Craftin4Christ

Change of plans

2007-12-17T06:38:00.001-05:00

I'm going to forgo using this blog and concentrate solely on my 'other' one. So to keep more up to date visit http://mamadukez-creationz.blogspot.com/ and don't forget my ministry site Availing Faith Ministries for your daily devotionals. God bless!!!

Update

2007-11-07T00:46:00.000-05:00

Ok, they changed my aquatherapy appointments from twice a week to once a week and one "land" therapy appointment each week. What a bummer, but with a possible thyroid thing going on and the cold weather coming, what's a girl to do? I go for injections in my spine Friday. Yeah, that'll be fun, NOT!!! The last time they did it they went into the lower spine with five injections, this time they go in around the bra strap level. My sister-in-law graciously offered to take my two youngest daughters for the weekend. Thank God! Gives me plenty of time to rest and play on the laptop. I'm now on the creative team for Boyerville Scraps. I'll check in Friday when the anesthesia wears off. TTFN

YIKES!!!

2007-10-14T14:38:00.000-04:00

Okay, so it's been just over two years since I posted last. WITW So what has been going on? I was PTO president during the 2006/2007 school year. So that took up ALL my time. I haven't done any crocheting or knitting to speak of. I read all the Harry Potter books this year. And I started doing digital scrapbooking. LOVE IT! There are so many places to download free materials and I have so many pictures that deserve to be specially presented. I was in a car accident and after a couple weeks in a soft neck collar I went to the physical therapist's and she took me to the emergency room. Turns out my iliotibial band (runs from your pelvis to your knee) had snapped over the hip bone (which had developed bursitis from walking differently) and wouldn't/couldn't go back. I was given crutches and remained on them for three months. They didn't know if I'd ever be able to walk right again. Turns out God had a plan and a man with a healing ministry came to our church. When he asked people who were in serious physical pain to come forward, I skeptically found my way to the front. He had me place my hand on my hip and put his on top of mine. He then said "Now we just wait for God" As he stayed quiet, it felt as if someone took my leg and pulled it down and snapped it back into place. I WAS HEALED! Everything went back straight, the pain in my hip was gone and I left the church without my crutches. I still have pain in my back but the hip is completely better. I've gone for a bike ride with my kids and everything. Anyway, I plan to keep up with this blog now. Maybe it will help me get more accomplished, seeing how I plan to write about the progress.

Late Night

2005-10-08T03:07:00.000-04:00

Well, all four family members (my three girls and hubby) were wearing their slippers today!!! I could only get the two youngest to let me take pictures.

I finally added a WIP tracker over on the right of my blog. Hoping this will keep me accountable and inspire me to keep the hooks and needles moving.

I also made a kerchief for my seven year old this afternoon.

And I finally talked her into modeling the poncho I made her for the first day of school.

Well, that's it for now - it's 3:07 am!UGH I'll be exhausted tomorrow. Thank goodness they called off the mountain hike because of the rain! Good night and be blessed...

What a Day!

2005-10-03T21:26:00.000-04:00

I finally finished the pieces for the slippers!!! Yeah me. Now the yucky part of sewing them together and finishing the ankle edge. But they're almost done!

Today I received my free skein of Bernat Disco in an Aqua Velvet color. It's gorgeous. Just not sure what I want to use it for. The possibilities are many! I really need to get back to my hook and needles but wanted to pass along the link for the free yarn. They will be offering it through the end of the year. It's http://www.bernat.com/getdown

Have a blessed evening with crochet dreams and knitty wishes! Be blessed

Thursday, September 22, 2005

2005-09-22T22:23:00.000-04:00

I have discovered a new way to enhance my stash!!! I go to the local Salvation Army thrift store and look for large sweaters (each week a different color tag is $1 on Thurs. Fri. & Sat.) and after checking the seams to be sure it is FROGGABLE, I purchase a sweater for only a buck, take it home and frog away. I find it to be good therapy as well. After winding it around a chair back and washing/soaking the kinks out, I roll it into balls. I get quite a bit of yarn from each sweater and it only cost a buck. How cool is that?! My daughters actually fight over who gets a turn to "rip it, rip it". I've gotten several chenille sweaters in my daughters favorite colors and plan to make slippers for each of them, even hubby wants a pair! I was making slippers for some of the Katrina evacuees in Houston and now everyone wants some. Well, I've got to get back to the hook if I want to get these done. Be blessed!

Where does the time go?

2005-09-08T20:26:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's been a month. I found the bible cover/pocketbook but can't for the life of me figure out a pattern. I appears I just crocheted a bunch of rectangles the size I wanted and joined them. I put a zipper and straps on and I just don't have the ambition right now to try to figure it out. Alot has occurred in the past month. We went camping for a week. I so love the outdoors (must be the indian blood flowing through my veins). We went on a night walk with the park interpreter. A group of 23 campers showed up at 8:30 at night and walked through the woods. The interpreter (ranger) took us through the five senses: sound was a device he had to detect the bats flying overhead; taste was the black berry bushes (we got to sample YUM!); smell was the wintergreen growing wild everywhere; touch was a turtle shell (finished of course with some coating - varnish maybe) and I was quite surprised to learn they actually have a spine inside the shell; and sight was a game he did where he passed out construction paper squares and crayons after everyone shut their flashlights off - once we got our things we had to guess what colors they were and write them down on the paper. Did you know that blue construction paper looks like a pale pink in the dark!? It was really amazing. To finish off the night he played a game where the "it" person was a bat and had to say "beep" with their eyes closed and the rest of us were the trees and had to "beep" back and the "it" person had to take three steps - then keep repeating - and try to get through the trees without hitting them. Needless to add we had a great time!!! I've been crocheting so many water bottle holders this summer. Everyone in my knitting club got one and several women at the church and all the female family members and even the girl I babysat and her mom. I made 12" squares for the Katrina victims staying in a houston friends neighborhood, a poncho for my 7YO DD's first day of school, a rose square for my father's girlfriend (still haven't figured out why he just wanted one square but that's what he wanted). I have finished the 7YO's dress and written the pattern and will be sending the pattern to be tested soon. And of course the angels, butterflies and smileys that I do for angels for hope requests. By the way, please visit their website angelsforhope.org and send one to someone you know that needs a little hope in their day. I still have many, many works in progress and works in mind. In fact both lists keep growing on a daily basis. I just wish I could finish more before starting another. Sooo the way of a crafter!! I'll post pix of some finished things soon. Now it's back to the hook!

Monday the 8th

2005-08-08T08:22:00.000-04:00

Wow! Where does the time go? I've finished the skirt part of DD's dress. Now just the bodice and I'm done. Yeah me! I was so sidetracked the past couple of days. I wanted to try knitting a dishcloth. Finished it Saturday. So now I'm going to add some pictures of the things I've knit - so far only two finished, but several works in progress. I'm so ADD. I can't work on the same project for too long. I need to have several going at once so that I can keep switching. Then the girl I babysit wanted to know if I could make her mom a water bottle holder. Soooo off to the LYS for some rainbow fun fur. An hour at the pool and she now has hers. Forgot to take a picture before I gave it to her. It was beautiful and went really nice with her beige dental tech uniform. I picked up a few (well more like a truckload) more skeins of yarn. I'm planning on doing a baby afghan in white baby cloud with a satin ribbon border for the baby I'm expecting. I also got some variegated yarn for sweater/hat set and some Jamie pompadour in white and blue for a nursing blanket. I'm going to wait on that one though until after we know if the baby's a boy or not (really hoping). I'm still trying to write the pattern for the bible cover/pocketbook. Please bear with me - hope the wait is worth it! I've just been so busy - but then aren't we all. Until next time...Happy hooking to all and to all a good stash!

Tuesday the 2nd

2005-08-02T21:03:00.000-04:00

Whew, it's been a busy weekend! It was our anniversary Sunday. I finally finished 15YO DD's water bottle holder.
The black with the black beads does look cool. She was right! I also made some cotton ones for a lady at church and a lady at knitting club. I've posted pictures for them all on my yahoo photos along with several flip flops and the girls ponchos (click link for finished projects). I'm still working on the dress for 7YO DD and the nana blankie for 4YO DD along with several others I'm sure I mentioned before. I crocheted a bible cover/pocketbook a couple years back and thought maybe tomorrow I'd take a couple pictures and maybe if I feel ambitious I'll write out a pattern and post it. MAYBE!!! If not tomorrow, soon, promise. That's all I have time for tonight. Catch ya!

Thursday the 28th

2005-07-28T19:40:00.000-04:00

Here is the picture of the red fun fur water bottle holder.
It is really cool for a 7 year old girl. I've almost finished 15YO DD's black beaded one. I'm going to finish that tonight and post a picture tomorrow. Got a lot done on the dress (I crocheted during knitting club today). My library requests came in too! Crochet for Barbie doll and Knit for Barbie doll along with a great book for knitting children's sweaters. The woman who heads the group said that in the fall we are going to start a project in conjunction with the Lynn Family Network supplying newborn and preemie items for Salem and Beverly hospitals. That should be a very worthwhile endeavor. So now we're all on the lookout for patterns that are quick and easy but very soft and beautiful. With all the different yarns out there that shouldn't be to hard. And a friend of mine just told me about a new yarn store that opened in June over in Wakefield. Mapquest says its only about 13 minutes from my house so maybe I'll try it out. It's called Butterfly Yarn on Albion Street. I'll let you know how it was when I finally get there. I added some more pictures to my photos on Yahoo. I'll probably be adding pictures of the ponchos I made for the girls along with all the different flip flops I've done. My daughters are all showing a real interest in learning how to crochet and knit. The 15 year old does pretty good and will get better with practice. And even the 7 year old is starting to show promise with her knitting. She is definately determined and has learned the basics as far as holding the needles and wrapping the yarn. She's starting young and I think she does pretty good. She really hasn't started crocheting yet but the 7 year old I baby sit wants to learn so maybe tomorrow as I wait for the maintenance crew to come fix the dishwasher I'll try teaching them both together. I'll let you know how we do. Off to finish that @#*& water bottle holder.

Wednesday the 27th

2005-07-27T22:10:00.000-04:00

Well I didn't work on any of my WIP today. Late last night I made the hot pink fun fur water bottle holder that my neice asked for. Also made a red one for the girl I babysit (I'll post the pic tomorrow). Then today at the pool I made a black fun fur one for my 15YO DD's friend that slept over last night. Other than that I didn't get anything done. I bought more Peaches and Cream to make myself another water bottle holder (help I've got YAS {yarn acquisition syndrome}). But I promised myself that I wouldn't start it until I finish my 15YO DD's black thread one with the black beads (what is with teens and black?). Was at the church tonight and one of my dear friends was carrying her water bottle and I realized this wasn't the first time I'd seen her carrying, sooooo another holder needs to be made. So I leave you tonight that I may go work on DD's water bottle holder so that I'm freed to create more. And to quote a sig line I saw tonight "Happy hooking to all and to all a good stash."!

Tuesday the 26th

2005-07-26T19:53:00.000-04:00

Today I didn't get alot done. Was babysitting a five and a seven year old. Did work on my 7YO DD's new baby blue dress a little. Now my neice wants a hot pink fun fur water bottle holder and my daughter's friend wants one too. I also found a new afghan pattern I want to tackle. So the WIM just keep growing. I added a couple pictures to my photos at yahoo. The link's on the right of page "Finished crochet projects". Not much going on. Spent a few more hours up at the pool but I didn't crochet, it was just too hot! Did some work for the church and read some of my digest emails. I have come to the conclusion that crocheters and knitters are some of the coolest people on the planet. Speaking of knitting, I plan to post a picture or two of the tank top I knit for a bridal shower I went to recently. The kids are calling, so off I go.

Monday the 25th

2005-07-25T12:53:00.000-04:00

I finally wrote out the pattern for one of the attendants' dresses from the wedding. I had been approached with the idea and an offer to test the pattern and since I still had the dresses, figured what the hay? But of course I want to test it myself first just to be sure I didn't leave anything out and so I asked my 7YO DD what color she wanted the dress and she wants baby blue. So after a quick run to Wal-Mart for three skeins of Light Blue Red Heart SuperSaver, I've got another work in progress!! I also worked on 4YO DD's nana blankie and finished up an angel to send out. And decided to add a small pocket to my water bottle holder to put my cell phone in - I used an anchor button to hold it closed and with the blue/white cotton it looks pretty good if I do say so myself. Here's a picture:Now, it's off to the pool with baby afghan WIP in tow.

Up an Running

2005-07-24T20:50:00.000-04:00

Well, I finally decided to join the blogging craze!

I think it will be fun to share my projects - finished, progressing and planned.

Progressing: So, what's on my hooks now? First, I'm crocheting a nana blankie for my 4 year old. She misses her nana that went to be with the Lord on November 16, 2004 and we found a pattern for a grandma/grandpa afghan that we modified and she dubbed "the nana blankie". It's a rectangle with arms, legs and a head. The head serves as a pillow and the arms can wrap around the child. My 4YO said "that way nana can still hug me". I had to make one after that comment. Second, I'm crocheting a water bottle holder for my 15 year old. She wants black thread with black beads. AAAAHHHH teenagers.

I'm also working on a crocheted irish rose afghan for my girlfriends birthday and a baby afghan for the child she's expecting.

I need to put the finishing touches on three angels (for angelsforhope.org). And I always try to work on an angel, butterfly or smiley for them whenever I can.

On my knitting needles right now, I have a crew neck sweater that I work on at the local library's knitting club on Thursday mornings.

And I started a cross stitch pattern that I created from a picture I made of an indian maiden in front of a campfire with a black panther kind of drapped over her hip. I can't wait to finish it but that's probably going to take some time. (Although now that I've written about it, I'll have to work on it more often.

Planned: I want to crochet a hacky sack for my 16 year old son. I'm waiting for the poly pellets I ordered from KarensCraftSupply.com. I plan to knit a tank top for my 7 year old girl, as well as a crocheted tank for myself. I just ordered a bunch of patterns I want to tackle so I'll be updating this area alot!

Finished: Six years ago I felt really ambitious as we started talking about getting married. So, I decided to crochet my gown, as well as dresses for the attendants. Of course we needed matching bags and the fake flowers needed to be wrapped and of course I needed to do a ring pillow and then there's the bible cover - and without patterns (I made them up as I went) - what was I thinking. It was February and the wedding was to be July 31st. I don't know how, but I got it done and my maid of honor's dress had to be done with nothing more to go on but her mearsurements. She lives in Maine - I took her measurements in March - she came down three days before the wedding and by God's grace the dress fit!

One of the cool things about my gown, other than the 1,000 glass beads crocheted into the train, was the bottom came off! I crocheted it in two pieces - doing the train seperate - then attaching it with a slip stitch. That way I could just rip out the slip stitch and have a dress for the reception. I just couldn't stand the thought of dragging or stepping or catching it on something.