Pay It Forward (PIF)

I just signed up for the Pay it Forward program. Here are the details.

program on Christine's Garden Yarns blog at http://gardenyarns.blogspot.com/

It sounds like a like of fun.

Here's how the program works:

1. You must promise to send some type of handmade gift to the first3 people who leave a comment on your blog requesting to join this PIF exchange.

2. The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by makingthe same promise on your blog.

If you want to join just leave acomment and the first three will be on my PIF list. Then post
it to your blog so you can return the favor.

3. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive ittomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days,that is my promise!

Please leave me a comment and sign up!

Mid-Month KAL -- NOT!!

Once again, I have had a *terrible* time with the mid-month dishcloth KAL! I was doing great with it through Day 3, but then somehow, I got an extra stitch. So I started going back to try to correct it, and then I lost track of where I was. I cannot tell from looking at the knitting, when it is a pattern I don't understand well. So, I was just plain LOST! So I just took the whole darn thing OUT while the tears were streaming down my face. I do NOT do well with this kind of stress! I had thought I would start over, but then I asked myself -- do I *really* need this kind of stress in my life? What could I be doing with the several hours it would take to redo this dishcloth
Here's one answer to that question:

This is Ruth's Prayer Shawl. Ruth is a friend who is having a terrifically difficult time. This Prayer Shawl needs to get done ASAP. Ironically -- this is truly ironic -- this is a *dishcloth* pattern! It is called Baby Fern Lace. I took the dishcloth pattern and doubled it, and am using a 4 stitch garter border instead of 3 sts called for in the dishcloth.

I am *loving* this pattern! It is so easy, and it comes out looking so intricate and beautiful it takes my breath away. The pics do NOT do justice to the actual shawl, which is made with Vanna's Choice on #10 needles.

Well, I needed something to really calm me down and restore PEACE to my heart. I needed to do a dishcloth and *finish* it. I have not yet finished a Mid-Month KAL project. They are just TOO HARD -- or something! I don't know why I have such a problem with them. I have been knitting for over 50 years. As a teenager, I knit sweaters with cables in them. I hadn't done a lot of lace, but it isn't that hard. So WHY am I having so much difficulty? I really don't know....

But here is what I ended up making, and it did the trick. Peace restored. I *loved* doing this! It was so relaxing and prayerful and peaceful. I loved watching it grow and then watching it "ungrow"??? -- and I loved watching the stripes come out. It's a little bit wavy with the eyelets on the decreasing side. I did the increase pattern which is knit 2, yo -- and then I followed the instructions for the decrease side, but then after a couple of them, I went to bed and in the morning, I started again, and was assuming knit 2, knit2tog -- until I looked at the instructions and saw that there is only 1 knit st -- so I didn't take it out, but switched to that. Anyway, it is Grandma's Favorite and it is *my* favorite as well! BTW, this was the first time I actually made one!

Ruth's Prayer Shawl

Here are pictures of the Prayer Shawl I am making for a friend. It is done using Vanna's Choice (various colors) with a #10 needle. The pattern is Baby Fern Lace, and it is a dishcloth pattern which I modified for a shawl.

Ravelry

I finally got my invitation to Ravelry!
I really hope this website is going to work, because it is simply tremendous!

Notes about the Pattern

Several people have asked me about the pattern for this Orthodox Cross. I am more than happy to share it. The problem is that I don't have it written down. I have just memorized it. But here are some notes. I hope that before long, I will have a chance to work it all out in pattern language. The smaller squares, I cast on 32 stitches. For the larger ones, 40. I did a 4 stitch garter border on each side. The garter stitch borders at top and bottom were appoximately 3 garter ridges but you can see that some were one more than that. On the smaller square, the cross begins with 4 purl stitches that are 10 stitches in from the border (14 sts from the edge), on the larger one, 14 stitches from the border (in other words 18 stitches from the edge) The cross is 4 purl stitches wide. Every other row is Knit. There are 3 rows on the bottom. The slanting bar has one row of 7 stitches, then one row of 10 stitches, then another row of 7 stitches on the other side. Above the slanting bar are 3 rows of 4 stitches. Above that, 2 rows of the main bar, which is 16 stitches wide. Above that 2 rows of 4 stitches, then the top bar which is two rows of 12 stitches each. Above that, 2 more rows of 4 stitches. There are approximately 4 rows of stockinette stitch at the bottom and at the top.

At the end of each row, I bring the yarn in front and then slip the last stitch. Then at the beginning of the next row, I knit into the back of the first stitch.

Those with some experience, can probably look at the pictures, and figure out what I have done, and correct these notes if they are wrong -- I am going from memory.
Beginners: you had better wait until I have written out a pattern and checked it, because this is all from *memory*. I really am writing this just to assure everyone that I am happy to share. And I will write the pattern out properly as soon as I can. Thanks to all for your interest.

A Dozen Prayer Squares for Orthodox Christian Fellowship

Well, I have been busy! I have been knitting "Prayer Squares" for members of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship at the local University. Each one is different, each one is a different color, each one is a slightly different size. Since taking the pictures, I have completed another large one in Aubergine, which is a beautiful Maroon color, and am half-way through a large one in Cottontots Blue Berry.


Vanna's Choice Purple Prayer Square

Sage Green Prayer Square in Caron's Simply Soft



Lion Wool Goldenrod Prayer Square

Large Prayer Square in Red Heart Lt Periwinkle



Vanna's Choice "Linen" Prayer Square

Vanna's Choice Olive Green Prayer Square



Lion Wool Orange Prayer Square

Vanna's Choice Autumn Colors Prayer Square



Vanna's Choice Purple or Dark Blue -- the camera is not accurate

Vanna's Choice Dusty Purple



Dark Blue or Purple Prayer Square

Prayer Square in TLC Essential's "Dusty"



And here is a "group shot"

Prayer Cloth with Cross

One of the members of the Prayer Cloth group, Joan, offered a very simple and nice pattern for a Prayer Cloth with a Cross in it. I have made a couple of them. Here is the first one, made with the original pattern. It is about 4 x 6 inches. Thank you, Joan!!!!


I made the Cross Prayer Cloth a second time, adding a slightly wider border. This made it come out almost a perfect small square. It is 5" wide and just under 5" high. I made a little border, too, between the arms of the cross, and the left and right edges, to deferentiate it from the wider border. I really like *both* versions. I am so happy with these Prayer Cloths, because they are so easy to do and knit up so *quickly*. Even though I know that getting a Prayer Shawl done is in *God's* timing, not mine, I still have such a hard time not feeling frustrated because I just cannot do shawls fast enough. For instance, a friend of mine from the Daughters of the King, had a heart attack on Monday. I was supposed to meet her and go to a nursing home to visit and bring a little treat. The DOK tries to do this at least once a month. At the last minute, I couldn't go ... I called and talked to my friend, late Monday morning. I had been thinking of calling her to see how things went when I got a prayer request that she'd had a heart attack and was in ICU! Well, I couldn't get a shawl made for her, but now I have this small but very lovely Prayer Cloth to take to her -- probably later this afternoon, though I need to find out if she can have visitors.

I have also started making prayer cloths for the SFASU students who are Orthodox (OCF). Here is a pic of one of them. It's a lot bigger -- about 10" square. As I look at this pic, I think I have finally gotten the proportions about as good as they will get. I would like to work on making a smaller version, though. The small Prayer Cloth with the simple cross took me about an hour, whereas the Orthodox Prayer Cloth took me *four* hours! I don't think I can get it as small as the simple cross, but I'd love to be able to do one in a couple of hours. The reason is that it is easier to justify taking 2 hours out from my work to pray and knit than four. . .

Log Cabin Prayer Blanket UPDATE!!!

Here is the photograph of the Log Cabin Prayer Blanket for my spiritual mother with the green sections completed. Since taking this photograph, I have started working on the Blues, beginning with "Blue Mint" -- and it is so beautiful! It doesn't look nearly as nice on the skein as it does when you begin to work with it!
The blanket is now about 30" square, so approximately half-way, I think. I have started with Blue Mint which is one of the Simply Soft "Brites". Then, I will add a couple of the shades of Country Blue, all of which have a lot of grey in them. The transition color will be Blue Berry, and then I will go into the purples and lavenders. There are so many beautiful shades, it will be difficult to choose just 3 of them, but I need to do that so that the blanket doesn't become too big and unwieldy. After the purples and lavenders, I will do 3 neutrals: brown, grey and black. Finally, I will add the scarlet from the center all the way around, and that final square is going to be wider than all the others -- probably the width of the center square, which is 8". Anything between 60" and 72" will be fine with me. Each time I begin a new square, though, the logs get that much longer. Also, it's becoming a *larger* project to carry around, but I did take it to the Prayer Shawl meeting this week. I needed something *very* relaxing to respond to a stressful day, and this project is very relaxing and even more important, it is such a deep JOY for me!

Noro Silk Garden!

I promised that I would let my Yahoo groups know what special or luxury yarn I decided on and what I did with it! Well, a few weeks ago, I bought 3 skeins of Noro Silk Garden in the 08 color, which is all of my favorite colors: blues, greens, purples and lavenders. It is so gorgeous! It is 45% SILK, 45% kid mohair and 10% merino wool. It doesn't feel as soft on the needles, but the minute that you put a knitted piece to your skin, wow! It is really soft and wonderful! I really enjoyed knitting with it. I used #8 needles, which were recommended, and I knit a straight strip about 8" wide and about 45" long. I hadn't done anything nice with the side edges, so I added a single crochet border. I like the effect. Then, I did that 180 degree twist and created a moebius wrap! It is so easy! I then sewed up the sides. I am not entirely satisfied with my sewing, but it kind of blends in. The women at my Prayer Shawl group helped me, and it truly was a *big* help to have people showing me, rather than just trying to follow a diagram. I'd done this before but not for a while. I have mainly been knitting items that don't need to be sewed up.

I am very pleased with the results, and I am probably going to buy some more Noro Silk Garden to make the capelet. This will be something very special for my mother. The moebius wrap will probably go to my friend in Australia...

PICTURE COMING!

Capelet in Simply Soft Shadows

Here are a couple of pictures of one of the projects I have been working on. I am not sure what to call it -- a capelet? A ponchette? I have even seen the word "ponchini". I found it in the book Sally Melvilled did on the Knit Stitch. She has some really neat projects in there that are done entirely with the Knit stitch. I have done Joel's Scarf and it came out very, very nicely. A couple of weeks ago, I went ahead and ordered some Noro Silk Garden yarn. It is so pretty! Then, I set about trying to find a *simple* pattern to show off the wonderful colors. It is *not* easy to find a truly *simple* pattern! When I saw this one, it was actually done in Noro Silk Garden and I knew immediately it was what I wanted to make! However -- I wanted to "practice" first -- so I have made it up here in Caron Simply Soft Shadows. It is the Dark Moss color. It came out beautifully and it *looks* like the one in the book (except it is a different color). The only thing I will do differently the next time, is begin with a garter or seed stitch border, so that it doesn't roll up. I hate that! I haven't blocked it yet -- probably tomorrow, and Sally M. promises that most of that roll will go away. But since I am not really constrained to not use a purl stitch as she was, I will add that border. I just didn't think about it when I started the project. I tried to "fix" it with a crochet border, but I don't think it helped the rolling up much.

July KAL Day 2

Day 2 of the Monthly Dishcloths KAL group is complete. Thanks to *everyone* who responded to my entreaty to help me decide which color to use. I had a really hard time, but at the last second, I chose the "Sunshine" -- so far, it looks like the pattern is showing up reasonably well. And I do love the color. These pictures really *don't* do it justice! I have never been very much of a yellow person until I started doing the Log Cabin -- and then I really fell in love with the Yellows! Greens and Blues are still my favorites, followed by purples and lavenders, but now I really like yellow, too.

I won't publish what I think the KAL picture might be. We will "see" in a few days ...

It Will Never Look Like This Again ...

Resurrection Colors!


Here is a detail of the central Cross

I have been working hard on the Orthodox Cross Log Cabin Prayer Lapghan. I have finished the center Cross, and the yellows and oranges that surround it, symbolizing Light, Life, and Resurrection.

There are lots of "unique stitches" AKA "mistakes" in it -- but it does embody the vision I was given of the Cross of Christ surrounded by the colors of the Resurrection!



I am about to start a series of squares in shades of blues and greens that will symbolize Creation, Hope, Healing, and the beauty of Nature: grass, sky, trees, new and growing things of all kinds.

Once I start adding those colors, the Log Cabin will never look the same again -- as I discovered when I added the blue to the original sample....

So, I wanted to take pictures of the way it is now and will never be again ... (maybe someday I will create a Log Cabin with pure Resurrection colors and stop there -- it's a possibility)

Please Read/Glance at the Log Cabin "Sample" Entry ...

... because it has the description of the "vision" I have for the Orthodox Cross Log Cabin that is posted after it.

I haven't decided how much further to take the "Sample" -- I am a little bit bogged down with it right now, in spite of loving it.

That's the problem with triangle shawls and log cabins and other knitting projects that start small and "grow"... the more I do, the more knitting there is to do on each row, and after a while ... it can become kind of tedious and overwhelming. Maybe that is why I keep starting new projects (and why I like Prayer Cloths and Dishcloths, lol!)

A New Log Cabin "Orthodox Cross"

Last night, after listening to the many suggestions I received re: the Special Shawl I am making/want to make, I went to Hobby Lobby and decided to start a new Log Cabin using Caron Simply Soft.

As far as softness, the difference is *amazing*. Simply Soft really *is* soft! After working with it last night and today, I went back to the "Sample" to finish a row for the pictures. It was wierd. It felt almost *rubbery* -- but I think that's the feel that many people complain about as being "plasticy".

The Simply Soft is soft -- very soft -- but it is still acrylic. Isn't acrylic plastic?

The colors are gorgeous, too, but there isn't quite the same variety to choose from.

I started out with the red in the center, and I went ahead and knitted the Orthodox Cross -- a slight variation on my original design. I might make one or two very slight tweaks, but basically, I was very pleased with it.

No "Sunshine" varigated available, so I went right into the yellows. The first one I used is called "Soft Yellow" -- and it is bright enough to fit my vision :).

I am almost finished with the yellow square, and the next color will be the skein you see beside it. It is a *bright* orange called "Mango". After that, I have another yellow, very close, but just slightly darker.

From there, I will go into the greens and blues, and I am not entirely sure, but I think I might alternate them: light green, blue, green, lt blue. Simply Soft has some very pretty blues and greens. I *might* experiment -- what do you think? with narrower squares and more varieties of colors.

Update on the Log Cabin "Sample"

Latest pics are at the end ...




I have been knitting a "sample" of a Log Cabin blanket/lapghan that I want to make for my Spiritual Mother. The sample is using Red Heart SuperSaver. The advantages are: lots of yummy colors! There is loads of it, it is available locally, and it is inexpensive. It knits up fairly quickly. It is fully washable. The disadvantage is that it doesn't feel very nice. It is kind of stiff and doesn't feel real soft and cuddly.


I have a very specific idea of what I want this lapghan to look like. In that space in the middle, will be knitted or embroidered a symbol of Christ, either a cross or a Chi Rho (see above, the Orthodox Cross Log Cabin). The next sections will be in the brightest warm colors: yellows, oranges, etc. I had some varigated yarn that was called Sunshine, I think, so I used that first. Then I started putting in logs in various shades of yellow and orange.

As you can see it was only partly successful. I used different yarns: Red Heart SuperSaver and TLC Essentials, and Lion Brand Vanessa's Choice. I used one other kind, too, I think. The yarns went together fairly well, but I wasn't entirely pleased with the colors. Several colors I thought were going to be brighter oranges or golds, were much darker and duller than I expected. Especially, there is one log in there that is pretty much a brown color and I think it ruins the whole thing. My vision was of colors that would represent Light, Life, and Resurrection. I wanted *bright* and *bold* and *warm* -- colors that would pop out at you. Only a couple of them really do that.

Then, I added what I thought was going to be a yellowish green. It turned out to be almost grey. My mother claims it is a bluish green, not a yellow green. I still think it is more yellow than blue, but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting.

Starting with the green that was almost grey, I started doing an entire square in the same color. I have looked at a number of Log Cabins now, and most are true logs, that change color with each one. I like that, but I am thinking full squares will present my vision best. With the medium and darker greens, I put one log, switched to the other, then back to the first, then back to the other. Sort of okay, but didn't really make me say "wow! I like that!"

Once I started adding the blue, the whole thing started to look a lot better. That might be because blue and green are my favorite colors...

Here are the pics of the latest version, with the blue almost completed ...





Notice that right before I added this gorgeous blue, I did a narrow square of a mint green. I think *maybe* varying the size of the squares makes it more interesting ... Now ...

I have at least 2 more shades of *blue* to add, and then will move into the mauves, lilacs, lavenders and purples -- probably not *all* of those, but at least 2.

The blues, greens and lavender/purples symbolize Creation, the Earth, Nature, the gifts of God, the beauty of the world.

From there, a dark maroon, and then a brown and a grey and finally, black. These neutral and dark colors represent the Fallen world, and life in this world distant from, apart from, Christ.

But even further out than the greys and blacks, will be a wide square of the scarlet RED from the center, because in the end, it is Christ who embraces the *whole* world, and has claimed it for his own.

Folks, I usually don't do this. But it just "came" to me in pretty much a finished form. It is a kind of vision. This "sample" version starts to embody it, but doesn't quite succeed.

A No Knit Day -- Monday

I actually *stopped* knitting for a whole day, and got absolutely *lots* of paperwork done. But then ...

I have been knitting again, and just looking at/thinking about the paperwork. I wish I could find a happy medium -- some paperwork, some knitting. Ahhhhh!

Mid-June KAL (Knit Along) Day 2

Can anyone else see the *unicorns* in this????






Well, this KAL has given me a lot of mixed emotions and raised a lot of questions. BTW, I did a garter stitch border. Janet said the Moss Stitch border was optional and you could do whatever you wanted. I like the way the Moss Stitch looks, but I really don't like creating it. It seems like these days, I have a kind of aversion to Ribbing/Moss Stitches.

I got all the way to Row 13 and had to take it out. I forgot the Lifeline, and anyway, it is too tedious and difficult to undo these rows.

I took the whole thing out. And put it away. And turned to something else. And wasn't at all sure I was even going to do it again. I have so many interesting projects on my needles, and waiting in the wings.

I didn't *like* doing this pattern. I *like* working with the Log Cabin, and knitting on the Oasis Square and the Gemstone Shawl. I am still working on the "L" in my niece's name. I have loads to do. That's not to mention all the paperwork, in addition to the Taxes that *did* get done on Friday, thanks to all of your prayers and encouragement.

Okay, so after an hour or so, I went back to it. I started over, and I thought about how this is going to please my mother so much -- it will go into one of the B&B houses my mother and I have -- color scheme in the kitchen is blue. So that has helped me to get through it.

These pictures are at the END of Day 2. YEA ME! I ended up with 37 stitches all the way through -- I had to count them on *each* row to be sure.

I am sure that I didn't always get the P2tog-b or the SSK properly, but I am *not* going to change it.

I love the way it is turning out, and am in awe of Janet being able to come up with this lovely pattern. What I am going to say, and ask, isn't about that at all, it is about me, and my reaction to it.

I really struggled with it, and not only because the pattern was so difficult. It was tedious, and it took me about FOUR HOURS to get those 20 rows done! Normally, I can do a picture dishcloth in just over 2 hours. That's a big difference, because this is not even half-way through, although I assume, the last 10 rows will be border, so this makes the lace section about half-way.

The struggle I am having is feeling that this lacework wasn't FUN -- it was darn HARD WORK! It wasn't play, like the log cabin. It didn't even feel that "creative" -- because I was just slavishly following directions. I have yet to find the *relaxation* in knitting this pattern.

As beautiful as it is, for the amount of *work* that is involved, and the necessity to really *concentrate* on it -- I couldn't even put any music on -- it is hard for me to wonder, is it worth it?

Obviously, a *huge* number of knitters, in this group and all across the Internet are "hooked" on Lace work, knit or crocheted. And it is truly lovely. But I think of all the lace shawls I have seen. I keep looking for simple, prayer-friendly :) knitting projects, and shawls potentially are, except that all the current ones are so *complicated*. Practically all of them are lace these days -- I guess it's been discovered that besides being beautiful, they provide a challenge and keep a shawl from getting so boring.

But with only this partial dishcloth for experience, I frankly can't imagine knitting a lacework shawl on tiny needles, with lace weight yarn, with even more intricate patterns. For so many reasons. But one of them is -- no one who is not another lace knitter, would *ever* be able to appreciate the work that goes into it! When I give her this dishcloth, my Mom will be pleased, and she crochets and will recognize that this was an intricate pattern and that the results are beautiful, but she won't even *begin* to recognize how much *work* it actually was!

I am disappointed and frustrated with *myself* in having such a negative reaction. I was, along with everyone else -- *so* looking forward to this mid-month KAL. I had done pictures before joining the group, so the Unicorn was a familiar type of pattern. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I also really could hardly wait to start a mid-month KAL that I knew would be some other kind of pattern -- possibly something new, that I had never done, but I was hoping/expecting that there would be a lot of help, and that a big part of the fun of it would be working on it *together*.
The "together" part has been very interesting and helpful. I didn't start as quickly as some, and so was lucky enough to get the Revision before I started. Also, I took advantage of a lot of the questions and difficulties that other people had -- like how to do the SSK.

I could *not* have finished Day 2 without the *alternative* way of doing the P2tog-b that Janet gave. I absolutely *could* not figure out how to do the first/traditional way, but I had no trouble doing the alternative, except that I think the first couple of times I slipped the stitches the wrong way. I think I corrected each one, but am not sure... I think I have the hang of the alternative now, and maybe someday I will make a point to practice doing the traditional way.

If you are one of those people who started a lace knitting project and got hooked and are addicted, and can never wait to start your next lace project -- please share with me what it is about making lace that attracts you? If you can put it in words? Please -- I *want* to like it. I am trying to keep an open mind. I am planning to finish this dishcloth and maybe by the end, I will have gotten hooked on it, too.

One of the biggest things for me is simply how *beautiful* it is. I love its beauty .... That goes a long, long way for me, but does it go far enough? I am not sure at this point...

This gorgeous Gemstone Triangle Prayer Shawl started out as just a diagonal Prayer Square, but then I was enjoying working with this color so much, I just kept going. Now I will have to keep going for another 18" -- and of course, there is an increase every row, so it is going to get longer and longer -- but I don't care!

More Pictures:



This picture shows off the lace border that is made by the YO's


Detail -- these are *my* colors!!!