I wonder what my Amish grandparents would think of my Catholic ways?
For several years now I have listened to the Jesuits’ Pray-as-you-go podcasts on a daily basis, usually part of my bedtime routine. As well, I have started reading through the Carmelite’s Lectio Divina every morning with my first cup of coffee.
Growing up I never heard of “Seasons of the Church,” or Advent or Lent, yet now they are celebrated in our worship.
This week I decided to make a set of “Anglican Prayer Beads” (what’s the difference between a rosary and Anglican Prayer beads, I wonder). I’m not sure I will follow any formulaic pattern for my prayers — that just isn’t how I have talked with God all my life. But the idea of having something in my hands when I pray, if it is just to give each bead a person’s name, or to give a thanksgiving to each of the beads in one “week”, a petition to each bead in another or some other pattern, I look forward to finding a way to deepen my relationship with God through yet another Catholic practice.
Mina has been asking for a Barbie doll lately and her mother has been resisting. Mina has many dolls already!
Gramma has a box of Barbies at her house. They are mostly dolls I bought very cheaply at Value Village back in the days when I was running a community centre. One evening, while on FaceTime I showed them to Mina. Of course, she wants them!
In order to stay as close as possible to her mother’s good side, I decided to give one doll to Mina, Skipper – this doll was her favourite when I showed them to her. Her Uncle Simon and Auntie Chrissie will be carrying it to California for her birthday.
I did a little research online and found that this model was created in 1967. She is in pretty good shape for such an old girl, wouldn’t you say?
Another special doll in my box is the one I bought myself. My parents didn’t have money for buying toys so I saved hard and finally had the $3.50 or so that she cost back in about 1967 or 8. I believe she is a “vintage standard” model – http://www.fashion-doll-guide.com/Vintage-Standard-Barbie-Doll.html.
Here is Barbie wearing the crocheted dress I made for her a number of years ago:
Only the second week of February but it feels like it has been a long winter. It certainly has been a cold one! I’m so glad to see the days getting longer; spring will come.
I seem to be better at starting projects than finishing them lately:
I’ve started another Owl phone cosy, hoping to make a tutorial. I really have a hard time writing down what I’m doing.
My mother’s room at the Long Term Care Home is not big enough for us to personalize it with any of her furniture. She has a crocheted afghan on her bed that I made many years ago, but her space still looks institutional. I hit upon an idea: When Grandma Roth died (1981) Mama gave me some quilt patches that she (Grandma) had pieced. Mom and Grandma had given me a single bed quilt they had made after I got married; I used it ‘to death.’ These patches are in the same pattern. There are 23 of them, not quite enough for a single bed. The piecing is certainly not professional, but some of the fabrics I recognize and that is kind of cool.At any rate, I hope to finish piecing this quilt for my mother’s bed. The women of First Mennonite Church gave me some advice on how to do it, and the women of Bloomingdale Mennonite Church have offered to quilt it for me. Thank you all!
And speaking of quilts – one more project that I started many years ago, and I really need to finish, is my daughter’s wall-hanging. When Trina first went to school for fashion design I took pieces of fabric from clothing I or she had made plus pictures of her wearing those articles and pieced a small quilt:
(click on the picture for a larger version)
I really need to get my act together and finish these items while I still want to stay cosy and warm inside!
I have a special affection for ladybugs. Started back when Volker wrote me letters decorated with the little critters.
My granddaughter knows that I like them. She informed soon after arriving at my house before Christmas that her ladybug slippers don’t fit anymore. Naturally I promised to make her new ones. (The previous ones had been store bought.)
My Ladybug Girl
I looked for patterns online, but didn’t find anything that quite fit. So I decided to wing it. I am not good at writing down the patterns I make up. I like to custom fit things like sweaters, hats or slippers. Mina was at Nana & Poppa’s house when I started the slippers so I guessed (pretty accurately) at the size of her foot. I didn’t buy anything, just used balls of yarn from my stash.
For the sole I wanted a very heavy yarn — the only one I had was navy blue — with dense crocheting, so I used a 3mm hook. I started with a chain 15 stitches long and using a single crochet worked both sides of the chain, putting 3 sc in each end ch to turn. On the second row I put 2 sc in the first 2 stitches (turning stitches), then sc in the next seven, switched to dc, putting 2 dc in each of the turning stitches below; continue in a similar manner down the other of the sole. The third row was essentially a repeat of the second, using dc at the toe end of the sole, and sc for the rest.
I didn’t have heavy yarn in black or red — and the slippers had to be black & red! So I used double strands of both colours. Because I wanted red with black spots I carried one colour along all the time. To learn how to do this visit http://www.crochettoday.com/how-to/how-work-tapestry-crochet. The upper is made of 6 rows. The first two rows are a sc in each stitch around, changing colours as appropriate (my ladybugs are not identical twins). On row three, four and five I used a decrease dc for the head to create the toe shape. The sixth row is a single crochet all around.
For the eyes I just used off-white yarn with a black centre. The antennae are made with a chain 4, dc, sc on side of dc and slip stitches down the chain.
Tomorrow I must go to the post office to send some “Mina Mail”!
Mina has also requested a Ladybug toy, so that will likely be my next project.
P.S. Before mailing the slippers I used some (very old) fabric paint to put dots on the bottom of the sole; when Mina was here and wearing only one slipper she was able to “skate” on my hardwood floor. I hope this will prevent the slippers from sliding quite so nicely.
Some months ago my delightful niece, Lexi, sent me this picture wondering if I could make one of these little phone pockets that she could give her mom for Christmas.
Of course I was happy to take up the challenge.
A Google search revealed several gorgeous pictures of owls (click on the picture to enlarge it, click again to close the image):
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Inspired by these photos I created this cell phone cozy (of course, I didn’t dare post this before today):
Cheryl’s owl
For the body and wings I used a bit of leftover variegated wool from a previous project and a 3mm hook and an alternating dc/sc pattern. The eyes and beak are done with #8 perle cotton. I didn’t use a pattern, just invented as I went. I had to make it somewhat generic as I’m not even sure what model of phone Cheryl has. I used my iPod Touch (first generation) as a model.
Trina suggested I make a pattern and tutorial for this little guy. Perhaps I shall, someday.
