Prayer Shawls - a Free Crochet Pattern

And now for something completely different!!  :)

Did you know that I love to create?  I crochet, knit, quilt, sew, scrapbook, and cross stitch.  I love to make things with my hands.  It is relaxing, satisfying, and helps me relieve stress.


I enjoy making prayers shawls.  I give them away always.  If I have a friend struggling with illness, grieving, or just needs some comfort I tend to lean towards making them a prayer shawl.  I also make them for others who I don't know.  While, creating them I pray over the stitches, think about their needs, pray for comfort, strength and healing.  The shawls that I don't give to a loved one or friend I donate to my church for their healing ministry. (No we don't "heal" people, but help and comfort them while healing.) 


I have another blog where I share patterns and such from time to time.  Here is the link to the prayer shawl pattern I created.

https://whitneyshandwork.blogspot.com/2015/03/jacobs-ladder-prayer-shawl-free-pattern.html

Enjoy!

Left Handed Crochet Tutorial

Want to learn to crochet?  Are you left handed like me and don't know where to start?  I have begun making a few video tutorials for my other blog.

Check them out here!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfbzPFPxWk9yOD-BeMP32IA

Have a great day!

Cute Crochet Coasters

These are so cute and fun to make.  They whip up in no time flat.  I can make one in about 35-45 minutes time and I am a slow crocheter.

I got the pattern off someone else's blog.  I can't seem to find it again unfortunately.

I am an intuitive crocheter when it comes to making things I look at a bunch of patterns and then put a couple together to make what I am looking to create.

My pattern may not be exact nor might it be exactly what you are looking for.  I will try to explain it as best I can though.

Coaster Pattern:

1 skein of 100% cotton base color (you will be able to make several coasters with just one skein)

1 skein of edging color (100% cotton)

Chain 14.

Single crochet in 2nd loop and each loop after.  (13 SC) ch 2 and turn.

Next row: SC in first SC. *Skip next sc, dc and sc in next sc* to end.

Next row: sc in first sc. skip dc, dc and sc in next sc. You will be doing a dc and sc in every sc in previous row. 

Continue until it looks like a square, about 10 or 11 rows. 

Change colors and sc all the way around the square, with three sc's in each corner. Then slip stitch around the entire thing again to finish it off.

And there you have it.

Do you ever????

Do you ever see a pattern and fall in love with it?

Do you ever know that this pattern is EXACTLY what will look awesome on you????

Do you ever choose a yarn that you love, but feel like you spend too much money on it, but realize it is worth it and you will LOVE the finished product and use/wear it all the time??????

Do you ever realize about half way through that you HATE this for you????

Do you ever just set it aside because it is no longer worth working on?????

This exact thing happens to me ALL. THE. TIME!

I love the yarn, I love the pattern, but when I am working on something, I begin to hate it, for me.  If I am making something for someone else I will continue to love it.  But if it is for me. Nope. HATE. IT!

Here are two of the many unfinished projects in my house right now.  I know I have at least three more but can't seem to find them right now. They are packed away somewhere.

This (above) is a pretty pattern, pretty hand dyed yarns that I paid $20 a skein for and bought 5 of them.  I loved the sample in the shop. It is a shawl. It looks so pretty on the mannequin. I am about 40% done and I don't like it anymore. I haven't worked on it in a month. I am thinking I should unravel it out and make a sweater or something for my daughter instead. Hmmmm......

This was going to be another shawl.  More of a wrap that would go over my shoulders on cold days.  Honestly, I end up wearing a sweater and I don't use wraps too much.  It is made with fun chunky yarn in a pretty blue and lime green pattern. I now HATE it. It is sitting on the floor in my closet and will probably sit there a while longer.  It is about half done and I have no intention of finishing it. I am thinking about ripping it out and making an afghan out of it. I will give it away or sell it if I can.

The only things I love and wear are socks.  I love my socks that I knit and I do wear them all the time in the winter. Other than that, I really hate the things I make. Maybe I need to make a sweater for me instead.

So tell me what do you do with your unfinished projects that you no longer love???

Crochet Scrubbie

I have been making these little scrubbies for a while now.  They are wonderful for the shower or bath.  They are similar to a netted scrubbie but work similar to a wash cloth.

I have several posted on etsy and am wondering if I should offer the pattern.  They are simple enough to make and take about 2 hours from start to finish for me while I watch tv.

You can make the inside a different color or make them all one color.  I like when I use a variegated yarn as they end up really pretty.  I use a 100% cotton yarn and they wash and dry in the washer and dryer perfectly.

I sell them for $5.50 on Etsy, here and here and here.  

So tell me what you think.  Would you want the pattern?  What would you be willing to pay for it? $2? $3? $5?

Cute crochet flowers and hearts

First I have to apologize for not posting anything here in almost 6 months. I have still be crafting but I just haven't been posting. I will work on getting some great items up here particularly for Christmas gift giving.

Today I have been making these cute little gems. I just love these little flowers. I got the pattern from a friend of mine on Scrap Sisters Studio message board and I adjusted it just slightly to make a bit fuller petal. These little flowers are about an inch in diameter when crocheted with crochet thread and a size 0 hook.



The pattern is super easy too.

Little Crochet Flower

Chain 5 and connect to first loop with sl st.

Rnd 1: ch 3, 9 dc in loop. (counts as 10 dc)
rnd 2: *ch 2, 4 dc in next dc, ch 2 sl st in next dc* repeat from * to* making 5 petals. Tie off in back.


Now, check out these little heart gems! I {heart} these so much! I found the pattern online and I can't for the life of me find it again. I will edit this post when I find it to give the credit to the right person.



This pattern is super easy too. I memorized it quickly!

Super Cute Crochet Hearts

Chain 4.

3 tc in first loop of chain (all these stitches are in first loop of chain), 3 dc, ch 1, 1 tc, ch 1, 3 dc, 3tc, ch 3 and connect in loop with sl st.

To make a larger heart after you sl st at end do not tie off but continue around again for a second round.

Rnd 2: 4 sc in first ch 3, 2 sc in next 2 tc, sc around in each st to tc at the bottom of the heart. In bottom tc make 2 sc, sc around in each st to second tc. 2 sc in second tc, 2 sc in next tc, 4 sc in final ch 3 space. sl st to first sc and tie off.

See how easy that is???

I am so ready...

for summer. The kids get out of school for the year on Friday and I have so many projects I want to do. BUT I still have school until June 30th. I am not feeling good about being at work and the kids being out of school without me. Not that I think that they will be injured or anything. I am just plain jealous. Okay, there, I said it, I am jealous! I want to be home too and it isn't fair.

I know that the end of the month will come quickly and I will have my measly month off of work. But right now I am stewing in jealousy.

I haven't been very crafty recently. I have sewed on all my daughter's Brownie patches on her vest. I have made two and a half baby blankets in the granny square pattern. They are really cute and they are mindless. I have thought about cleaning off my scrap table, which desperitely needs to be done but not feeling the mojo there at all. I don't think that I have 'moved on' from scrapbooking but I think I just need a bit of a break. It has been almost three months though and I am getting a bit worried.

So help me out my oh, two readers here, how long have you gone without scrapping? Should I be worried?

Still haven't found my mojo yet.

Hmmmm....if you have found it at your house can you ship it back to me. I am a bit frustrated by the lack of even interest in scrapbooking and that is just not like me. What is worse is that I have two of my children's birthdays coming up and I thought about making invitations but thought against it and decided to BUY! Oh my, my creative strike is worse than I originally thought. However, I might be FORCED to make the invitations just due to lack of funds in our household right now. Maybe if I am forced to do it then the Mojo will be found in the stacks of junk on my scrabook table.

Anyway, I have NOT been without a project and I recently picked up a couple skeins of yarn and am crocheting again. It is nice to have the rhythem and pace of crocheting back. You really move into a trance with it and it is welcoming to my brain. I am currently making two baby blankets. One is green and off white and the other is a blue yarn with pink, purple, yellow, and green specks. Both are make in the granny square pattern and will be a square blanket. I sure hope the recipients like them. A baby is always great for crocheting.

So check back because I might just have to play with some paper soon. Or maybe I will just make the invites on the computer instead......

Here is another flower

This flower pattern that I blogged about yesterday has been bothering me a bit. As I was working the other flowers yesterday I felt that the center was too big and that the flowers were still a bit large for scrapbooking. So today I worked up a few more. I used crochet thread this time, like the stuff you use to make doilies and a #6 hook (1.80mm). I chose off white in color because that was all I had available to play with right then.

I made these:

Now I know that they are a bit different from the original Lionbrand.com pattern. I made the center of the flower smaller making a chain of 5 instead of 8. I also only did 5 petals instead of 6. These measure 1 1/2 inches in diameter and are a good size for scrapbooking.

They sort of look like little pansies to me and I am anxious to try them in another color. But to do that I need to convince my husband to let me spend some money and I don't think he will go for it right now. I may need to wait a week or so. Laugh.

Trying new things.

I saw this:

on the Lionbrand.com website today and thought it looked really cute and would be fun to put on a scrapbook page. So when I got home from work I tried it.

I tried it two different ways. The first one with Vanna's Yarn a bulky #5 weight and I used an H hook. It ended up being 5 inches in diameter.

That was way too big. I knew when I started it that it would be too big but wanted to go through the motions of the pattern before trying on a smaller yarn. So then the second was using DMC thread (6 ply). I used a B hook and this pattern took most of a whole skein of thread. It ended up being 2 1/2 inches in diameter. A much more manageable size.

New Website!

I actually have a couple websites for you to check out.

First, http://www.peachycheap.com/, is a great site with an ever-changing stock. This site offers scrapbook supplies on the cheap but the clincher is that it only offers one thing a day and when that item is all gone then it is gone. The prices are great and it changes daily. I have been checking it daily for the last two weeks but just can't bring myself to buy anything yet. I am waiting for those must have items. Right now I have a ton of stuff and I need to work through my items in order to justify spending more.

Second, I have found a great scrapbook store that offers a fun monthly kit. It is http://www.awalkdownmemorylane.net/. I won a monthly kit from them in a blog candy from http://www.sheetload.blogspot.com/ and I have used almost everything I received. In further research I have found that they offer two monthly kits each month so you can choose one or the other. This is great because sometimes we don't necessarily like the kit offered by other clubs for the month but are obligated to buy it because of a subscription. This one you can choose. Then they have great add ons that you can choose from also. The kits are reasonably priced at around $30 and they come with a ton of paper and embellies. You can also buy older kits too. I really like some of the older ones and currently have two in my shopping cart waiting the $60 I need to buy them. (donations are welcome!!)

Third, http://www.scarletlime.com/ has updated their site. Their monthly kits look gorgeous too and I just ordered mine for this month and can't wait to get it. I love that they have three kits to choose from with three different price points. You can get the larger kit for about $30 or a project kit for about $20 or a mini kit for between $12-14. I have started with the project kit from an older collection and a mini kit from this month. I love choice. What I also love about this site is that you can look at all the projects that were created with their kits but the beauty of it is that you can use your own materials and make the same project. I made an acordian album with their directions, using my own paper and I love it. I will post some pictures soon.

Fourth, http://www.lionbrand.com/, has a wonderful selection of crocheted amigurami( sp?). They are little animals that are fun to make and fun to give as gifts. They are baby-friendly and easy enough to complete while watching TV in the evening. It takes me about 2 hours to complete one creature. (okay maybe 2 1/2 hours) I have made the frog, pig, and turtle. I am currently working on the penguin. The ones that call for a black button for the eyes, I use a black knot from black yarn instead to make them more baby and toddler-friendly. I will post a picture soon of these little guys. Too cute!

Very busy!

This is the most recent creation. I made this for my daughter's birthday. It is the Martha Stewart Coming Home poncho pattern from Lion Brand but I didn't do the last three rows to make the big frilly shells on the edges. I just did the first row to give it a bit of a scalloped edge. I think it looks great and it fits very nicely. I am now making another one in green for my other daughter. My son has put in his order for a new knitted sweater. His other one is now too small. My daughter wants buttons on her cardigan that I made her last year. So I need to put some buttons on it. I have just been lazy.

In the scrapbooking world, I went to a great workshop the other night and really enjoyed myself. I learned a bunch of fancy techniques which I will probably never use again but those techniques will at least be on those pages I made. I just need to now make the rest of the pages and get the pictures to put on them, developed.

Last weekend was another craft show at our campground. I sold a bunch of hairbows again. It was interesting because people didn't buy just one they bought 4 or 5 at a time. I made a bit over $100. I felt so sorry for this one older woman who had some really nice crocheted items, baby blankets, dish cloths, potholders, and placemats and such. They were such nice items but she wasn't selling them at all. I bought a few things from her truly because they were so nice and the price was perfect. How can anyone refuse a beautiful placemat for only $1??? I bought 5! I am such a big spender.

There is another one in a few weeks and I need to make some more hairbows!!

What are you working on?

I have been busy working on my Disney album and making knitted dishcloths. I also made a cute shopping bag. It was crocheted and came together nicely in a couple hours. I think it took me about 3 hours to make start to finish. I am pleased with it but thought it might be a bit bigger.

I have also been thinking about signing up for a few more craft shows this fall. I have an email into one place and hope to hear from them soon. It is a "judged" event so they have to approve my craft before allowing me to sell.

I have only a few more days vacation before back to work for me. So with my precious few days I want to make the most of them and get my Disney album done, done, done!

Have you ever...

started a project and then ripped it out? twice?? I just did. I wanted to start a baby blanket for a lady at work. She is in the beginning of her third trimester and she has had complications before in other pregnancies and I wanted to get this done kind of fast. I went out and bought the yarn, Bernat Baby Coordinates Twists in purple, and brought it home thinking it was good for this pattern. Boy was I wrong. It is too thin and too bumpy to see the pattern. So I ripped it out and thought to use the pattern on the inside of the wrapper that came with the yarn. So I began that baby blanket. Yuck. After three evenings working on it and struggling with the pattern it just looks horrible. So I ripped it out again. I wound up the yarn and I am going to take it back.

I am so disappointed because the yarn looked so cute and it felt so nice and soft but I just think it is too thin. Hmmm...maybe I will try to crochet with it. Perhaps that will work better. Maybe two strands at the same time will work.

Oh back to the drawing board...

Maw's Shawl

We gave Maw her shawl on Thursday evening. She seemed to like it but didn't put it on or wear it like I had hoped. I didn't get any pictures of her in it then either. Oh well. It was pretty though.

One down, One to go. A Prayer Shawl.

I have one gift done and now only one to go. The first one turned out GREAT. So great that I really want to do one for me now. My husband and I were out last night shopping for last minute people and we were working on an idea for his grandmother. We always get her a gift certificate to a supermarket and she really appreciates it because she is on a tight budget and she usually spends her food money on gifts this time of year. But I also wanted to get something else for her. So we are sitting there and I came up with the idea of making her a shawl to wrap around her. We happen to be in a restaurant next to Michaels Craft Store and so we went straight from the restaurant to the store and my husband helped me pick out the yarn. I am making the shawl that is featured on the front of the Prayer Shawl Ministry booklet. It is a popular pattern made in Lionbrand Homespun yarn. In fact the Lionbrand website gives it away as a free pattern online. So we came home and after the kids went to bed I sat down to work on it. Wow does it work up easily and quickly. In about an hour I had done about 10 inches on it. I should have it done in no time. Now I understand why they use this as a common pattern. It is crocheted in a V-stitch pattern.

51 chains to start and then starting with the 6th chain (dc, ch2, dc) in the same chain. Skip two chains and (dc, ch2, dc) in the next chain. Do this to the last chain and dc in that one. Ch3, turn and *(dc,ch2,dc) in each 2 chain space to the end and dc in ch after last dc. Ch3, turn and do follow from * until it reaches 36 inches in length. Then start again on the original starting chain and do the same for another 36 inches.

I will post a picture of the shawl when it is done. We chose to do it in Homespun Prairie color. I can't post a picture of the first gift because it will be given to someone who reads this blog and I don't want to give it away.

Baby Blanket

This is the baby blanket I made for charity. I am delivering it tomorrow. It will be going to a 7 month old little girl. I hope to make a hat to match for her tonight.

Danger Danger

I scanned the Sunday ads today after breakfast and found that Michaels was having a 25 -50% off sale on most all their yarns!! Uh oh! I just HAD to go. But today I went with a purpose. I chose two things that I had been wanting to make for me. The first one is a red, white, and blue wrap that has pockets in it. Too too fun! I found the pattern on the LionBrand website. There was only one problem. The yarn they say to use has been discontinued so I had to find another yarn that would work well. So I bought Bernat Soft Boucle at $2.79 a skein. The project will cost me a total of $16.74!

Then I chose a cute but warm -looking hat/scarf combo pattern. Again the yarn they suggested (Lion Brand Wool-ease Sport weight) was discontinued also. So I went with the Wool-ease worsted weight instead. I got it in a red with little specks of different colors. This project will come to $8.36!! Love a sale!!

Still Working

Still working on the baby blanket! It is about 2/3 the way done. It is coming along well and I love the pattern. I sure hope they like it and use it!! I am crocheting it for a family that work adopted for the holidays. They have a 7 month baby girl.

I am using Vanna White's new yarn from Lion Brand. If you go out to the website there is a wonderful pattern for a large granny's square afgan that is very pretty. The yarn is nice but it is acrylic and with that it can seem a bit scratchy. Overall it is nice for afgans but I am not sure I would make a sweater from it. The colors though are beautiful! I hope they make a softer yarn in the same colors.

What I am doing now...

Right now I am working on a baby blanket for the family that my work has adopted for the holiday season. There is a Mom and three kids. The youngest is a baby of 7 months. I am working on a new pattern for the blanket. It is a zig-zag crochet pattern, "ripple". Let me tell you, I thought it would be easy and thought I could adapt an adult afgan pattern for the baby one. No way! I screwed it up twice and finally went in search of an appropriate ripple pattern for a baby blanket size. It still is a bit bigger than I anticipated but I used a chunkier yarn and a bigger hook. I found the pattern on Bev's Country Cottage site and you can find it if you click on "Bev's Journeys" on the sidebar. I will post a picture later this evening of it so far. If I have time I would love to make hats for the family as well.

I am about a fourth done so I expect it to be done in another week. I still have Nicholas' sweater to finish and I am only still on the back in knitting it. The blanket is more pressing right now.

I have a funny for you. Remember the pirate doll I made for my son for Halloween? He said yesterday that it looked like Tigger in a Halloween costume! It really does!!