October 14th with the Prayer Shawl Ministry

God is good always.  He brought us new members, new Prayer Shawls, Prayer Cloths, Helmet Liners and Scarves for the Armed Services Care Packages, and an abundance of donated yarn and knitting needles!  The table in the room was stacked high with new yarn!  Thank you Kathi, Linda, Dee, and Ellen for the yarn donations.  God has big plans for the Prayer Shawl Ministry.   

Davis dropped in for a few minutes to say hello.  We offered to let him use some of the new yarn and needles.  He graciously declined saying, “he didn’t knit, and he didn’t inspect our work, but certainly did respect it.”  Ellen told him we could “keep him in stitches.”  He said he had to leave because “he had been needled enough!” 

Oh well, so much for puns.

New Members:  Ernestine, Anne, and Cindi joined us for the first time on Wednesday evening.  Welcome to the Prayer Shawl Ministry.  We are very happy to have you as members.  These three ladies are knitters.  A few months ago the crocheters outnumbered the knitters.  Now it’s the other way around.  There were only 4 or 5 crocheters at the meeting on the 14^th, so crocheters, if you’re taking a vacation – we need you back.

Knit Chemo Cap: There have been several requests for the knit chemo cap pattern, so here it is.

Skill Level: Beginner
SIZE
S (L)
Circumference 13 (16)" [33 (40.5) cm]
Note Hat is very stretchy.
Materials
• LION BRAND Fancy Fur
1 (2) ball(s) #213 Rainbow Red
or color of your choice
• LION BRAND size 13 (9 mm) knitting needles (double-pointed or straight needles)
• LION BRAND large-eyed, blunt needle to sew seam
GAUGE
10 stitches + 12 rows = 4” (10 cm) in stockinette stitch (straight needles: knit on right
side, purl on wrong side) (double-pointed needles: knit every round).
BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR GAUGE.
Double-Pointed Needle Hat
Cast on 32 (40) stitches onto 3 or 4 needles. Join and knit every round (stockinette stitch)
until hat measures 6 (7)” from beginning.
Begin crown shaping as follows:
Round 1 *Knit 6 (8), knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 28 (36) stitches.
Round 2 Knit.
Round 3 *Knit 5 (7), knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 24 (32) stitches.
Round 4 Knit.
Round 5 *Knit 4 (6), knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 20 (28) stitches.
Round 6 *Knit 3 (5), knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 16 (24) stitches.
Round 7 *Knit 2 (4), knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 12 (20) stitches.
Round 8 *Knit 1 (3), knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 8 (16) stitches.
(Large size only) Next Round *Knit 2, knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 12
stitches.
Next Round *Knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 4 (6) stitches.
Next Round *Knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 2 (3) stitches.
Knit 2 (3) together. Fasten off.
Cut yarn. Draw yarn tail through last remaining stitch using large-eyed, blunt needle and
tighten. Weave in ends.
Straight needle Hat
Cast on 32 (40) stitches. Knit 1 row, then purl 1 row (stockinette stitch), until Hat
measures 6 (7)” from beginning.
Begin crown shaping as follows:
Row 1 *Knit 6 (8), knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 28 (36) stitches.
Row 2 Purl.
Row 3 *Knit 5 (7), knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 24 (32) stitches.
Row 4 Purl.
Row 5 *Knit 4 (6), knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 20 (28) stitches.
Row 6 *Purl 2 together, purl 3 (5); repeat from the * to end – 16 (24) stitches.
Row 7 *Knit 2 (4), knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 12 (20) stitches.
Row 8 *Purl 2 together, purl 1 (3); repeat from the * to end – 8 (16) stitches.
(Large size only) Next Row *Knit 2, knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 12
stitches. Purl 1 row.
Next Row *Knit 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 4 (6) stitches.
Next Row *Purl 2 together; repeat from the * to end – 2 (3) stitches.
Knit 2 (3) together. Fasten off.
Cut yarn. Draw yarn tail through last remaining stitch using large-eyed, blunt needle and
tighten. Cut yarn. Sew back Hat seam. Weave in ends.

Remaining 2009 Calendar:  These are the scheduled meeting dates for the remainder of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 (yes, that is next year!).  Given that the holidays are fast approaching, this may help us in our planning.

· October 21^st and 28^th – Regular meeting times

· November 4^th, 11^th, and 18^th – Regular meeting times

November 25^th – No meeting

· December 2^nd and 9^th – Regular meeting times

December 16^th, 23^rd, and 30^th – No meeting

· January 6^th, 2010 – No meeting

January 13^th and beyond (as they say in Toy Story)! – Regular meeting times

Next Communion Date:  As on October 4^th, we will have Prayer Shawls, Afghans, and Blankets on the altar rail on November 29^th.  Please let me know if you can help with set-up at 9:15, add items at 10:45, and remove the items at 12:15.  This is really an easy task and it offers so much to our congregation.  Thank you for your help and support.

Armed Services Care Package Update:  There are approximately 10 Helmet Liners and 10 scarves ready to go into the Care Packages.  Twelve Prayer Cloths are in bags with the special Prayer Cloth card.  These items have been set aside in the gray bin for the Care Packages to be prayed over.  The only thing that needs to be added are the care instructions to the Helmet Liners and Scarves since they are wool.

There will be 10 packages sent out from our church to members in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The items will be prayed over at the November 2^nd Conversations with God service at 8:00 AM in The Upper Room.  Please be there if you can.  Sheri Smith and Nancy Ford have also requested help packing the Care Packages if anyone is interested.  They will let us know the date and time.

Prayer Cloths:  Prayer Cloths are spreading like wild fire.  So many of you have taken the idea of the Prayer Cloths and run with them.  I hear so many stories about sharing them with the women in your Circle, your bridge club, or other groups, and then those members making them for their friends.  It’s wonderful to see this little piece of cloth mean so much to each of us.

Starting in January, I am going to suggest that each of us make one extra Prayer Cloth a week and that we store them until World Communion Sunday which is the first Sunday in October I believe.  On that day, we should have enough to give one to everyone who wants one who attends any of the three services on that day.  Let me know if you think that is a worthwhile goal.

I will not be in attendance on the 21^st or the 28^th due to cataract surgery, but will be with you in thought and spirit.  I will still be crocheting though!  And when I return I’ll be able to see all of you better.

Love and blessings,

Beverly

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean.  But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” – Mother Teresa

Prayer Shawl Meeting October 7, 2009

What a joy it is to meet together in our new room! 

Many of our ladies had other commitments, so it  was a smaller group of us who met to play and pray together. We have a number of helmet liners and scarves completed for our Troops.  Miss Martha has graciously agreed to give help to those of us who are confused by the pattern!!!!

We have several new prayer cloths ready for the Upper Room as well.                                                            

There is some new yarn in our bins....not to start a stampede, but Wal Mart has several colors of Red Heart Super Saver on clearance for $1.50....Be sure to check our stash, also, if you need materials for your next project.

The fall festival is coming up.  If you plan to help with set up, please be there by 1:30. Our cabin will display not only our handiwork, but also crafts made by a number of other people.  We will have a sign up sheet next week, for anyone who can come out and play.  In addition, if anyone has a rocking chair or a lawn chair that rocks, we are in need of one or two for the front porch of our cabin.

This week, there will be at least five shawls presented, as well as a chemo cap. Our cupboard is by no means bare, but if anyone has a completed shawl or lap robe, please try to get it to us soon.

Have a Blessed week.

Ellen Carey

September 16th with the Chicks with Sticks

September 16^th:  “It was a dark and stormy night”...and we were a small, but mighty group in our new space, which was bright and comfortable.  Probably most of you are too young to remember Snoopy in the Charlie Brown cartoons trying to write a story beginning with those words.  I don’t think he ever got any further than “It was a dark and stormy night”.

Miraculously two very comfortable chairs appeared in our new room for those with back problems, so even that worked out well as the thunder boomed.  The hooks and needles clicked away as we talked, laughed, and prayed.  Even “the dog eating my homework” didn’t dampen our spirits! 

Prayer Shawls:  God blessed us with four completed Prayer Shawls and two scarves for the Grace Bags.  Our project for the Armed Services Care Packages has two completed helmet liners and two scarves in our storage area and at least two scarves in New York with Dana.  Two Prayer Shawls and a cross were given out on Wednesday evening, and two shawls were added to the cabinet.

Prayer Shawl Cabinet:  Our Prayer Shawl cabinet is no longer overflowing – we have one empty shelf.  However, God will provide as He always does.  We’re diligently working on Prayer Shawls and the Armed Services Care Packages and can only knit and crochet 24 hours a day...oh wait, family life and sleep fall in there somewhere too.  Thank you for all of your hard work.  You are wonderful!  This is such a rewarding Ministry­­ – it’s easy to want to spend all of your time on it.

Colors for Shawls:  We often talk about colors of yarn for Prayer Shawls so you might find this list gives you ideas about new colors for your projects.  From the Prayer Shawl Companion:

· Red:  love, passion, respect, energy, enthusiasm, courage, vigor, health, understanding

· Pink: friendship, compassion, sensitivity, generosity, soothing, warm-heartedness, gratitude

· Orange: thoughtfulness, vitality, creativity

· Yellow: wisdom, learning, optimism, intuition, faith, well-being, friendship, energy, happiness, sociability, joy, gladness, goodness

· Green: earth, healing, prosperity, fertility, clarity, sympathy, hope, renewal, health, confidence, abundance, growth, life, permanence, peace

· Aqua: courage, balance, harmony, stability

· Blue: water, healing, meditation, intuition, peace, tranquility, honesty, loyalty, communication, sincerity, wisdom, spirituality, eternity, self-esteem

· Indigo: wisdom, insight, instinct, spiritual nature

· Violet: spirit, spirituality, intuition, truth, memory, nostalgia, humility, comfort during grief or mourning, peace

· Purple: power, leadership, royalty, truth, justice, temperance, spirituality, wisdom

· Brown: wholesomeness, honesty, steadfastness, simplicity, friendliness, dependability, practical, down-to-earth, warmth

· Beige/Tan: optimism, simplicity, calmness

· Black: self-confidence, strength, absorbs negativity, mature wisdom, harmony

· White: spirit, light, air, innocence, protection, peace, purity, gentleness, perfection holiness, maidenhood, illumination, reverence, humility, winter

· Gold: masculine energy, enlightenment, sacred, durable

· Silver: feminine energy, flexibility

· Gray: strength, balance, wisdom

September 23^rd Meeting:  Watch for an e-mail about the next meeting.  There will be an exciting announcement!

Love and blessings,

Beverly

"Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder." - Henry David Thoreau

Another Prayer Shawl Finished and Grounds for Euthanasia…

I used Homespun for this one. I love working with this yarn. It is so very soft and given the texture and the bulkiness of this yarn it makes for quick work. I knocked this one out in about two weeks or so.

I love the colors, Homespun Windsor (the blue), Homespun Pacific (the pale pink and beige variegated) and white.

The colors worked so very beautifully together.

Her is a close up of the colors!

I had just finished off the last edge and folded up up and placed it aside to turn in on Wednesday. My sweet devil puppy decide to curl up on top of it for a small nap.

How very precious I thought.

Until I saw this!

A HOLE!

A HOLE CHEWED BY MY SWEET PRECIOUS DEVIL PUPPY!

But…God is good!

You see I was on my way out the door to my morning work out and had already instructed my sweet devil puppy to get into his crate BEFORE I spied the HOLE.

Had he not been safely behind bars already I am not sure what would have happen!

Robin

September 9th in our new space

New Space:  God is good all the time!  With His divine intervention, we held the September 9^th meeting in rooms 308 and 309.  All of our yarn, patterns, and other supplies are in the storage closet (with lots of extra room for expansion) at the end of the hall.  And there is more room for growth of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, so please bring your friends and continue to spread the word about what we do.

Helmet Liners and Scarves:  Martha turned in the first helmet liner Wednesday evening and Zena turned in the first scarf – thank you so much for your work.  When the September Prayers and Concerns list was reviewed, there were 21 individuals from our congregation, or who are friends or relatives of members of our congregation in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, or another area who would appreciate a wool helmet liner or scarf during the time of year coming up.  Dana knew of one other individual not on the list.  I’ll continue to check with Nancy to make sure we have enough items for the number of Care Packages the Church is sending.  Please do what you can on this project.  Thank you for supporting it.

Prayer Shawls:  As always, there are so many people in need of God’s love, comfort, and healing.  The question came up again on Wednesday evening about the qualifications for an individual receiving an item we make.  Quite some time ago it was decided that the person did not need to be a member of the congregation, did not need to have a specific malady, just needed God’s love, comfort, and healing.  The items are not meant to be gifts such as “an over the hill” birthday gift.  Other than that, the qualification was between the individual and God.

If you attended either the 9:30 or the 11:00 service on the 6^th, you witnessed the draw of the Prayer Shawls and the Prayer Blankets on the altar rail.  So many individuals stopped to touch them or stayed and prayed over them after communion, and after the service.  After the 11:00 service, the last person left the altar rail about 12:45.  What a precious and holy moment!

  Prayer Shawl Cabinet:  As stated so eloquently by Meredith, when she saw the Prayer Shawl cabinet for the first time on Wednesday evening, the cabinet was overflowing before the Prayer Shawls for six individuals were taken from it.  Yarn items take up a lot of space so when you put six items in.  It looks very full.  Conversely, when you take six items out, it looks empty.  I know of three more shawls that will be delivered in the next week.  No doubt by next Wednesday, it will look very empty again.

Prayers and Concerns:  Thank you for sharing your own prayers and concerns on Wednesday evening, as well as praying for others and the completed items.  If it is all right with everyone, I would like to make that part of our meetings.  We tend to overlook our needs in our quest to do the Prayer Shawl Ministry’s work for the glory of God.

Food Co-Op:  Robin has asked us to bring a can of food for the Co-Op each week – a simple request for a worthy cause.  I have to confess that I forget almost every week.  Please try to remember your can of food for the 16^th and surprise Robin with a can from each of us!

Snowflakes:  Most of us collect something – baskets, figurines, yarn, etc.  I recently read an article about a woman who collects snowflakes – not the ones that fall from the sky, but snowflakes made of all kinds of materials.  Her reason for collecting them is a handwritten sermon prepared by her deceased Methodist preacher grandfather in the 1960s, and delivered at the Mulberry Street United Methodist Church in downtown Macon, Georgia.  “His message was we are all called to be individuals, but stand as one.  Snowflakes are breathtakingly beautiful when they fall; when they hit the ground they become one.”   Her grandfather’s premise was we should all emulate snowflakes.

When I read this story, I thought about how each of the members of the Prayer Shawl Ministry are so unique, but also so loving to others, which allows us to act as one body to glorify God by providing tangible evidence of his love, comfort, and healing.  Thank you for all you do each and every day!

See you on the 16^th.

Love and blessings,

Beverly

Don’t be afraid, just believe! – Rev. Alan H., September 6^th, 2009

For those of us who are not Knitting Savants!

 

Blessings

Robin

Getting to Know Each Other Again - September 3rd

Thanks be to God again:  God is good all the time.  What an awesome night in The Parlor!  I’ve been taught that you don’t use the word awesome lightly.  It’s only used when you are in awe of something.  Well, last night, ladies, I was awed.  God was with us while we prayed, talked, laughed, knitted, crocheted, shared our stories, and got to know each other again or for the first time.  Thank you God for bringing us together and creating this Ministry and thank for allowing us to be His hands and feet.

Prayer Shawls:  God provided a wonderful bounty of completed projects last night.  Shawls, scarves, and chemo caps were stacked high on the foot stool.  If you look closely in the photo of the group that was there last night, there were enough completed items that everyone was holding something.  What a blessing!  In fact, seventeen was the magic number last night.  That’s how many members were in attendance for all or part of our time together in The Parlor.  It has been a long time since we had introduced ourselves, and with so many members present, it was fun to learn more about each other.

God revealed two individual’s names last night who need special prayers and comforting.  Becky delivered a Prayer Shawl to a friend last night due to a recent job loss.  And Zena took a Chemo Cap to send to a relative, who is very ill from her first round of chemotherapy. 

Yarn and Supplies:  Belle was kind enough to bring in two boxes and a bag of yarn and supplies donated by a friend.  It will take a while to go through it to see what’s there and how best to put it to good use.  Between supplies and members, we may outgrow our lovely Parlor soon.  What a wonderful opportunity God presents us with.

Birthdays: Please wish the following members a Happy Birthday this month!

            Barbara C. – September 12^th

            Trisha D. -   September 13^th

Helmet liners and scarves: 

This September project is underway.  Thank you for your enthusiastic response.  Please let me know if you need patterns or yarn for the liner or the scarf.  The helmet liner pattern is pretty much set.  If you have questions on the pattern, Becky, Ellen, or Dana can answer question about the pattern.

If you have a problem with the scarf pattern, please let me know if you need help, or you are free to pick a different pattern.  The only requirements on the scarf pattern is that you use wool and that it is a closed pattern, meaning not lacy or open so that it is warm.

Fall Festival:  October 18^th is approaching rapidly.  The time for the festival is from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.  However, we will need time to set up the cabin so those who plan to participate please plan to arrive about 1:00 PM.  In addition, we need the names and phone numbers of specific craft people who want to display their wares in our cabin so I can arrange for the tables or whatever they will need to put their items on display.  Please contact them or me so I can contact them to get the details.

Have a wonderful three day weekend!

Love and blessings,

Beverly

Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight: always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary. - Sir James Matthew Barrie