first pair of socks. I will have to let you know how it turns out.
Hope everyone is able to finish their projects. Merry Christmas to all.

Sometimes Life Gets All Tangled

It seems like ages since my last post. I finished my blue prayer shawl/blanket and presented it to my friend. She has finished her chemo and radiation, but still will be recovering for awhile. I took time off from the shawl to knit her 2 chemo hats and finish a project for my knitting group. I have begun a new prayer shawl in light blues, however, I do not have an intended recipient yet.
I went on a mission trip to New Orleans during October. We had a team of five adults that stayed at the Greater New Orleans Christian Church and we worked on homes in the 8th ward. I can not begin to describe the devastation we encountered on this trip. We traveled to the East End and visited my sister's old home and church. It was incredible to see so many areas still without electricity. People have not even been able to return to some of these areas. My prayers are with all the folks in that area as their lives will never be the same.
I had an eventful month as I became divorced on the 21st after a two year separation. I don't think that I have emotionally dealt with that. While I was back in Texas for court, my son wound up in the emergency room. They could not find the source of his pain, so he was sent home with antibiotics. The following week after returning to college, he called me from the ER and he was being prepped for gall bladder surgery. I made the 7 hr trip to the hospital and have now been with him all week as he recovers at home. I brought my knitting with me, however I haven't spent much time on anything.
SOCKS occupy my mind. That will be my next project. I am trying to decide on a design and type of yarn. I will probably make a few other projects before Christmas. Socks in 2006!!!
That's all for now. Take care.

Hurricane Rainy Day

We are waiting out the rains of Hurricane Rita. Although we live miles from the coast, the eye of Rita is to reach us in over an hour. All day we have had gusting wind and continuous rain. Normally, I am glad to have a rainy day to relax and knit. However, we have been so busy this last month dealing with refugees from Hurricane Katrina and preparing for this storm. I have just used the time to rest and catch up on much needed rest. Once the worst has passed I should feel up to knitting. My prayers are with those who are affected by this storm.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.
The LORD is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Psalm 28:7-9 (New International Version)

Knitters Kink, Writer's Block?

It seems that almost a month has gone by without an entry. Unfortunately it seems that most of that time I did not do much knitting as well. Life sometimes zaps your creativity and I should not have let it keep me from the pleasure of knitting. Finally I was given a project to do and that has finally forced me into action.
A good friend has been diagnosed with colo-rectal cancer after being a 10 year survivor of breast cancer. I immediately began a prayer shawl in her favorite color. She is tall, so this will be more of a lap robe for her. Because of the larger size, it is slow going. My hope and prayer is that she can wrap herself in it as she recovers and rests at home after radiation and chemo. She sent word to me to please make a soft chemo hat for her to wear. I stopped on the prayer blanket and began her hat. She likes earth-tones, so I found rayon blend of Paton's Katrina in oyster color on sale for half price.
The yarn has a soft springy feel and knit up so easily. It was my first knitting in the round I've ever done. It went quickly and I had not trouble with the project until I got to the last 3 rows at the top. By then I had moved from circular needls to double points. One of the stitches slipped off the needle opposite where I was knitting and began to run. I had such a time frogging to a point where I could start again. I finally frogged back to the section before the decreases started. Once I got going again, the project finished quickly and with pretty results. I may have to make a hat for myself.
Needless to say, I should not have quit knitting as I know how theraputic it can be. It is too bad it took a request from a friend to get me on the needles again. The best cure of feeling sorry for yourself is to help others.
I will post a picture of the hat as soon as possible. Happy knitting to all.

Our Gifts of Creativity

This quote hangs above my desk:
Creativity is God's gift to you.
What you do with it is your gift to God.
-Bob Moawad

I Peter 4:10-
"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." NIV

"Each of you has been blessed with one of God's many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well." CEV

I always have felt the need to be creative and knitting has allowed me to make simple gifts for others. I reunited with the craft of knitting last December and went on to make scarves for everyone on my Christmas list. The prayer shawl definately wove together my need to be creative and my desire to serve others. It is a wonderful ministry. If you are interested in making a prayer shawl- visit: http://www.shawlministry.com/. Various patterns can be found on the web. The triple (trinity) seed stitch is easy and makes a beautiful pattern. The rhythm lends itself to prayer or music. I hope that you find a way to use your gifts to serve others.

A Prayer for Frustrated Prayer Shawl Knitters

I recently completed a prayer shawl for a member of my church. While reading about the prayer shawl ministry, I came across this prayer. It is a prayer for all my friends that are new to knitting and are frustrated with their attempts at completing a prayer shawl.

Good God!
~a shawl maker’s prayer~
By Janet Bristow 6-2005

Good God!
Guide me through the
knots, kinks,
dropped stitches,
split yarn,
shredded fringe,
dye lot mismatches,
pattern mistakes, errors,
and the myriad other “issues” that get in the way of my centeredness!

Help me to see that these annoyances:
knotted emotions,
kinked plans,
dropped dreams,
split relationships,
shredded hopes,
mismatched friendships,
mistaken assumptions,
errant goals
are actually metaphors of life!

As I knit through the creation of the shawl, I gratefully acknowledge and accept the imperfections, weaving them into my prayers and intentions for the one who will be
wrapped in and blessed by it all!

Lizzie

I'm learning to post pictures and this was handy. This is Lizzie, my miniature schnauzer.

K.N.I.T. Cafe tonight

Our ladies meet tonight for our bi-monthly knitting group. We meet at my church, however the group is comprised of ladies of all ages and includes non-church members. We enjoy the fellowship of gathering as much as we enjoy our projects. The group includes new knitters as well as more experienced crafters, so there is a lot of mentoring. Currently, there are scarves, sweaters, prayer shawls and baby blankets in the works. Tonight we are having a stash exchange. It was a good excuse to clean out a drawer and some bags in the closet that were holding extra yarn. I'll post some current projects as soon as I get used to this process.

Knitting as Therapy

This is my first posting to a blog. I have enjoyed reading many knitting blogs regularly and have been inspired by the creativity, humor and fellowship that is shared online. Hopefully I will learn to post on a regular basis and share with others.