Forgive me..

We've been particulary busy around here with graduation coming up & wrapping up some projects. I neglected to take the time to select an Etsian of the week yesterday. My apologies... I'll do my best to get back on track this Sunday.

Spinning a Yarn with Martha

Just in case you missed it (like me...), Martha Stewart had an entire show on Knitting & Crochet this past week. It premiered on Thursday at 11am(Eastern).

Had I not had an unexpected meeting, my tush would've been planted firmly in front of the TV absorbing it all. Much to my dear Mother's dismay, I like Martha's shows and ideas. Now, I can't say too much for her manners, as on most of the shows she talks over her guests or gets snippy with them, but many of the ideas she shares are simple & wonderful.

Mom doesn't appreciate her because she believes that Martha has a staff that comes up with all of the ideas & Martha is basically a spokesperson. While that may be the case now, I do believe that her beginnings were truly her own ideas. Hey, if I had a multi-million dollar company I'd hire people to search out goodies, too...

Any who, here's a link to "The Yarn Show." (Don't you just LOVE the fact that you can view many of your favorites online???)

There is a beginning piece about building a yarn bag, a visit to Lions Brand yarn studio (where she mentions Amigurumi!), a fashion show & some crocheted goodies. Enjoy!

Making Granny Squares...

So, do you remember those big 'ole colorful and usually stiff crochet creations from your childhood? One of my grandmother's had full size Granny Square afghan draped across her bed when I was a child. I remember wanting to cuddle up with it, until I touched it! LOL

Now that I've begun crocheting I've found myself fascinated with some of the creations I've seen over the years. I'm remembering things from people's homes, from the county fair, and from local markets. What color combinations they had in the 70's!

When I started on this bent of fiber arts I snatched up a book on Granny Squares called "The New Granny Square" by Susan Cottrell. The lovely photos and color combinations made me rethink the whole Granny Square phenomenon.

I've put off learning how to do the Granny Squares until I had a decent foundation on the basic crochet stitches - single, double, triple, and, of course, the chain! A few weeks ago I attempted to follow a pattern from one of my mom's old pattern booklets. It had me lost. I couldn't tell if the shells needed to be worked inside the hole of the square or woven into the yarn, as normal, and there was nothing in that book to clarify, either!

YouTube is fabulous! I love that you can go there and watch someone do it, in person. That way you get to watch their motions & see details that aren't always clear in a book.

This lady offers a whole collection of how-to crochet videos. I picked the 2 that give the construction of two rows of shells. If you need the beginning video of how to make the chain & join it, it is available.

Lesson 2 - 1st row



Lesson 3 - 2nd row

I'm glad I waited until I had a small foundation, otherwise I might have been confused due to the quickness of her motions and quality of the video. Now that I have a decent base on which to begin I think I'll tackle a Granny Square project soon. (Right after I finish the 12 projects ahead of this!)

Crochet & Knitting handicapped??

I've heard so many people say this lately. "I can't crochet because I'm not coordinated." Or "I can't knit because I can't hold the two sticks."

It's okay! If we were all good at the same thing, the world would be one BORING place. Besides, then you'd never need to buy anything AND you'd never have time to do anything fun because you'd be loaded up with the tedious tasks of making EVERYTHING! Gosh, that even sounds painful.

Trusty ole YouTube to the rescue! According to this lady, you can buy pre-made crochet headbands and make baby beanies with them. The sidebar on YouTube says that she buys them on eBay by the dozen, but I've seen some a the local dollar stores, too. (Just in case you don't need a dozen!)



You could carry this idea over into making baby clothing - jumpers, pants, skirts, shirts, etc... You'd only need to know how to hand or machine stitch. Wow! The possibilities are endless!

The best part... You can amaze your friends and family with handmade baby goodies in a fraction of the time, at a fraction of the cost! Imagine their faces when they open the gift expecting to find something that was pulled "off the rack" (and, perhaps, matches another gift) and then find the most precious, hand selected & designed apparel!

Monday's with Etsy

I'm so excited about this weeks pick! (Not that I'm not normally excited, but I guess I'm even more so this week... you'll see...)

I met this fellow Etsian on Twitter. I have recently become a Twitter fanatic, and not only does this person always give the nicest, most helpful replies, but she's funny and very personable.

Honestly, I hadn't visited her shop until the other night when another person on Twitter recommended something from her shop. (I know...but sometimes I forget who's Profile I've checked and whose I haven't. Guess that happens when you're being followed left & right!)

Anyway, let me introduce you to Sharon Paradiso of Seedlings: Jewelry Because.

Dark Blossom

Sharon's shop offers hand-crafted jewelry of all shapes and sizes. There you will find a small selection of goodies ranging from earrings to bracelets and necklaces.

Across the Universe

Her color selections are naturalistic, presumably because her creations are "inspired by and created from natural materials (including recycled materials where possible)." Recycled materials??? Woot! That's a big plus in my book! I'm constantly looking for ways to incorporate something to be "upcycled".

Swirlmaille

And, she had one piece of crochet jewelry lurking on the second page... Hey, this is a fiber arts blog, after all!

Cosmos

While I enjoy her work immensely, the thing that put Sharon over-the-top this week was her decision to do more with her shop. Twenty percent of every purchase goes towards making a donation purchase at Heifer International. If you're not familiar with this amazing group I encourage you to visit a previous post I did earlier in the year or their website.



As Sharon states this is "a group that takes the "teach a person to fish and feed them for a lifetime" just a bit further with gifts of animals, bees, etc.". These gifts enable families around the world, including the United States, to start their own home business and eventually procure a better livelihood for not only themselves, but their entire community!



Visit Seedlings: Jewelry Because to enrich your life and the life of someone else!

Photographic rights are retained by Seedlings: Jewelry Because.

Have you heard of Amigurumi???

While searching for my Monday's with Etsy featured seller I continuously ran upon Amigurumi Patterns. I'd never heard this term before. I happened to be Twittering at the same time, so naturally I asked about it on Twitter. (Have I told you that I'm addicted to that site??? Well, I am...)

Thanks to Jadielady & mysie_at_etsy for their help with this mystery!

Amigurumi means Knitted stuffed toy in Japanese (according to Wikipedia). Although crochet appears to be just as common during creation. The toys can be intricate or artistically rendered.

Traditionally, the patterns run in spirals and use multiple colors. These creations are made on small or fine needles, which prevents the stuffing from escaping. This translates into very time-consuming for me! ;-)

The patterns I've found are precious. Here are a few of my favorites...

Worm in Apple

Fairy Doll & Mushroom Set

Fuzzy Guinea Pig

Elton, the Sheep (doesn't he look like the Serta sheep??)

From the traditional to the not-so:

Pancake Stack Treasure Plate (this reminds me of an actual plate from the 60's!)

If you are interested in any of these patterns, just click on the photo and it will take you straight to the proper individuals' Etsy shop.

*****

Moral of the story -

If you're looking for a way to test your skills and while away some hours...these may be just the thing you're looking for! Enjoy!

Photographic rights are retained by the individual artist.
Links are accessed through the photos above.

Monday with Etsy

I spent yesterday combing the Etsy Pounce feature for "new" and "undiscovered" artisans. I found some really lovely shops. Unfortunately, several had no seller "Bio" or Shop Policies listed. As much as I want to share Etsy finds with you, I'd like to know something about the seller (other than what their listings look like) before I feature them.

To me, buying handmade is an entire package. That's the same reason I love shopping at the farmer's market - I want to get to know the person behind the creation. It adds something to the experience for me. It's something you simply can't get shopping at Walmart...

During this long search I Twittered about it a few times. As luck would have it Popsicle Stick found me there. Will wonders never cease! Just when I needed a fiber arts oriented post...

Skate Socks Granny Square Afghan

Apparently she's been selling on Etsy for several months now, utilizing her fiber and other mediums to entice us. What a sunshiney, happy shop. It reminds me of the 70's!

Hang Ten Crochet Bracelet

She states that she picked up the crochet skills from her mother who went everywhere with crochet in hand (hallelujah...that makes me feel not so crazy!)

Knee Socks and Nikes Crochet Scarf

With almost too reasonable prices, and 100% cotton, customizable creations how can you miss? Hop over to visit when you have a moment and snatch up a great deal for that upcoming birthday or shower!

Bubblicious DNA Crochet Bracelet

(Doesn't this look like the old Bubblicious package??? Too cute!)

All photographic rights belong to PopsicleStick.

Don't worry - I'm still here!

Hey, everyone!

Sorry to be "missing in action" so long. I was vacationing this past week & had planned on blogging while I was gone, but my darn Internet connection didn't have a signal where I was at.

Oh well! Guess God was telling me to take a break...

I did complete several projects while I was gone, which I'll be posting this week, for your viewing pleasure!

Had a great time and I'm refreshed and renewed. Hope you all are well, too!

Danita

Mondays with Etsy

Pottery is another love of mine. Actually, I guess you could say that I like anything you can make with your hands. Making something out of earth is an added bonus for me!

I found Emburr a few weeks ago in the Etsy forums. I just LOVE her things! Ms. Monika has some cute pins made out of clay tiles- walruses, frogs, sea turtles, etc... There are even some color pencil drawings, mostly showing nature. But, my favorites are the larger pottery items...

Teal Tree ceramic soap dish, $12

Set of Cream Colored Cups, $22

Trio of Fish candle holder in Teal, $30

Monkia has a Fine Arts Degree from Nova Scotia College of Art & Design, so she's accredited and has apparently devoted her life to art. Who can fault that?

Her "Bio" on Etsy states that "creating is what she does & who she is." That's refreshing to hear these days as more and more artists are creating solely for the purpose of gaining riches or fame. It's like a teacher stating that they teach so that they can help others grow & learn. Heart warming, isn't it?

Emburr's selection is currently limited, unlike many larger Etsy shops. I think that's a good thing. When artisans create for pleasure that's normally what you find, a limited selection, lovingly made. If you want cookie-cutter and huge stock - go to Walmart...

Hurry over and snatch something up before I buy all of the goodies! At prices like these, how can you resist?

Photographic rights belong to Emburr.

Have sticks, will travel...

Did you know that in the Middle Ages people would knit while walking? Yep. It's true. Above, you can see a few examples of sheaths that were used to assist with this task. One needle was held fast in the sheath, which would've been attached to a belt or sewn into an apron or dress. The sheath enabled them to knit faster & with more defined detail, while maintaining an open hand for other things.

Did you happen to notice I said people vs. women? Men used to knit MORE than women. Can you believe that? It's thought that they learned to assist in making fishing nets and other utilitarian items.

In the evenings, after a hard days work around the home, the family would gather for conversations after dinner. To make the most of their time, this family time would also be utilized for sewing and fabric making. The entire family could participate in the making of clothes & cloth for their needs. Makes me think of "Little House on the Prairie", when the mother would always mend things by the fire after dinner...

Ok. That's your history lesson for today. Time for recess class!

To Do this week -

Finally started delivering the Prayer Shawls this past week!

Couldn't wait to get started, but we had a few small delays. The lady that is making our gift labels ready kept telling me that they were ready to go, but I don't have Microsoft Publisher to print them out. She was going to work something out at the church office, but I haven't heard anything about it in weeks. Perhaps she was otherwise occupied...

Last week I worked up a new label and got them ready to go, picked up about half of what needed to go out, and began giving them out at church. We'd decided against this originally, and the group wanted to go out two by two to deliver them at home.

At the last meeting, I had no one interested in going out to make the deliveries (only 3 other members were attending.) Of two other people I asked last week, one is now not feeling well enough to do it and the other wasn't sure about her schedule this week. I gave up asking after that. I probably could've found someone else, but by the time I lined up everyone's schedule with everyone else's we wouldn't have made a dent in the number that need to be delivered. (Since this is the first delivery, it would've been over 25 deliveries.)

I've lined up 5 so far for today, and will call a few more this afternoon if I can squeeze them in. 5 were delivered Sunday at church. I think that's a good beginning! Friday is designated for another delivery day for me. Ideally, all will be delivered by Saturday evening, as I'll be out of town next week.

Lesson - It's ok to depend on others, but when they don't follow through, it's no reason for you not to. Making tons of items to give out and never giving them is the same as never making them at all!

Mondays with Etsy

We have another yarn "find" this week!

Atlantis Roving

SolsticeSupplies shop provides fiber from locally (Canada) raised animals. At Solstice Studios and Farm they raise llamas and angora rabbits for their fiber, along with dairy goats and chickens. They're working towards building a eco-community or village "where happy people and animals can exist in harmony together." How sweet!

Playground Roving

Solstice Supplies also buys fleeces and roving from local fibre farms. Their selection appears to all be dyed and ready for spinning. This is a perfect shop for those of you that already know how to spin or are looking to delve into this area.

Not into spinning and have no aspirations for it? I have located a two sites that have free project patterns for crocheting & knitting with this unspun roving! Or, you can try your hand at Needle Felting...

Pufpaff's has a pattern for crocheting rugs with roving. This would be perfect for the kitchen or tossing in front of the fireplace. This link provides a great knitted scarf pattern from Painted Ewe Rovings. It's a PDF file, so you can print it out immediately!

Jungle Drums

The listings state that they can work with you on quantities and dye lots. Fantastic!

All photographic material is property of SolsticeSupplies.

The Kreativ Blogger Award

Dear, sweet WarPony, whom I've come to know through blogging gave me an award!!! She has three blogs, but the main one is centered around horses. I know, what does that have to do with knitting??? Nothing. Which is why I'm even more honored to receive this award! Thank you, WarPony!

It seems the tradition is to list 7 of your favorite things and then pass the award to seven blogs who you think deserve it. This isn't an obligation but I definitely wanted to pay it forward!

So here are my favorite things:

1. My faith

2. My family, actual and church - they're the best!

3. My garden

4. Creating with my hands

5. Learning new things - especially having to do with creating new things and learning more about other cultures

6. Fresh, straight-from-the-oven bread - yummy! Especially with a slab of butter on top!

7. Making new friends and getting to know them.

Kreativ Blog Awards I'm giving away:

1. To Miss Jen at Blessed Femina - I ALWAYS enjoy reading her posts! They're inspirational, enticing, and the photos are lovely. You know it's a good blog when you feel better after reading it! (By the way, she has a giveaway going right now...) AND, yes, I know her blog is award and tag free but, I love it and I'm saying it!

2. Cheap Healthy Good - I enjoy the recipes, creativity, and experimentation that goes on here! Enjoy!

3. Dave and Brit Plus One - They've shared the journey to becoming new parents. They already have one of these awards but, it's a great site.... Congrats, guys! She's lovely!

4. JadieLady - She keeps it short and sweet, shares lots of photos, and is very witty!

5. Anne Marie at Married to the Empire - Her posts are cute, thoughtful, and really invite you into her life, in snippets, of course! Best part, her hubby dresses like a storm trooper, and who doesn't love Star Wars????

6. Joy of Frugal Living - It appears that she has few followers. I don't know why... I enjoy her posts. She shares, is thoughtful, inspiring (they live debt free!) and seems super sweet.

7. TECHknitting - Hey, this IS a knitting blog! TECHknitting has wonderful photos, easy to follow ideas, and has helped me several times with confusing items. Can't say thanks enough for all of the hard work that goes into these posts...

Thanks again, War Pony! I've enjoyed getting to know you and wish you the best with your knitting.

Mondays with Etsy

It's Ok We're Still Home

Today's find is BarbraJoan. Yes, it's another visual artist...


Barbra Joan is an artist living in Central Florida. She works in many mediums but enjoys watercolor and pencil/graphite the most. Her favorite subjects are flowers, women, nature and animals and she enjoys "bringing as much beauty to this world as I (she) can." Barbra Joan was honored with the Artist of the Year Award 2005-06 for her watercolor and pencil work!

Flower Pots

Sunflower

These designs come in different sizes, some are matted and some aren't. All would be beautiful to display in your home...

Her listings state that she is currently selling original works of art and may move into prints in the near future. Snag an original while you can!

All photographic rights are held by BarbraJoan.

Knitting errors...

It's inevitable. You're going to have knitting errors, some small and some large. If you're like me almost every project will contain an error of some sort. I've found that some are much less noticeable than others and a few are major errors that results in unwinding the entire project.

Whatever the case, don't give up! Errors are common occurrences. Tell yourself it's okay to have them. They make your item unique. Heck, at times you can even discover a stitch you've never made before.

When all else fails, find humor in your errors. This family made a film as proof of their mom's error...poor lady was aiming for a scarf with 35 stitches and ended up in the 200's! Can't you just imagine her being enthralled in a TV show and ending up with a sweater instead of a scarf?



Aren't children lovely????

How to increases your sales!

For many years I've heard that your sales technique is everything. You have to skill yourself on how to interpret the needs of others and listen when they speak.

Mastering the art of the sale is another bullet on my list of things to do. If it's on yours I recommend that you take a look at this passage...

The Art of Salesmanship

A young man from Wisconsin moved to Florida and applied for a job at a huge everything-under-one-roof department store. During the brief interview the store manager asked, "Do you have any sales experience?" The young man replied, "Yeah, I was a salesman back in Wisconsin. I worked at a car dealership, a general department store and I also sold real estate."

The manager took a liking to the young man and gave him a job saying, "You can start tomorrow. Be here by 9:00 in the morning and ask to speak with Tom Barnes. He is the assistant store manager and he will show you what you need to do. I'll come down after we close and see how you did." With that they shook hands and parted ways.

After the store closed and the doors were locked up , the boss went to see how the young man's first day had gone. After looking all over the store, the manager finally found the young man sitting on a box in the stockroom, hunched over and looking exhausted.

"How was your first day, son?" he asked.

"It was difficult learning about all the departments and products you sell here sir," The young man replied.

Then the manager asked, "How many sales did you make today, son?"

The young man replied, "Only one."

The manager then asked, "Well, how many customers did you talk to?"

Once again, he replied, "Only one."

The manager responded, "Just one? Our sales people average 20 to 30 customers a day! How much was the sale for?"

"$101,237.65," he replied.

"$101,237.65!" exclaimed the manager. "What the heck did you sell?"

The young man responded, "First, I sold the man a small fishhook. Then I sold him a medium fishhook. Then I sold him a larger fishhook. Then I sold him a new fishing rod, reel and a whole tackle box full of lures and stuff. Then, I asked him where he was going fishing, and he said he was going down the coast. I explained to him that if he was going to the coast, he was going to need a boat. We went down to the boat department and I sold him a twin engine fishing boat. After that, he said he didn't think his Honda Civic could pull it, so I took him down to the automotive department and sold him a 4x4 Expedition."

The store manager, with a look of astonishment on his face proclaimed, "A guy came in here to buy a fish hook, and you sold him a BOAT and a TRUCK?"

"No sir!" The young man said. "He came in to buy tampons for his wife. While I was showing him where the tampons were, I said, "Dude, your weekend's shot. You should go fishing."


Folks, that is a GREAT salesman! Hope I never run into him...

Another knitting video...

I was visiting JadieLady's blog today and she had the cutest Fraggle Rock knitting video. I don't know about ya'll but I loved watching Fraggle Rock on HBO growing up. I remember coming home every day from school and watching it.

I can't remember ever seeing those Doozers sing this song though... Oh well, enjoy!

Prayer Shawl Ministry update

As a group, we've been knitting and crocheting our hearts out since the beginning of the year. The results were on display this past Sunday, April 26th before the entire congregation for our very first mass blessing. What a wonderful way to included everyone in the spirit of the ministry!

To date we've completed the following to be dispensed to our shut-ins, sick, elderly or otherwise in need:

24 Shawls, 23 Scarves, 6 Lap Robes, 6 Afghans/Blankets, & 5 Hats

64 completed projects in 4 months! Wow! What an amazing group we have. However, realize that it's not only the hands of these ladies at work but, the hearts of the entire congregation. It takes every person in the church to make a ministry thrive.

Mondays with Etsy

Lily of the Valley

As promised, here is another wonderful Etsy "find", MayaLee . She lives in Sweden with her family and loves photography!

Maya Lee states that she has many other creative interests but, has been drawn increasingly more toward the photographic arts. A few of her pieces are TtV, Through the Viewfinder. According to her listings, this means that the photograph is made with two cameras, the first camera looks at the true object of interest and the second camera is used to photograph the image shown on the first cameras viewfinder. How interesting!

Maya Lee says that photography has enabled her to see the world more clearly and allowed her to "see more details, being more aware of the colors and tones around me (her)." Isn't it amazing what we learn through our artistic endeavors?

Ranunculus

Turquoise Hearts

I Love Yarn

The photos come in various sizes, all seeming to be a standard size thus easily framed. All are priced very reasonably.

I was instantly drawn to the color and clarity of these photos. They're all very light and airy in appearance, which imparts a feeling of happiness for me. Of course, my love of flowers AND yarn didn't hurt either...Enjoy!

Maya Lee, your lovely photos and shop banner inspired me to do something a bit more creative with my own shop banner. A thousand thanks for sharing your talents with the world!

All photographic rights are held by MayaLee.

Getting to know Etsy Day...

Today is Etsy Day! Woohoo!

For those of you that aren't familiar with Etsy - it is an online marketing community predominantly for those of us that manufacture BY HAND.

Hundreds around the world form this cottage industry. With this kind of selection you're sure to find something uniquely original for yourself or someone else.

There are sellers of handmade paper goods, leather goods, original acrylics and photos, prints, jewelry - costume to fine, custom clothiers, etc... If you can dream it, they probably have it!

Click the button to find the treasures..

Special thanks to schugirl for this fantastic idea. This image is copyrighted to be used only for Etsy Day.

My first piece of measured clothing...

Ya'll know that I can't stand a pattern. Naturally, I rebel against definite measurements, too. That being said, both of these things make it very difficult to make clothing...

A few skeins ago, while working on a Wrapped in Love project, I came across a pattern for a precious baby jumper. It was a little thicker and heavier weight than what I would like, so I tinkered with the design a bit.

The original had a full bodice, front and back, ruffled shoulders, and seemed a bit bulkier overall. I used the rough cast on count of 202 (I used slightly large needles than called for, so I decreased by twenty) and went to work on the base of the skirt. A few rows in I realized that the size of the skirt base was larger than anything I'd ever seen for a one year old child. I decreased every fifth stitch for two rows, which gave me a ruffled edge. (This was fine. The stitch I was working was stockinette, so it would roll anyway!)

Using the base measurement of the pattern for the proper length, I proceeded to cast off all but 60 of the remaining stitches. Then worked these stitches in a basic knit stitch for four inches. Casting all of the stitches off, I decided to add some crocheted lengths to the edges for the purpose of fastening the jumper.

Results -

Front

Back

I like it. I'm still hung up on the size. It looks like it's a little large in the waist for a one year old, even with all of the adjustments. I'm going to search for a childs sizing chart online today. But, what I REALLY want to do is find a beautiful little girl to try it on!


Do ya'll do that? After you've created something, seek desperately for a model to wear it? I think this is the hardest part of creating things to sale - there is no instant gratification of seeing someone enjoy your work...

Mondays with Etsy

I've decided to do a post weekly showcasing some wonderful Etsy finds. The themes will vary. Some will be Fiber Arts oriented - hey, this is a knitting blog - and others will be about things that tickled my fancy.

Be sure to join me on Monday's to see what I've found. Hehehe, wiggling my fingers and showing a devious smile, this will be like a weekly treasure hunt!

Here is this weekends find -

TwilightKnits has hand dyed yarn!

Isabella

Wicked

Dizzy Girl

Blues Springskein (cute name!)

Yummy colors!

These are all Merino Wool blends. The yarn comes in skeins of 450-462 yards and all are a fingerling weight. Perfect for those socks you want to work on or for that new baby that's on the way! There are many other color combinations available in the store, so be sure to visit TwilightKnits store.

Added bonus - there is currently a SALE going on!!!!!

JadieLady, I hope this post doesn't ruin your "yarn diet"...

All photographic rights are held by TwilightKnits.

I'm making jewelry!

All that Shimmers Necklace

Lately, I've been making things to stock my Etsy shop. I've made several shawls, often ending up with remnant yarn. I can't stand to see remnants laying around and throwing things away, well, that's almost painful. They cry out to me to be used...Help! Help! I want to be loved, too!

These are a few of the creations that have come out of that need to use up every scrap -

Stormy Sky Choker / Necklace

All that Shimmers Bracelet / Arm Cuff

All that Shimmers Choker / Necklace

All are available for sell at my Etsy shop - La Vida Dulce. I've enjoyed figuring out new ways to use the scraps. Finding creative ways to provide a clasp or connection is the most fun! Talk about a great way to challenge you mind...

Give it a try! I'd love to see your creations!

By the way, what do you think of my pictures? Are they getting better?

Prayer Shawl Ministry update

It's been so long since I posted about the group. We been making leaps and bounds into the direction we want to go.

Due to lack of storage space, growing yarn and project stash I moved all of the goodies to the church, once I found a spot. Our church, which is older and has a huge Sunday School extension, was considering sharing space with another smaller congregation for awhile and the extra rooms that we had available were on hold until those issues were ironed out. Three weeks ago we were assigned our official room (pictured below)!

The past two weeks have been spent clearing out the old tidbits and remnants from the previous usage. As I'm only at church on Sundays and Wednesdays and occupied for most of that time, this was a slower process than I'd hoped. Our most recent meeting was the last Sunday in March and we were unable to meet in our room because there were still lots of craft items to be relocated. However, I finished that up last week and we'll be able to use the room fully now! (Special thanks to Linda S. and Lauren T. for helping move all of our goodies from our old spot to the new room.)



Remaining stash





Bins laden with finished projects!



To date we have 20 people signed up in the ministry and most are very active. We have 18 shawls, 5 lap robes, 19 scarves, 4 children's hats, and 4 baby blankets turned in! Phenomenal, especially if you consider that 1/2 of the participants maintain a full-time position and a few are suffering from illnesses themselves.



Finished projects




As we won't be limiting ourselves to shawls, we've decided to take on a more descriptive name for the ministry. We're a Moravian (not Mormon - that's a little different) congregation and our motto is:

In essentials, unity;

In non-essentials, liberty;

and in all things, love.

Jesus said that the greatest of these is love and since we're attempting to share that love with others we decided to name the ministry "Wrapped in Love". It's very apt, don't you think?


Our first blessing is scheduled for Sunday, April 26th, at which time we will bless our work alongside the entire congregation during worship. The following week members will begin dispensing the projects to our sick, shut-ins, and anyone else that we find in need in the congregation.



Our goal is to eventually be able to branch out further into the community. Perhaps we can team up with some nursing facilities, Hospice, cancer treatment centers, and the like. We're looking into this now. If you have any ideas or links, please let me know. I'd also love to hear about the great things you're doing or wish to do in your work.