Thank You

       

I thank you, I thank you, My Savior;

        I thank you for giving me grace.

I thank you for patience in suffering;

         And even for pain in its place.

I thank you for strength in my weakness;

         For power in Christ to abide;

For faith that in every temptation

         A way of escape you provide.

I thank you for every affliction

        That draws me yet closer to you.

I thank you for quiet assurance

         That safely you’ll carry me through.

I thank you for hearing the heart-cries

         Wrung out of a vessel so weak.

I thank you for offering wisdom

          To all who are willing to seek.

I thank you for love overflowing,

          I thank you for joy in my heart.

I thank you for glimpses of Jesus,

          Which coruage and vict’ry impart.

I thank you for present salvation;

          I thank you with all of my soul.

I thank you for giving your life-blood

          My sin-shattered heart to make whole.

Flower Pattern

Flowers are a great project for using little scraps of yarn.

There are a number of flower patterns available online.  I thank Nezumi World for the ingenious idea of starting the petals on the outside end, and knitting the middle last.  http://nezumiworld.blogspot.com/2009/06/world-wide-knitting-in-public-day.html

I make a similar five petal flower but start it with a puffy center.


Nita's Flower

Any yarn and any size needle will work.  I used worsted weight wool and size 9 needles.

CO 3
Kfb in each stitch (6 st)
K garter stitch for 4 rows.
K2 tog across.
Don't BO. Cut long tail.
Thread yarn.  Run yarn through stitches and along all edges.  Tighten into a ball.  (This is similar to what you do at the top of a stocking hat.)  Knot yarn, weave in ends and cut. (If you aren't going to felt the flower, you can leave the ends for ties.)

PETAL:

Holding button-like center right side up, pick up 3 st along the edge.
PKP in each st. (9 st)
K across
Next row, and all wrong side rows until the last: Purl
On each K row, k2 tog each end until you have 3 st.
S1 P2 tog, PSSO, cut yarn and pull through.

Weave the end into the back side.

Pick up three more stitches along the edge of your puffy center, and repeat 4 times.

As you weave in the yarn ends at the base of the petals, sew the bottoms of the petals together so that they overlap slightly.

I felted mine, so it came out like this:

Then appliqued it to a purse:

Baby Afghan

In January my third grandchild was born. My son flew me to Wisconsin for the occasion. Two days before I left, I realized I hadn't made anything for the baby ~ it would be a shame for him to come into the world without a handknit something from the knitting grandma!

I bought a one pound ball of Lion Brand baby yarn, and started knitting. Jenny went into labor that day, and Carl was born before I got there. I didn't get to attend the birth, but I was welcomed by a very sweet, newborn grandson. I left him a couple weeks later, with this ripple afghan. It is a simple pattern and knits up quickly. All four sides ripple and curl up slightly.

Ripple Baby Afghan

Supplies: 16 oz worsted weight yarn, size 9 circular needle
Guage: 9 st = 2 in

Cast on 144 stitches.

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: (K2tog.) 3 times, *(YO, K 1) 6 times, (K2tog) 6 times. Repeat from * accross, ending with (K2tog) 3 times instead of 6.

Row 4: Knit

Repeat these 4 rows 72 times. Bind off.

Pick up 112 stitches along each side. Purl one row, then work rows 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. Bind off.

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Another Blog

Solomon said, "of making many books there is no end." What, oh, what would he say about blogging? With the advancement of technology, we have received many blessings, including the ability to make greater use of the "freedom of the press" ~ but our troubles in some cases also have been multiplied. Should I add my voice to the millions in cyberspace? Even if I actually have enough to say to warrant a hearing, with all the voices out there clamoring for attention, who will listen?

The answer lies in the beauty of blogging: No one has to. If you find me and want to listen, you can. Whether or not I have anything worth saying, you get to be the judge ~ assuming of course you happen to hear my quiet voice in the midst of all the clatter. But you can't hear it, if I don't speak at all. Thus, another blog.