Two Teachers

Three Sweaters

Time to knit Grandma sweaters.

The first is for  5-year-old Ivan.

It is made from That Metzbower Girl Designs' Hallows Cardigan.

For three-year-old Ursula I modified a sweater from Petite Purls:

And for one-and-a-half-year-old Carl, I started with a Cottage Creations pattern, made a few changes, and added a kangaroo.

The Kangaroo comes from ErssieKnits.

School Desk

   I found this school desk in one of the sheds.

  It's an old desk, and I don't mind if it looks old, but in order to bring it into my relatively clean house with new carpet and all that, a good scrubbing was necessary and a coat of paint advisable. I intended to do only minimal sanding, but minimal turned out to be considerably more than I had anticipated.  When I applied some stain, the random nicks turned into legible graffiti. So, I sanded again, and the more I sanded, the more graffiti I found! But never fear, the desk still looks old.

   I couldn't help but think of the Christian life as I sanded. It seems the more work the Holy Spirit does in our lives, the more weaknesses are revealed. The surface dirt hides the real problems, and as that is removed, we see the deeper cuts and scratches. Then, when a coat of finish is put on, and most of the surface looks clean and shiny, the deep, dark cracks that we hadn't seen before stand out in bold relief. When I sanded those out, it created splotches in the surface. The places that had been marred by scratches were now even smoother and lighter than the places that hadn't needed as much work. And so it is. Not perfect, but useful and not unattractive.

Christ Alone

For I determined not to know any  thing among you,

   save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 1Cor. 2:2

 

Christ alone provides an answer

      To the ills that plague our race.

Nothing frees and nothing cures us,

      But the cleansing work of grace. 

We may educate the masses;

      Tell them where the dangers lurk,

But to stem the tide of evil

      All our teaching doesn’t work.

We may think we’re doing something

      When we advertise our cause,

But the end of all our labor

      Wins us only man’s applause.

Yes, the world itself applauds us,

      When we stand against the worst

Of the sins its prince has fathered

      And society has nursed.

If we want to make a difference

      That will last eternally,

We must follow Christ our Savior

      To His death on Calvary.

We won’t win the world’s approval.

      We will seem to them as fools,

For we must refuse their methods,

      Living by the Bible’s rules.

We weren’t given a commission

      To attempt to clean the mess

That lies cluttered on the surface

      Of a core of wickedness.

For the Lord Himself is coming

      And will judge the world with fire —

But to turn men first and save them 

      Is His burning heart’s desire.

Nita Brainard

August 2012

The Wrapping

  You saw the afghan. You saw the poem I wrote for the card. Now you get to see the wrapping. I don't pretend to sophistication, but when it comes to practicality, I have an edge. Paper wrapping is pretty, but it ends up in the trash. And when wrapping something soft like an afghan, it requires a box besides. Why not wrap gifts with something useful?

A simple draw string bag can be used to store the afghan, sheets, or linens for years. I made this one out of the lining from a cast off set of drapes. A more elegant fabric and a better seamstress could make something much classier and still very useful.

For the present I didn't draw the string, but folded and pinned it.

I added some yarn and a felt flower. When I have one available, a reusable brooch is nice for adorning this type of package.

                                          Even if it wrinkles, it won't tear!

No losing the card to this gift! The envelope is pinned on under the flower.

A Wedding Poem

Composed for use in wedding cards. Feel free to adapt it for your own use.

From this day we walk together;

   We have made a solemn pact.

Be it sweet or stormy weather,

   It’s a step we can’t retract.

You’re the one that I am choosing;

   We will share life’s changing ways;

Every other love refusing,

   Through the journey of our days.

Starting with a Purl Row

   My instructions for bags knitted in the round usually begin with this line: Starting with a purl row . . . There is a reason for this. When you use the long tail cast on (the only pleasant cast on), the stitches in the first row you work have a tight twist at the base that resembles a purl stitch. This is often on the front of the work. It makes a neat edge, and it looks very nice as the edge of a ribbing for a sweater. However, when you are working in the round, it is a little more difficult to pick up stitches in this twist. The other side of the cast on stitch has a loose horizontal piece at the base which is easier to see, easier to count, and easier to get your needle into. If you start with a purl row, then when it is time to pick up the stitches around your bottom piece, this handy yarn will be there waiting for you on the knit side of your work.

See the nice diagonal yarn at the bottom of each stitch?

Picking up stitches on this side of the cast on is a breeze.

Only a line of twisted stitches shows
where you cast on and picked up.

After felting you see no indication at all of where the stitches are picked up,

and it is very difficult to tell the front from the back.