What are you working on this week?

What have you been working on this week?  I have a zillion things going on and to make it all just a bit more chaotic, I threw in a visit to a regional craft show on Friday!  Ack! So many great ideas!  They are all rolling around in my head now.

I was at church this morning (as we do most Sundays) and I was talking with our priest.  I told her (yes, she is a girl, we are Episcopal) that I had a prayer shawl for her.  She was so excited.  I can't wait to take it up to her on Tuesday to show her.  This is my Jacob's Ladder Prayer Shawl.  I will donate it to the church and when she is doing her "sick rounds" in the hospital or in our parishioners' homes or at the nursing home and she sees someone who needs one, she can give it to them.

I began working on a few coasters that I will put in my etsy store. Yes, I am resurrecting my etsy store.  We will see how it goes.  A friend of mine also asked if I were interested in setting up at a craft show too this spring/summer.  So they will go towards that if they don't sell in the etsy store. I got the coaster pattern here if you want to try your hand at them.  They are super easy and quick to make.

I also have been sorting some other projects and getting a list of things I need to either complete the project or begin the project.  I spent $40 at JoAnn Fabrics today on fabric remnants for some walker bags that I need to make as well.  I have an order for 8 bags and just haven't gotten around to it.

To top all that off I have begun working on a prayer lap blanket.  It is working up quickly but I think it will take me longer than I have patience for.  This pattern will be posted at a future date.  I am really enjoying creating new patterns.  It has been fun.

So what is on my list for the week?
1. a video on the Half Double Crochet (a favorite of mine).
2. a video on the foundationless stitches. (This will be such a great resource).
3. finish the prayer lap blanket (can I get it done before Tuesday so I can take it to church with my prayer shawl????)
4. get my etsy store back on line and a couple items in it.

So what are you working on this week?

Cute Granny Round Dish Cloth - Free Pattern

I found this cute little dish cloth and I had some cotton that I just got from Michaels on sale for a dollar a skein.  When I saw this pattern I had to make me one. I love this blog for so many reasons but I find that often the patterns are not quite correct.

I have corrected her pattern and am posting it for you.

Granny Round Dish Cloth

Size: 8 ½ inch diameter

Materials: Worsted weight cotton yarn, Size G crochet hook

Row 1: Ch 4. Join with sl st to form ring. Ch 2 (counts as first sc). Make 13 sc in ring. Join with sl st to top of chain 2. (14 sc) 

Row 2: Ch 4 (counts as first dc + ch 1). Dc in next sc. Ch 1. (Dc, ch 1) in each sc stitch around. Join with sl st in third chain of beginning stitch.  Turn work.

Row 3: Ch 3. Dc in space below. Ch 1. (2 dc, ch 1) in each ch 1 space around. Join with sl st in top of beginning ch 3. Sl st in next stitch and in the ch 1 space. Turn work.

Row 4:  Ch 3. 2 dc in space below chain. Ch 1. (3 dc, ch 1) in each ch 1 space around. Join with sl st in top of beginning ch 3. Turn work.

Row 5: Ch 3. Dc in next 2 dc. Ch 1. Dc in ch 1 space. *Dc in next 3 dc. Ch 1. Dc in ch 1 space.* Repeat between ** around. Join with sl st to top of beginning ch 3. Turn work.

Row 6: Ch 3. Dc in same stitch as joining. Ch 1. Make 2 dc in next ch 1 space. Ch 1. *skip next 2 stitches. 2 dc in next stitch. Ch 1. 2 dc in next space. Ch 1.* Repeat between ** around. Join with sl st in top of beginning ch 3. Sl st in next stitch and in space.  Turn work.

Row 7: Ch 3. 2 dc in space below. Ch 1. *(3 dc, ch 1) in next ch 1 space.* Repeat between ** around. Join with sl st in top of beginning ch 3.  Turn work.

Row 8: Sl st in next stitch. *5 dc in ch 1 space. Skip next dc. Sl stitch in next dc.* Repeat between ** around. Join with a sl st in beginning sl st. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

I have to say that when I am starting a new row and are making a chain to become my first DC I never need 3 chains.  2 chains work better for me.  So in the beginning of row 2 I only chain 3.  At the beginning of rows 3, 4, 5,6, and 7, I only chain 2.

Also, the lady's pattern (Miss Abigail's mom) works well for her and makes a flat dishcloth as you can see in her photo.  Mine was flat until I added the last row (row 8).  This shell pattern edging made mine wrinkly or wavy.  I am going to redo the edging on the next dishcloth I make to see if it will lay flat.  I am also going to wash this one and see what happens too.

Jacob's Ladder Prayer Shawl - Free Pattern

Prayer shawls are an awesome gift for someone who has recently been ill, lost a love one, or is struggling with something.  It is like a big hug.  Made a bit larger than a normal shawl, it is half blanket, half shawl.  The idea of a prayer shawl is that the person who made it prayed as they were making it.  They prayed over it, or with each stitch or row.  They thought of the recipient, prayed for them and those prayers and thoughts transcend into the shawl.

I named this shawl "Jacob's Ladder" because I love the story in the Bible.  The story, in short, is about Jacob who is traveling. He dreams one night that he saw a ladder or "stairs" coming down from Heaven.  On these stairs the angels were going up and down. God was at the top of the ladder. The Bible tells us that this dream was a sign of God's promise to us. His promise is to be with us and keep us where ever we should go and bring us back to Him.  I named it "Jacob's Ladder" because I think that this shawl is a symbol of God's promise to us.  The person who receives this shawl will be wrapped in God's promise to be with us and keep us, no matter what-- a perfect meaning for this shawl.

I crocheted this pattern using two similar hues of dark red. The ladders go width-wise.  This is an easy pattern and works up quickly.

The Pattern:

Jacob’s Ladder Prayer Shawl

worsted weight yarn 3 skeins

Size I hook

Start with 275 Foundationless Half Double Crochets.

Row 2: Chain 3, DC in third HDC from bottom row. *Ch 1, Skip one HDC and DC in next*, repeat from * to * to end of row. Ch 2 and turn.

Row 3: HCD in each DC and chain space.  In last chain space make 2 HDC. Chain 3 and turn. (275 HDCs)

Row 4: DC in third HDC from the row below.  *Ch 1, skip one HDC and DC in the next hdc*. repeat from * to * to end of row. Chain 2 and turn.

Row 5: HDC in each DC and chain space.  In last chain space make 2 HDC. Chain 3 and turn.

Change colors.

Row 6: HCD in each HDC. (275 HDCs). Chain 3 and turn.

Repeat rows 2-5 with this color.

Repeat color change 5 more times. Bind off.

Add fringe if you like.

This is my own pattern that I made up in my own head. Please see my note on the side bar about patterns and my intellectual material, rights, and permissions.

Left Handed Crochet - Double Crochet Video

Here is my video tutorial on the double crochet stitch.  I am left handed so it is for left handed people.

Enjoy!

Left Handed Crochet - Single Crochet Video

This video tutorial shows how to do a single crochet stitch.  Being left handed I crochet left handed.   Enjoy!

Wait! Am I imagining things?????

Wasn't your blog title something else the other day?  Wasn't it "Idle Hands"?

Why yes, yes it was.  I changed it.  I still believe in "Idle Hands", but it was time for a change.  When I started this blog years ago I couldn't get the URL to be "Idle Hands" so I used "whitneyshandwork" instead and just named my blog Idle Hands.

My grandmother never had Idle Hands.  I never do either. I am always working on some project or another when watching tv or just sitting by the fire.  I feel productive while relaxing.  I find working with my hands IS relaxing.

Time for a change.....

With the beginning of my Facebook page highlighting the classes I teach as well as posting about the posts I make here, it was getting confusing with all the different names.  My Facebook page is called "Whitney's Crafting Classes". I just began making videos and posting them on You Tube.  The channel there links back to here but the channel is my name, so it just makes sense to use my name as the title of the blog too.  At least there is some consistency, right?  Makes sense to me.

So the new title of the blog is "Whitney's Handwork".

A Few Valentine's Day Cards

I sat down this afternoon and created a few quick and easy cards with my papers and stamps.

This first card was super simple, using the DCWV Love and Wedding Scrapbook kit in a Stack.  I used some Recollections Glitter tape.  This tape is NOT sticky at all.  It doesn't stick or stay where you put it.  I had to put some Tombow on the back of it to make it stick to the paper.  That was a bit disappointing. The LOVE stickers on the front was from the same Scrapbook Kit in a Stack.  It comes with letters, some stickers (which in my opinion are cheesy) and some vellum sayings.  I wanted to use the vellum sayings but when I used my Tombow on the back of it you could see it.  I need to get some adhesive that won't show through vellum.

The second card was also from the DCWV Love and Wedding kit.  I used a "Happy Valentine's Day" stamp that I found in the $1 section at Michaels a few years back.  It fit perfect in the little space on the bottom left. I inked the edges with Cat's Eye Chalk.

The third card was a K and Company paper.  Both papers were from K and Company.  I picked these up at Tuesday Morning last year just after Valentine's Day.  The Glitter tape again is Recollections brand and again not sticky. I put some Stickles on the back paper to make it a bit glittery. I pop dotted the square in the bottom right corner.  Inside I used a stamp that says "Love you".