This Time of Year You Start Climbin' the Walls!

Yep, tomorrow is February 1rst. Deep winter drives you to these things... This is my dear husband, climbin' the walls!! LOL!

Heartstrings~My First Full Size Self Made Design!

This is my first design. I am calling it "Heartstrings". You are so welcome to knit it up, it is free for your personal use. If you do knit it and have suggestions for improvement I would love to hear your comments! Note: You have my permission to sell the cloths you knit from this pattern. Just do not sell the pattern or take credit for the pattern. Thank you!

Here is the pattern:
With size 7 needles, mine came out to be about 8.5 inches wide and about 10 inches long.

k=knit
p=purl
yo=yarn over
skpo=slip 1, knit 1, pass the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch drop it for a decrease.

Cast on 40

1. k1, p1 across
2. k1, p1 across
3. k1, p1 across
4. k1, p1 across
5. k1, p1, k1, p 34, k1, p1, k1
6. p1, k1, p1, k3, yo, skpo, yo, skpo, k3, yo skpo, yo skpo, k 6, yo skpo, yo skpo,
k3, yo skpo, yo skpo, k 3 p1, k1, p1
7. k1, p1, k1, purl 34, k1, p1, k1
8. p1, k1, p1, k2, yo, skpo, k3, yo, skpo, yo, skpo, k2, yo skpo, , k4, yo, skpo,k, yo, skpo, yo, skpo, k2, yo, skpo, k2, p1, k1, p1
9. k1, p1, k1, purl 34, k1, p1, k1
10. p1, k1, p1, k1, yo, skpo, k5, yo, skpo, k4, yo, skpo, k2, yo, skpo, k5, yo, skpo, k4, yo, skpo, k1, p1, k1, p1
11. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
12. p1, k1, p1, yo, skpo, k13, yo, skpo, yo, skpo, k13, yo, skpo, p1, k1, p1
13. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
14. p1, k1, p1, yo, skpo, k13, yo, skpo, yo, skpo, k13, yo, skpo, p1, k1, p1
15. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
16. p1, k1, p1, k1, yo, skpo, k11, yo, skpo, k2, yo, skpo, k11, yo, skpo, k1, p1,k1, p1
17. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
18. p1, k1, p1, k2, yo, skpo, k9, yo, skpo, k4, yo, skpo, k9, yo, skpo, k2, p1, k1,
p1
19. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
20. p1, k1, p1, k3, yo, skpo, k7, yo, skpo, k6, yo, skpo, k7, yo, skpo, k3, p1, k1,
p1
21. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
22. p1, k1, p1, k4, yo, skpo, k5, yo, skpo, k8, yo, skpo, k5, yo, skpo, k4, p1, k1,
p1
23. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
24. p1, k1, p1, k5, yo, skpo, k3, yo, skpo, k10, yo, skpo, k3, yo, skpo, k5, p1, k1, p1
25. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
26. p1, k1, p1, k6, yo, skpo, k1, yo, skpo, k12, yo, skpo, k1, yo, skpo, k6, p1, k1, p1
27. k1, p1, k1, p 34, k1, p1, k1
28. p1, k1, p1, k8, yo, skpo, k15, yo, skpo, k7, p1, k1, p1
29. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
30. p1, k1, p1, knit across, p1, k1, k1
31. k1, p1, k1, purl 34, k1, p1, k1
32. p1, k1, p1, k3, yo, skpo, yo, skpo, k3, yo skpo, yo skpo, k 6, yo skpo, yo skpo, k3, yo skpo, yo skpo,k3 p1, k1, p1
33. k1, p1, k1, purl 34, k1, p1, k1
34. p1, k1, p1, k2, yo, skpo, k3, yo, skpo, yo, skpo, k2, yo skpo, , k4, yo, skpo,
k3, yo, skpo, yo, skpo, k2, yo, skpo, k2, p1, k1, p1
35. k1, p1, k1, purl 34, k1, p1, k1
36. p1, k1, p1, k1, yo, skpo, k5, yo, skpo, k4, yo, skpo, k2, yo, skpo, k5, yo, skpo, k4, yo, skpo, k1, p1, k1, p1
37. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
38. p1, k1, p1, yo, skpo, k13, yo, skpo, yo, skpo, k13, yo, skpo, p1, k1, p1
39. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
40. p1, k1, p1, yo, skpo, k13, yo, skpo, yo, skpo, k13, yo, skpo, p1, k1, p1
41. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
42. p1, k1, p1, k1, yo, skpo, k11, yo, skpo, k2, yo, skpo, k11, yo, skpo, k1, p1,k1, p1
43. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
44. p1, k1, p1, k2, yo, skpo, k9, yo, skpo, k4, yo, skpo, k9, yo, skpo, k2, p1, k1,p1
45. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
46. p1, k1, p1, k3, yo, skpo, k7, yo, skpo, k6, yo, skpo, k7, yo, skpo, k3, p1, k1,p1
47. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
48. p1, k1, p1, k4, yo, skpo, k5, yo, skpo, k8, yo, skpo, k5, yo, skpo, k4, p1, k1,p1
49. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
50. p1, k1, p1, k5, yo, skpo, k3, yo, skpo, k10, yo, skpo, k3, yo, skpo, k5, p1, k1, p1
51. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
52. p1, k1, p1, k6, yo, skpo, k1, yo, skpo, k12, yo, skpo, k1, yo, skpo, k6, p1, k1, p1
53. k1, p1, k1, p 34, k1, p1, k1
54. p1, k1, p1, k8, yo, skpo, k15, yo, skpo, k7, p1, k1, p1
55. k1, p1, k1, p34, k1, p1, k1
56. p1, k1, p1, k34, p1, k1, p1
57. k1, p1, across
58. k1, p1, across
59. k1, p1, across
60. k1, p1 across
Cast off.
Heartstrings copyright, Karen Twombly 2008.

Marvelous Monday!

Today has been a good day. But you know what I constantly realize about myself? I am really good at making busy days for myself! I always have these self appointed projects that I feel pressured to finish in a certain time period. I am not sure why I am so driven in this way; it kind of defeats the purpose of being a stay at home wife and mom! Perhaps someday I will conquer this.

Of course we must do our homeschool work and I am quite glad to feel some sort of pressure concerning that. I want my children to gain the best education I can offer. But today I had it in my mind that I just HAD to finish another square and that I just HAD to finish a cloth I am knitting. WHY? I don't know!! There is no craft police that I know of to catch me half done!! LOL!!

Anyway, the above quilt block is Block #2 from Crazy Mom Quilts. I enjoyed making it very much. I did have to tear out one seam and redo that part since I had some of it upside down but that was an easy fix.

It is crisp and cold in Maine today. I try to remind myself that I need to be thankful for the cold. It keeps me inside crafting! Once warm weather hits, then it is time to spend spare moments outside gardening and beautifying the yard and taking the kids to the beach. So the cold is good for some things!

What creative projects are you working on?

Show 'n Tell and other Weekend Happenings

Here it is! This is Quilt Square #10 from
Crazy Mom Quilts., I finally pulled everything out so I could complete it! Now I'll keep it out and hopefully do one more square tomorrow.

I might have had this square done yesterday but I got obsessed with designing my own dishcloth. Hopefully it will be ready to share either tomorrow or Tuesday by the latest.

We had a good weekend. I hate to see it end. Yesterday Robin did all the running around with the kids so that I could have a day at home. It was downright luxurious! Today, we woke to snow. However, since Tyler was due to be baptized at church today we still went. Besides the fact that it was a great service, I cannot even begin to express what a thrill it was to see my firstborn son baptized!

It seems like yesterday he was a newborn and I was offering him to the Lord and asking the Lord to reach down and save my dear son. My biggest prayer is that all three of my children would put their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. I want them to be in Heaven for eternity with me and their dad!!

As I watched Tyler step into the baptismal tank and tell everyone in church that he had put his faith in Christ, I had a full circle moment. I will be forever grateful to God for answering this particular prayer! I was so overwhelmed by the fact that what I had hoped for, wished for, prayed for and dreamed about had come to fruition!! God is so good and His mercy endures forever! Hallelujah!!!

Friday's Thoughts

Do you ever wish you were a dog? Once in awhile I am tempted to be jealous of my dog's life! But I have to remind myself that I would get bored after awhile...maybe... LOL!

It has been a busy week. I haven't had much time beyond homeschooling and getting the kids to their activities. I have missed those snow storms that up to this point have been giving us a day off at least once a week! :) I have done a small amount of knitting but little else. But perhaps I can make up for it over the weekend!

I have so appreciated everyone's comments on my blog. Thank you for letting me know you visited and all the sweet comments!

Sylvia, how I would love to live near you! Flute lessons are just one reason that sounds wonderful! Oh and after reading everyone's "Learning Wish List" I must add to mine! I would also like to:
1. Learn to Crochet
2. Learn to Sew Clothes for people and for my daughter's American Girl Doll!

Have a great day, all! Hopefully by tomorrow I will be showing another quilt square done!

Things to Learn...

Today I am thinking about all the things I would like to learn. They are as follows:

1. To learn to play the flute.
2. To learn to knit a sweater, mittens, and socks.
3. To learn to put a quilt together with the backing that wraps around to make a binding and to learn to quilt it together.

With the third, I have always put my quilts together like a big pillow. With right sides together and binding laid down I sew all around the edges and then turn it right side out and sew up the whole. Then I keep it in place with the tying method using embroidery floss. I have never actually done a quilted quilt, kwim?

I am thinking of doing a wall hanging or table run to help me learn on a smaller project.

For #2, if I can ever get a free night (smiling while I say this, really!), I would like to go and knit at a local Knit Shop. You can go there free and sit with your project and knit with other ladies and the women who work at the store will help you with your project.

For #1, well someday when we have the money I'll buy a flute and a book and go for it! Right now I am in "praying stage!"

What would you like to learn?

Off the Needles!

I finished the January Mid Month Knit Along today! I really enjoyed this pattern and seeing it come together. I had to take it apart a few times (*smile*) but it was well worth the perseverance!

If anyone is interested in joining this Knit Along the Link in on the right side bar under "Links" listed as "Monthly Knit Along."

"In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Psalm 33:21-22

Savoring the Day

Hello and Happy Saturday!

Today I woke up with the thought, "I am going to savor today!" I am thankful for that thought. It even came before my first cuppa coffee, lol!

I am home today and then I will be attending two soccer games (indoor field of course). Whatever I do, whether it be folding laundry or tidying or cooking or knitting or reading or studying or quilting, I am committed to savoring the joy in it. You might have heard the saying, "wherever you are, be all there;" well that is what I hope to do.

These can be stressful days. With the prices of everything soaring and the bank account diminishing, it is easy to let the trials of life steal joy. But, I don't believe that needs to be. I believe that if I fix my eyes on Jesus and trust him with my circumstances I can rise above the circumstances and enjoy the simple joys of the day.

"Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights."
Habakkuk 3:17-19

I pray for each one reading, that you will have a day of trusting the Lord Jesus and enjoying the simple joys of the day!

January Mid Month KAL and Daily Happenings

I wanted to show the colors I chose for this mid month Jan. KAL to my fellow "KAL-ites"(and anyone else who is interested!). :) It is a verigated with pink, tan and cream. I really like it and it was on sale! I am glad I like it because it gave me the determination to keep at this cloth despite pulling out rows 3 times and then finally starting all over! But, I prevailed and hopefully through great caution will finish this smoothly!



We finally got out Rachel's sewing machine and she got to try it today. I was waiting for Robin to be home. I didn't understand how to thread it or even how to GET to the bobbin! Yeah, I am not very mechanical! Someone gaves us this machine and I have been saving it for her. She did one puzzle from her Sewing Book and then just played with material and drew out/sewed a little skirt for her doll. I promised her that I would try to find some free doll patterns online this weekend. Here she is, at work for the first time on her sewing machine.


I had to include this. Our dog never ceases to crack us up! He is so good with the kids and keeps them company, going from person to person all day! Here he is, so interested in Christian's game. You never have to worry about being lonely with Dash around! :)


What's going on at your house today?

Crazy Mom Quilt Squares

I finally got to do some sewing today. I have been trying all week, but between homeschooling and the kids activities there hasn't been much time to dig it all out. Thankfully, today was a stormy day which means we stay home! I did Square #9 and Square #1 from Crazy Mom Quilts. I decided to stay with the same colors for all the squares. We'll see how that goes. I had great fun! My back does not like it when I sew. But each time I find tricks to help.

Today I put my cutting mat on the kitchen counter. That way I didn't have to bend as much. Next time I will try putting my ironing board beside my sewing machine. I get up and down and up and down to sew seams and pin. If I can stay seated to iron that may help too. Somehow I'll get it figured out! ;)

Tomorrow I am promising myself to work on the borders of the T2CHK Swap Quilt. Yes, I am that type of person who has several projects at once...it keeps life interesting!

Here are my blocks:
First is #9 and then #1:

Thankful Thursday

It's thankful Thursday! I am so thankful for:
My Lord, my family, my home.
I am thankful to be a stay at home mom and to have time to knit and quilt and to do other things I enjoy!
I am thankful for days when the kids are so settled and play quietly. I am glad they can do the things that they enjoy too.

Here is a picture of Christian and Rachel playing "Battleship". The picture is a bit dark but it represents those moments I love to see. :)


Here are my finished projects so far this week. I finished my shawl and Rachel agreed to model it for me. She is such a pretty model!


Below are the dishcloths I have completed so far. The white one is another lighthouse and the blue one is a sailboat. I am presently working on the Mid Month Knit Along for January and a white state of maine cloth.



I have been trying to get to my sewing all week but it hasn't worked out for one reason or another. But tomorrow is suppose to be another stormy day so it will be the perfect time to pull it all out! I want to do this week's block from "Crazy Moms Quilts."

The kids and I have been reading 2 Samuel and we finished it up today. I loved these words in today's reading:
"As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is flawless.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him,
For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet liket he feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights."
2 Samuel 22:31-34

The Good the Bad and the Ugly!

When the weather looks like this (beautiful to me but ugly to the ones who shovel!):


Well, then Robin must work from home and join the homeschoolers at the table (the good):


And there is no where to go so mom has time to knit (the VERY good!!). Now these two pics are actually what I accomplished over the weekend...though I have started another today. Anywho, the first is a lighthouse and the second is the state of Maine with the lettering "ME" on the side. (You can find these and other great free patterns at Knitting Nonsense



Now here's the ugly! I had time to bake so seeing as we are having company tomorrow night, I decided to have choc. chip cookies as sandwiches with ice cream in the middle. Well, let's just say that I will likely serve something else for dessert! First I was reading the wrong recipe as there are 3 are on the bag so I used too much sugar. Then I don't know what else happened except I do think I overbeat them. I had a horrible time getting them off my well seasoned stones. But, the kids are very glad to eat my "mistakes!"


I do like to show my failures as well as my successes. Too often young homemakers are discouraged because they see THEIR failures but no one else's failures. But isn't life about both? Failures like a ruined cookie or a crooked sewn seam or a few rows of knitting that must be torn out are things I try not to get too upset over. It is all a part of the process. It's best to learn and move on!! :)

If You Are Looking for Cotton Yarn

If you are looking for cotton knit yarn, the website below is having a sale and TODAY is the LAST DAY! It is the "Sugar 'n Cream" cotton and they are selling it for $1.12 for 2 ounces and $5.99 for the 16 ounce cone. If you $25.00 or more, shipping is free! WOW! I just had to pass this along. I have never but from them, so shop at your own risk. Here is the link:

Crafts Etc

"Pugly"

I have entered my name for the first time in a blog give-away!! Denise, at her blog (listed below), is asking people to name her the pig in the piggy potholder. The pig is adorable, by the way! I named her (yes, I decided it must be a HER) Pugly...I don't know why...maybe because pigs have a puggy-like nose... :) Go check it out for yourself and see if it doesn't scream "Pugly" to you too!! Here is the link: Hen and Chicks

The Square Formerly Known as "8"

The above square was my big project for today. I found this pattern at http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/ . She has one square per week and then when you are done you have a full quilt! This was square #8 for her but square #1 for me (thus my title!)! :)

This was a fun square, and despite having to rip it apart twice, it was easy! ;) I think I am either rusty or inexperienced or both! But I am going to try to make all of the squares and I think I will learn alot. At the very least, I know I will have many hours of enjoyment getting back into quilting. My plan is to do 2 squares per week until I am all caught up or it ends, whichever leaves me with all the squares complete and a pretty quilt on my bed!

And the Beat Goes On!

Rachel's long awaited day has arrived! Today she got to sit at my sewing machine and begin learning to sew on it. She did a marvelous job; she takes to things quite quickly.


You can see how intent she is! We are using the little book pictured below. I really like this book. It starts you out doing mazes and dot to dot puzzles using the sewing machine. She did two of these exercises on paper and then I gave her two pieces of cloth to sew together that will become a pillow for a doll. She did so well, I think we will make a little quilt for her doll together. It's a happy day!



Her is my progress on the swap quilt. The rows are complete and I have done half of the first border. I will be doing a double border. The backing has been sewn together as well. It is slow going. After one piece of border is cut, sewn and ironed my back is protesting loudly! But I am thankful to be able to do it at all!

Dream Come True!

The above picture is a praise and a dream come true!! Tyler is learning the guitar. He has not had many lessons. But I recently purchased a book of "Easy Piano" Worship Songs. Here he is above, playing a song while Rachel and Christian sing! I have so longed for our family to be able to worship together with our voices and instruments!!

This weekend, we are rearranging the house so that Christian's drum set can come downstairs. Then we can gather with Rachel on piano, Tyler on guitar and Christian on the drums for some fun!! Robin plays guitar too. In a few months we will buy Tyler a guitar (he wants an electric guitar). I play piano too but I am too happy to pass those reigns to Rachel. Someday I dream of playing the flute so perhaps in another year I will have a flute to play. We'll see.

For now I am just so happy that my kids are each doing well in an instrument and we are taking baby steps toward all playing together!! Praise the Lord!!

January Knit Along

This is my "Craft Season" of the year. It runs from January through May, but especially from Jan. through March. Nothing beats the winter blues like planning lots of fun projects to complete. Maybe this year will be the year I make lots of Christmas gifts ahead, we'll see, there is always hope! HAHA!

The above is the January Dishcloth Knit Along. It's fun to get the rows each day and try to guess what it will become. This month's, if you can't tell by the picture, is a football. The recommended color was brown but I had blue on hand so my football is blue! It's an "impressionist" football, heehee.

:) So...crafting is my "winter sport". What's yours?

I am Thankful for a Chapter a Day

When I was in college my English professor encouraged me and all of her students to always be reading a chapter a day in a book that is meant for pure enjoyment. She told us that this would help to keep alive our love for reading. I do enjoy my "chapter a day." Today, on my thankfulness list, is the fact that I have one book I am reading and one waiting in the wings to be read. You see, I am sort of a fast reader and it is hard to keep myself "with a book." Often I will say to my husband, "well I am officially bookless!!"

Recently I have been reading books by Karen Kingsbury. I have enjoyed these fictional, Christian books. Three of her series' are linked to each other and I am on the third. I have read the "Redemption Series" and the "Firstborn Series" and now I am on the "Sunrise Series." There are only two of these books in print and then I will have to wait for the last two that are due out this spring. So...I am taking my time to read them or alas, I shall be bookless again!! ;)

I would love to hear recommendations for your favorite Christian fiction series. I fear I will soon be looking... But for now I am so thankful to have a book in my hands!

Only One Thing to Do!

"Our Master does not give us two things to be done at the same moment; and He only expects what He gives time, talents, and strength for." Amy Carmichael

I have a few poets that I really love, but I go back to the words of Amy Carmichael again and again and again. Oh, how I would have loved to have met her and gotten to know her! She'll be one of those people I look up when I am in Heaven! :)

This little encouragement I have quoted means so much to me. I can get overwhelmed with the busyness of life. Here I am, the kind of person who desires a very simple life with a simple schedule but for this season, it is just not meant to be. So I have to remind myself not to think too far ahead. I can sometimes think of a week's worth of activities and get all stressed about it. Then I have to remind myself of A. C.'s wise words and take each event, each responsibility, one at a time.

Life becomes much simpler when I do one thing at a time! A good list of what must be done when, a workable schedule and then taking things one at a time is the key to simplicity for me. Today as I was homeschooling and thinking of how we must pick up the van from the mechanic, tidy and shop for company coming tomorrow, get Rachel to her dance classes later on, I had to remind myself that for that moment I had my one task and needed to focus on that. The rest would take care of itself in it's time!

Progress

I'm gettin' there!!

Gettin' Real on Wonderful Wednesday

OOPS! I sewed the right side to the wrong side; now where's that stitch ripper!


Inspired by Arithmetic to take a good nap!


His "Handy Dandy Ruler Holder". Um, I think he was gettin' sick of school maybe?

I am Thankful

Today I am so thankful for the snow we have had (nearly every other day!). For me, watching the snow is like listening to crickets or listening to ocean waves. It is very peaceful. I think part of that is that we all stay home when it snows. We are warm and cozy and protected and together!

Here is a picture of the tree in our front yard as it looked early this morning...



With a bad back I really can't shovel. I am very thankful for a husband and children who are willing to shovel, especially my husband who does the bulk of it. He is making quite the large snow banks this year!!




Yesterday I sewed too much and was sore. Today I was a bit frustrated because I wanted to sew but knew I couldn't sit in a hard backed chair to do it. So I am thankful that I got the idea to put the sewing machine on the kitchen counter and sew standing up!! :) (You might notice in this picture that the trim has been taken off my counter...well that's quite another story...seems we discovered recently that we have some work to do on our counters this year...they have exceeded their lifespan...but that is for another day!)



What are you thankful for today?

"Come let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him iwth thanksgiving and extol him with music and song." Psalm 95:1-2

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!! The above picture shows what I have been doing for a good part of the day! As I said before, I am finally making a quilt of the blocks I received from the past two years of T2CHK quilt swaps. I am "in the zone!" Were it not for my back I would have done the whole front panel but I must learn to take things in smaller bites these days. But I have finished building up the blocks that were shy of 12 1/2" square and I have completed these two rows. :)

I decided to take the blocks from the Friendship Star swap and line them around the outside. On the inside will be the 9-Square blocks. Then I will do a double border around the entire thing. This will be a good sized twin quilt. I will have 3, 9-Square blocks left. I will use two for pillow shams and one for a throw pillow. This quilt will mostly be used when guests come. I am excited to have a plan and to be getting it done!

I have been thinking about my goals for 2008. There are three thoughts strongly on my heart:

1. To pursue the joy of the Lord each day. (The joy of the Lord is my strength. Neh 8:10)
2. To be actively thankful each day and to make a thankful list each day. (Give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thess. 5:18)
3. To be content. (I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Phil. 4:12)

At times I just seem to get weighed down by life and it's cares. And you know, "if mamma ain't happy ain't nobody happy!" A wife/mom can be instrumental in setting "the temperature" of the house. I want to be uplifting and encouraging!

What types of goals do you have for 2008?