Thursday, December 29, 2011

Happy New Year!!!

Wishing everybody a Happy New Year!

I hope it's safe, beautiful, and full of joy!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Crochet: Hat With A Pom Pom




Finished just in time.
And then I added a pom pom to kind of finish it off. The pom pom wasn't perfect, but it wasn't as easy to make as it looked.
Anyway, I'm on my way to Joann's tomorrow..I got a gift card for $20. I could spend that and then some at a yarn store, but I'm thankful for what I got.
My next project is a big pink hobo bag, and a scarf to match.

Peace


An excerpt from First Light: Women's Daily Devotional& Journal:
James 3: 18
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
How can you sow peace in your life and in those around you today?
Hebrews 12: 14
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord
What efforts do do you need to make to live at peace with others in your life?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We're learning about what it means to be a peacemaker in church. Sometimes, being a peacemaker means you have to confront some thing. Sometimes, being a peacemaker means persection will come. I used to think peace meant to just stand by and be quiet. But that's not what it means at all.
Nobody likes to be persecuted, but there are times when you have to stand up and say something. If you don't, your just as guilty as the people or persons who are causing problems.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

A Christmas Blessing


An excerpt from First Light: Women's Daily Devotional
& Journal:

It was one of those Christmases when the schools didn't dismiss until late December. Amy was teaching and the frenzy of giving finals had left her little time to enjoy the season. She planned to join her husband and three-year-old daughter who had traveled to her mother-in-law's home, where they would spend the holidays. Amy considered herself a veteran flyer, but she was releived to have one of the back seats, statistically the safest seats on the plane.






Amy was just dozing off when the captain announced that they would be going through some turbulence. No problem Amy thought as she cinched her seat belt tighter.





No one was ready for the terrible jolt that caused the plane to drop suddenly. Amy had never experienced turbulence like this. Anxiety was heightened when all the lights went out. She gripped her seat and closed her eyes, "Please, Lord, don't make my little girl spend the Christmas without her mother. Please let all of us reach our loved ones safely".





From somewhere in the front of the plane, came a giggle. With the next jolt the giggle turned into a little girl's hearty laugh that only a child can produce. Soon the child's laughter infected all the passengers. People were laughing and were almost disappointed when the captain announced they were clear of the turbulence.





When they landed safely a short while later, Amy was one of the first to get off the plane. She never did catch a glimpse of the little girl with the infectious laugh, but she was sure God had sent the child to ease their burdens and replace their fears with peace. A Christmas gift from heaven you might say.





When have you received a Christmas gift from heaven?





Luke 2: 10-11
But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I wake up, and open my eyes each morning, that's a Christmas gift from heaven for me.





I hope that all of you will have an awesome and wonderous Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Purity


An excerpt from First Light: Women's Daily Devotional & Journal:
The boy in the plastic bubble is the story of a young man who, because of a rare disorder in his immune system, is forced to live his entire life cut off from the world. His plastic bubble, free from germs, protects him. He is protected, but he is also imprisoned.
When religous people talk about purity, they leave their listeners with the impression that the Lord's followers are The Christians In The Plastic Bubble. Wanting to be unstained and uninfluenced by the world, we cut ourselves off, fearing contact with those "on the outside". We send our kids to Christian schools. We socialize exclusively with other Christians. We play the Christian "Trivial Pursuit".
But purity, according to biblical standards, is not based on externals. Jesus claims, contrary to Jewish tradition, that it is not what goes into people that defiles them, but what comes out of them (Matthew 15: 17-19)
Why are we so afraid of contaminating ourselves? Jesus wasn't. He rubbed shoulders with the sinful masses, welcomed lepers, had dinner parties with prostitutes and tax collectors, and ate with "unclean hands".
We don't purify our minds and souls by imprisoning ourselves in a bubble of righteousness and refusing to be descrated by the world around us.
Love make us pure. Love creates in us a habit of Christlikeness and a willingness to risk. Love gives us the vision to see Jesus in those around us, and the compassion to get involved. Love frees us from the fear of spiritual infection and strengthens our soul's immune system.
Jesus is the only fortress you will ever need.
How can you reach out to those on the outside of your Christian "bubble"?
Titus 1: 5 (NIV)To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not beleive, nothing is pure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I can see how this can happen. Some people take that scripture "...come from among them, and be ye separate, says the Lord"..., and they run with it.
But then how can your light shine? I think there has got to be a balance. Which comes with much prayer and seeking the Lord.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Thank You Robin!


Thank you, thank you, thank you Robin!
Because of one of the needles you gave me, I was able to make this. It's a hobo bag, with me using three different yarns.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Crochet: Purple Hobo Bag


I made this purple and lavender hobo bag. In the picture, that lighter yarn is actually a lavender color, but it looks white, but it's not.


I put these two yarns together, since I had done this once before using a white yarn, and it came out so small. This one is a perfect fit for me.
I took two different pictures of the same bag, so you could see the color of it.
Surprisingly simple! Thanks Teresa!
I found this pattern on her youtube channel:

Monday, October 24, 2011

Crochet: One More Granny Square Purse Finished


So I finished this purse a while ago, but anyway, this is the last one. I don't know how many times I have had to re-do the handles on this purse. At least three times, and this last time, the handles still aren't right but I'm not doing it again.

I first made the handles too long, then the second time was either still too long or short, I forget, and this last time, is too short. But I'm not doing it again, I'm just going to keep putting stuff in the bag and hoping that the handles start to stretch and get longer on it's own.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Barter

Howdy!
I'm interesting in doing a trade with anybody.
I'm looking for a size M, N, and/or an O size crochet hook.
If anybody can help me out with this, that would be great. Email me and maybe we can talk about what I can exchange with you, for the crochet hooks that you will give to me.
Thanks!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Crochet: One More Granny Square Purse And This Is The Last One For Sure


I really like this color alot. It's like a nice burgundy. Maybe next time I take pictures, I will do it on a background that doesn't have so many patterns.
Anyway, I'm making one more granny square purse. This time for sure is the last one. The pink one is too big for me. This is for sure the last one. Anyway, I need at least 27 squares for the main part of the purse. I've got 21 so far. If I do two more tonight, and the next 4 after that, everything after that is going to go fast. The sides of the purse and the handles, it will be like going down hill in a street car. Easy!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Crochet: Pink Granny Square Purse Finished


I finished it. I added handles. I just need to add a liner. I wanted to add a rose to it. And that's about it, I think. Oh, and I want to make a matching coin pouch/purse for it. I think the next time I make myself one though, I am going to make it taller, and not so wide.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Crochet: Pink Granny Square Purse

I'm making another granny square purse. The first one that I made, as I am using it, I realize it's a little bit too small. Also, the wood handles are nice but they are starting to hurt my shoulder...so hence, here is another purse.
These pictures are kind of old. I'm actually finished sewing and attaching all the squares, I just want to make a liner for the inside, tuck in all the ends, and make some handles, and I will be done. My head is swimming with all the projects I want to do with this yarn. I'm looking for some flea market type things where I could go and sell the items that I make...but I haven't found much as of late. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places. Anyway, I should be posting the final pics of my second granny square purse soon.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Crochet: Bible/Book Cover Finished

Here's my bible cover.
I think I could have made the handles a little longer. And then I have this applique that I'm wondering how to attach. The directions say to iron it on, and it also says don't put it on delicate fabric. Is yarn delicate? The lady at JoAnn's said I should sew the applique onto the yarn and put some fabric behind it. And then, I never did figure out how to crochet a button hole. I looked on YouTube but I only found an idea where I could do it using this tunisian style. So I what I did was just chained enough stitches to go around the button.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Crochet Buttonhole

Anybody know how to crochet a buttonhole?

Monday, August 1, 2011

Crochet: Bible/Book Cover

So, I've been teaching all the young people at church how to crochet. (I know I have mentioned that somewhere else on here, but I'm not in the mood to find it right now). I've got three young people more to go to teach, and then I'm done. Hallelujah! I mean that in a good way, of course, it's just that, I have so many other things I want to do, but I don't want to deny the kids a learning experience, even though I don't think they really want to learn, I think it's just a game between them, to see/say who is the better crocheter. Ahhh..kids! You gotta love em, right?
Anyway, one of the kid's asked me to teach him how to crochet a book/bible cover. I said "yes" at the time, but now, here I am and the thing is I wasn't really sure how to do it. But here's what I've got so far. And then, of course, google, I looked up some pictures there to see exactly how it looks. They looked pretty good for being made of yarn.
I want it to come out well, because my Pastor made an announcement in church, telling the congregation I am taking orders for making crochet bible covers. You should have seen my face when she said that, but it's all good. I can do this! Can I? (Stay tuned for further embarrassment or triumph?)

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Happy Anniversary!!!

I just realized yesterday, that it has been two whole years that I have been doing this whole blogging thing. Wow!
It really doesn't seem like two years though. Probably because it hasn't really been until this year, that I have had uninterrupted internet access.
Anyway, Happy Anniversary..and thanks to those who read and comment. It's much appreciated!

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Crochet: Slouchy Beret Again

:So there was a part on this hat where I had messed up.
I ran out of yarn.
And so I added this gray yarn. So then I crocheted this flower, to cover the part where I had to add the new yarn.

Maybe the flowers a little bit too big, but oh well. Maybe somebody who really likes big flowers will buy it. :D

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

*Whew*

The videos for the crochet kid's slippers are done. Hallelujah!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Crochet: Slouchy Beret Finished

So, I finished it finally. I don't know if you remember, but I was mentioning how I wanted to make another slouchy beret on a larger hook....
to see if this would make it look more slouchier.
It looks like all my other berets that I have made.
I'm kind of disappointed that it didn't look how I was wanting or hoping..but at least I tried it. It would have done me no good, to think if this idea would have worked or not, since I'm such a tight crocheter.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Knitting: The Sock/Leg Warmer/Stocking

This is my "sock". I kind of messed up at the begginning of the rows. I saw a video that said you slip one and then knit one, for one row, and then the next row you slip one and then purl across to the end of the row. So once I realized that, this is what I have been doing.
I'm just not sure now, how much further I should go with this. Maybe another inch? I'm not sure. And also, does anybody know, this part, what is it called? Turning the heel, or is turning the heel after you have finished making this as long as you want it?

Friday, July 15, 2011

Crocheting And YouTube

I've been kind of busy trying to upload some crochet videos to YouTube, if anybody's interested in seeing what I have so far, you can go to www.youtube.com/zknitz. When I watch them, I can see where I want to change some things, but there's no way I am going back and redoing the ones that I have up so far. That's too much work.
Anyway, back to the picture above. This beret is turning out to be just like the other one, I can tell. Even though I went up on my crochet hook by about two sizes, I can tell, it's still going to be kind of "stiff". But I think I realize now what I have to do. I need to get some kind of yarn that's real thin, like sock yarn. And then use the same hook that I am using with this beret pictured above. I think it's a size "L". Anyway, that's what I think will help me, so my slouchy beret won't look and feel so stiff.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Crochet: Slouchy Beret Again

This is the same thing just taken at different angles. I wanted to try another slouchy beret with the suggestion a few friends gave me. Trying a crochet hook a couple of sizes bigger. Let's hope this works.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Crochet: Kids' Simple Slippers Done

I finished these a while ago, it just took me some time to find the time to upload. These were actually really easy. It's just that I think I made the upper part a little bit smaller than I was supposed to. So the next time I make these I hope to do better.

Also, the pattern instructions said to put the wrong sides together and I guess sew them and then turn them right side out (it wasn't really clear towards the end of the pattern). But I don't know any other way to connect crochet things together excpet by slip stitching all the way around. And when I did that, with the wrong sides together, it just did not look like the picture. So I just put the right sides together and slip stitched all the way around.
I know I could kind of sew them together with a big needle (I think they call it a darning needle?), or whip stitch. But I have no clue what whip stitch is, and I was too lazy to look it up.
:D

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Etsy or Artfire?

Does anybody have any thoughts or comments on the differences, the positives, and/or the negatives about Etsy and/or Artfire? I posted this question on my Facebook page, but I thought I would put it here too. Thanks!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Crochet: Kids' Simple Slippers

So, I wanted to take a bit of a break from the sock/leg warmer and decided to try to make some slippers. Here's the yarn that I am using.
The first picture was on my bed sheets, but I didn't think you could really see how red the color of the yarn was, so I took a picture of the yarn again over by the black tv. Real red right?
Here's the bottom or sole of the slipper.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Crochet: Slouchy Beret Finished?

So here's my slouchy beret that I finished.
The thing is, it looks just like a regular beret to me. Kind of.
When I think of a slouchy beret, there is a certain kind of look that I think of.
And what I have done, doesn't really look it. I had posted this type of question on my facebook page, and I got some really good suggestions on what my problem is. Well, not really problem, it's just that I am a tight knitter and a tight crocheter. Someone suggested that I crochet with a larger needle, when I'm trying to get a looser look. Since, I could just tell, as I was crocheting, that mine wasn't turning out the way that I thought it should.
Here's some pictures of what I think a slouchy beret should look like:


I can't even tell you why I think these look it, and mine doesn't. I can't even describe it. It's like when is a beret a slouchy beret, and when is a slouchy beret a rasta hat. Now a tam, I can describe. It's not slouchy and it's not even beret-like. It's just kind of sits on the head, like a round box.
Anyway, my next thoughts are, should I add a rose to this slouchy beret or not?

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Knitting: Socks The Body - Halfway

So, I'm a little bit more than halfway done. Kind of excited. Then it will be on to the foot part of the sock.
One of the kids at church said it looked like leg warmers. I wanted to get mad, but I couldn't, cuz I was thinking the exact same thing. I was thinking, "what could I call this sock"? That's what I was thinking, then I asked one of the kids at church. The one who said this looked like leg warmers. I was asking him," what do you call something that's half sock, half leg warmer"? He said stockings. I was thinking maybe something called, leg socks.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Knitting: Socks - The Body Progress

Nothing going on here too exciting. Just continue to knit until I like the length of it. The yarn that I'm using is really not sock yarn, but for my first sock, I think it will be okay.
Anyway, here I am. Knitting, knitting, knitting.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Knitting: Socks - The Body

I mentioned this on my facebook page, but I'll put it here too. I casted on 44 stitches on these needles, and now I have 50. Grrrr!!!!
I have no clue how that happened. Maybe for the second sock, I will knit on circular needles. I have seen it done before, so I know it's possible. I didn't really get it when I saw it, but maybe because maybe in my desperation to finish these socks, I will pay attention better.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Knitting: Socks - The Cuff

So here's the cuff of the sock. I don't even know if that's the right word for it, but it's the top part of the sock. Close to the knee. I don't know why, but I have knit before on double pointed needles, but for whatever reason I couldn't figure out how to connect the yarn. I had to undo the whole thing about three times before I figured it out.
Here's about where I'm at right now. Maybe I will make this part about two inches or so.
Here's the part where I was having problems. It's not really easy to see. I'm not using one of those high powered zoom lens cameras, it's just a camera on my cell phone. But it's kind of a bump there where I was connecting the yarn together. The next part is the body of the sock...I don't even know if that's the right term, but I will be doing the main tube of the sock next after this.