I apologize for my slacking with the blog. Sometimes life gets in the way and I lose my priorities, that's why keeping up with this will be a part of my New Year's Resolution. :) I may need some prayer, and gentle reminders but I know I can do it! :)
We are now meeting once a month, the second Saturday of each month from 2 to 3 at the church. If anyone has questions, needs, directions, etc. You can comment here, or email me at thatfarmgirlteacher@gmail.com
January's meeting will be Saturday, January 10th from 2-3pm. Can't wait to see everyone there and see what you've been working on now that our busy holiday season is in the rearview! :)
Friday, January 2, 2015
Thursday, July 3, 2014
June Recap
Summer can be so hectic for the ladies of the ministry, but they have all been hard at work and I, for one, am loving every minute of it!
I finally remembered to photograph our meetings and projects and I'm so happy to share them with everyone. (I get too caught up socializing and forget to grab the camera!) :) Check out the awesome work!
Getting to know all of these women has been fantastic, there's people here from all walks of life, but sometimes it takes some conversation and a common goal before you discover the incredible things about them.
One of our members shared that while she was undergoing chemotherapy, she found that it was important for her to surround herself with bright, cheerful colors. They allowed her to maintain an upbeat and positive outlook, and reminded her to count the blessings in her life, even though they were occasionally difficult to see. I was so thankful she shared this experience and will definitely keep it in mind when I shop for yarn again. She is also very talented at accessorizing her shawls. This flower is removable! How cool is that? Not going to lie, I'm a little jealous. My attempts to accessorize aren't nearly as successful, maybe she can give me a little guidance. :) I have a sneaking suspicion that she also has inspector gadget fingers, she flies through projects!!! She's made so many shawls for the ministry I've lost track, as well as completed smaller versions for her granddaughters! I love that she's passing that on to her family, I may not know how to crochet now if it wasn't for my own mother and grandmother!
Another awesome thing has been seeing each other progress in our crochet endeavors! Another of our members learned to crochet during our first meeting and I love watching her grow and blossom! She has been trying new techniques, stitches, yarns, and she even bought a cool, personalized bag to carry her projects! (FYI men, when a woman buys a bag for a specific hobby, you know it's serious!) :)
I've also enjoyed watching another member as she rediscovers her love of crochet. I mentioned before that she set it down for years and picked it up again when we began our ministry...and then promptly blew the rest of us out of the water! She has been exploring different styles of shawls and has inspired me to go beyond my own limits and 'think outside the box.' I'm always excited to see what she brings in because I know I'll always be amazed and say, "I never thought of that!"
I also love to see the sharing of knowledge between members. There are more than a few women here who are so immensely talented, and they are such a wealth of information. I admire their prowess and appreciate their ability to look at a pattern or a project and instantly give me advice on how to improve. There's just some things you simply can't learn on the internet and I am so appreciative of their wisdom and guidance for everyone.
I'm not sure what I enjoy the most, getting to know these incredible women, the actual crochet work, the quiet time to speak to God, or the impact these shawls will have, but I know that there's just something fantastic here and I thank God daily for everything that he has done and created! What do you thank God for?
I finally remembered to photograph our meetings and projects and I'm so happy to share them with everyone. (I get too caught up socializing and forget to grab the camera!) :) Check out the awesome work!
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| LtR: Nancy, Marie, Lynda, Jan |
One of our members shared that while she was undergoing chemotherapy, she found that it was important for her to surround herself with bright, cheerful colors. They allowed her to maintain an upbeat and positive outlook, and reminded her to count the blessings in her life, even though they were occasionally difficult to see. I was so thankful she shared this experience and will definitely keep it in mind when I shop for yarn again. She is also very talented at accessorizing her shawls. This flower is removable! How cool is that? Not going to lie, I'm a little jealous. My attempts to accessorize aren't nearly as successful, maybe she can give me a little guidance. :) I have a sneaking suspicion that she also has inspector gadget fingers, she flies through projects!!! She's made so many shawls for the ministry I've lost track, as well as completed smaller versions for her granddaughters! I love that she's passing that on to her family, I may not know how to crochet now if it wasn't for my own mother and grandmother!
Another awesome thing has been seeing each other progress in our crochet endeavors! Another of our members learned to crochet during our first meeting and I love watching her grow and blossom! She has been trying new techniques, stitches, yarns, and she even bought a cool, personalized bag to carry her projects! (FYI men, when a woman buys a bag for a specific hobby, you know it's serious!) :)
I also love to see the sharing of knowledge between members. There are more than a few women here who are so immensely talented, and they are such a wealth of information. I admire their prowess and appreciate their ability to look at a pattern or a project and instantly give me advice on how to improve. There's just some things you simply can't learn on the internet and I am so appreciative of their wisdom and guidance for everyone.
I'm not sure what I enjoy the most, getting to know these incredible women, the actual crochet work, the quiet time to speak to God, or the impact these shawls will have, but I know that there's just something fantastic here and I thank God daily for everything that he has done and created! What do you thank God for?
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Project Share!
Everyone has been hard at work, fingers and yarn flying, to finish our first round of shawls. Check out current members projects! :) I hope you're wearing socks...because they're about to get knocked off!
Peggy has been hard at work at this beautiful shawl using some gorgeous Lion Brand Homespun yarn in this beautiful coral color! She has been crocheting for years and is incredibly talented.
She even overcame some minor yarn issues, but is going strong again. Show her some love, this shawl looks so warm and comforting I could get lost in it!
Remember how I said these shawls are therapeutic for both the creator and the receiver? Jan discovered this when she picked up crochet hooks after setting them aside years ago. She crochets while watching (or listening to) the baseball game on TV and while working at her u-pick blueberry farm! She shared that crocheting brought back wonderful memories of crocheting while she traveled the country with her husband while he was serving our country. She's using this variegated yarn to practice her pattern, but oh my gosh do I love the pattern! Shell patterns have always held a special place in my heart, but her work is so neat and exact, I am loving it even more! (Don't let her try to tell you it's a mess, she's a pro!!) I can't wait to see this when it's finished!
Anne is one of our long-distance members who has also felt God's grace while crocheting her shawls. She is currently caring for her elderly mother and works on her shawls while spending time with her mom. What an awesome way to pass the time in a way that both shares the glory of God, and allows her to connect with her mom! She is located on the east coast of Florida and her shawls will be benefiting recipients near her! How cool is it that our message has already made it outside our small community? Way to go Anne!
And finally, I'm working on a shawl using this technique to create Fair Isle Crochet (to mimic the very popular Fair Isle Knitting). I learned the technique from a Craftsy class and was so excited that the first project was a shawl! The portion shown here will be a pocket, the base of the shawl will be completed in the darker brown color.
I hope you enjoyed these beautiful shawls, we certainly have some SERIOUS talent! I know the shawl recipients will love them even more!
God Bless!
Peggy has been hard at work at this beautiful shawl using some gorgeous Lion Brand Homespun yarn in this beautiful coral color! She has been crocheting for years and is incredibly talented.
She even overcame some minor yarn issues, but is going strong again. Show her some love, this shawl looks so warm and comforting I could get lost in it!
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| I am loving Peggy's gorgeous, rich color! So beautiful! |
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| Luckily this only happened for about two feet! |
Remember how I said these shawls are therapeutic for both the creator and the receiver? Jan discovered this when she picked up crochet hooks after setting them aside years ago. She crochets while watching (or listening to) the baseball game on TV and while working at her u-pick blueberry farm! She shared that crocheting brought back wonderful memories of crocheting while she traveled the country with her husband while he was serving our country. She's using this variegated yarn to practice her pattern, but oh my gosh do I love the pattern! Shell patterns have always held a special place in my heart, but her work is so neat and exact, I am loving it even more! (Don't let her try to tell you it's a mess, she's a pro!!) I can't wait to see this when it's finished!
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| Jan's spectacular shell shawl! :) |
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| Seriously, I'm IN LOVE with this variegated yarn in double crochet! |
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| Fair Isle Crochet |
God Bless!
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Finding Patterns
People ask me all the time how I find the patterns I use. Nearly all of my patterns come from one of three places. (All of which are primarily free!) Where else do you find patterns?
1. Ravelry
Ravelry is one of my favorite sites when I'm looking for a specific pattern because it has an awesome search engine that lets me really narrow down the results. Plus, it literally has THOUSANDS of patterns! I can search by craft (knit or crochet), type of garment, size, gender specific items, yardage, yarn weight, price, etc. I can also store my favorite patterns in my Ravelry 'library' so I'll always have access to them. I'm not going to lie, the site is extremely extensive and can be a tad difficult to navigate (I've been using it for years and still find new features!) but once you've gotten it down, you'll love it, trust me!
2. Craftsy
Craftsy reminds me of a mix of Pinterest and Ravelry. It has the awesome Ravelry-style patterns, but in a easy-to-navigate Pinterest-style format. Don't get me wrong, I like Pinterest, but I often get frustrated by some of the faulty links, I never have to worry about that at Craftsy! Plus, Craftsy offers great, professional online classes to learn all kinds of new and fun techniques! :)
3. I make it up.
I know, this probably isn't what you want to hear, but the more you knit and crochet, the more you'll begin to really understand how to put things together foundationally to achieve a specific look or effect and you'll start doing this on your own. I often tag things on Pinterest I'd like to emulate (often the link doesn't take me to an actual pattern, ugh!) and then I spend some time copying it to the best of my ability, or altering it to fit my needs. Don't worry, this is a skill that will come with time, and a bit of trial and error. My advice is to let it happen naturally, it's taken me years to learn this, expect failure, I often frog the same project a dozen times before I get it to look like I want, keep a good friend nearby, my mom is awesome to bounce ideas off of or give me tips, and, perhaps most importantly, write EVERYTHING down! I carry a small journal with me and write everything down, including the mistakes. When I finish the project I re-write it in a way I can reuse later on, because trust me, eventually you WILL want to know how you did something and you WILL NOT remember.
God Bless!
1. Ravelry
Ravelry is one of my favorite sites when I'm looking for a specific pattern because it has an awesome search engine that lets me really narrow down the results. Plus, it literally has THOUSANDS of patterns! I can search by craft (knit or crochet), type of garment, size, gender specific items, yardage, yarn weight, price, etc. I can also store my favorite patterns in my Ravelry 'library' so I'll always have access to them. I'm not going to lie, the site is extremely extensive and can be a tad difficult to navigate (I've been using it for years and still find new features!) but once you've gotten it down, you'll love it, trust me!
2. Craftsy
Craftsy reminds me of a mix of Pinterest and Ravelry. It has the awesome Ravelry-style patterns, but in a easy-to-navigate Pinterest-style format. Don't get me wrong, I like Pinterest, but I often get frustrated by some of the faulty links, I never have to worry about that at Craftsy! Plus, Craftsy offers great, professional online classes to learn all kinds of new and fun techniques! :)
3. I make it up.
I know, this probably isn't what you want to hear, but the more you knit and crochet, the more you'll begin to really understand how to put things together foundationally to achieve a specific look or effect and you'll start doing this on your own. I often tag things on Pinterest I'd like to emulate (often the link doesn't take me to an actual pattern, ugh!) and then I spend some time copying it to the best of my ability, or altering it to fit my needs. Don't worry, this is a skill that will come with time, and a bit of trial and error. My advice is to let it happen naturally, it's taken me years to learn this, expect failure, I often frog the same project a dozen times before I get it to look like I want, keep a good friend nearby, my mom is awesome to bounce ideas off of or give me tips, and, perhaps most importantly, write EVERYTHING down! I carry a small journal with me and write everything down, including the mistakes. When I finish the project I re-write it in a way I can reuse later on, because trust me, eventually you WILL want to know how you did something and you WILL NOT remember.
God Bless!
May 25th Meeting
Our meeting was cancelled as a result of poor attendance in light of Memorial Day Weekend. Keep working on your shawls and we will meet again in June! :) Don't forget to send me photos of what you're working on!
June Meetings:
June 7th: 2-3pm
June 21st: 4-5pm
Happy Memorial Day, may God bless you!
June Meetings:
June 7th: 2-3pm
June 21st: 4-5pm
Happy Memorial Day, may God bless you!
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Witnessing
Does anyone else struggle to share the love of Christ with others? It drives me absolutely bonkers! It's so AWESOME to have a relationship with Him, but every time I try to share it I sound like a tongue-tied toddler.
I have discovered, that the best way to share Christ's love, is to do it using something I love. We were blessed with the ability to knit or crochet for a REASON, and it's the perfect venue to start conversation among strangers.
I know that every time I go on vacation, take public transportation, go to a restaurant with a wait, or visit the doctor's office, I take my project with me so I'll have something to do. (I'm not going to lie, I've also taken my projects to theme parks, movie theaters, vet's offices, etc. I guess I'm a bit of a fanatic, lol!) I can't tell you how many times other, extremely bored, people have asked me what I'm working on. It finally hit me one day how much of an impact I can make by sharing the Prayer Shawl, and the Ministry with those people!
The next time someone strikes up a conversation with you, share the story of Christ via your "prayer shawl story."
God Bless! :)
I have discovered, that the best way to share Christ's love, is to do it using something I love. We were blessed with the ability to knit or crochet for a REASON, and it's the perfect venue to start conversation among strangers.
I know that every time I go on vacation, take public transportation, go to a restaurant with a wait, or visit the doctor's office, I take my project with me so I'll have something to do. (I'm not going to lie, I've also taken my projects to theme parks, movie theaters, vet's offices, etc. I guess I'm a bit of a fanatic, lol!) I can't tell you how many times other, extremely bored, people have asked me what I'm working on. It finally hit me one day how much of an impact I can make by sharing the Prayer Shawl, and the Ministry with those people!
The next time someone strikes up a conversation with you, share the story of Christ via your "prayer shawl story."
God Bless! :)
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Our First Meeting
We had our first official meeting yesterday and it was awesome! There was lots of knitting, crocheting, and teaching, but even better, there was tons of laughter and good conversation among some wonderful, caring ladies. :)
For those of you who were unable to attend, or are participating long distance, we certainly missed you and had you in our thoughts! Hopefully I can fill you in as much as possible, those who were in attendance, let me know if I missed anything. :)
We discussed who the first recipients of our shawls would be, and there seemed to be a general agreement that it would be nice to share them with members of the church who may need a bit of extra comfort. Let me know, if you have anyone specific in mind!
There was lots of instruction going around as well as a veteran knitter learned to crochet and some eager newbies began their first projects! These shawls will truly be a work of labor and love and I know these ladies are going to feel such a wonderful sense of accomplishment when their shawls are completed! A few of our other ladies also shared some tips and techniques on crocheting and knitting. It was truly impossible not to feel a wonderful sense of community as we sat and worked joyfully for our Lord.
A few of use shared projects we recently began, and we also got to see a beautiful (and finished!) shawl that was made for one of the group members by a close friend. Her story of how the shawl brought her strength and comfort in a dark moment was both heartbreaking and inspiring, a good reminder of why we do what we do. :)
I know there was many different stories circulating of how shawls brought them strength, I encourage you to write and share these stories with me, I'd like to do a post that is a collection of these stories to provide inspiration to as many as possible. Please also share any pictures of our meeting, or pictures of the project you're currently working on, I'd love to share them with the group!
You can share your story or photos through the comment section, by emailing me at thatfarmgirlteacher@gmail.com, or by messaging me on Facebook.
I have to say, I truly can't wait until we meet again!
For those of you who were unable to attend, or are participating long distance, we certainly missed you and had you in our thoughts! Hopefully I can fill you in as much as possible, those who were in attendance, let me know if I missed anything. :)
We discussed who the first recipients of our shawls would be, and there seemed to be a general agreement that it would be nice to share them with members of the church who may need a bit of extra comfort. Let me know, if you have anyone specific in mind!
There was lots of instruction going around as well as a veteran knitter learned to crochet and some eager newbies began their first projects! These shawls will truly be a work of labor and love and I know these ladies are going to feel such a wonderful sense of accomplishment when their shawls are completed! A few of our other ladies also shared some tips and techniques on crocheting and knitting. It was truly impossible not to feel a wonderful sense of community as we sat and worked joyfully for our Lord.
A few of use shared projects we recently began, and we also got to see a beautiful (and finished!) shawl that was made for one of the group members by a close friend. Her story of how the shawl brought her strength and comfort in a dark moment was both heartbreaking and inspiring, a good reminder of why we do what we do. :)
I know there was many different stories circulating of how shawls brought them strength, I encourage you to write and share these stories with me, I'd like to do a post that is a collection of these stories to provide inspiration to as many as possible. Please also share any pictures of our meeting, or pictures of the project you're currently working on, I'd love to share them with the group!
You can share your story or photos through the comment section, by emailing me at thatfarmgirlteacher@gmail.com, or by messaging me on Facebook.
I have to say, I truly can't wait until we meet again!
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