TODAY! "Meeting: Monday; September 19, 2016 ... Join Us!" TODAY!

~ TODAY ~

~ TODAY ~

TOMORROW! "Next Meeting: Monday; September 19, 2016 ... Join Us!" TOMORROW!

~ MONDAY ~

Join our outreach ministry TOMORROW ... 
Monday, September 19th from 
1:00 to 3:00 PM as we enjoy fellowship while working to create knit, crochet, or what-have-you items for others or ourselves ... your choice. 

Projects include lapghans, prayer shawls, cowls, loom knitted hats, baby booties and afghans ... the possibilities are endless.

~ MONDAY ~

"Tips & How To -- What to Buy When You're Just Learning to Knit or Crochet"

Visit www.lionbrand.com to Read this Great Intro for Newbies!

Knit & Crochet -- "Join In the Fun! It's the Bernat Blanket Stitch Along"

Starting Monday; October 3rd ...

Create a fun "Mystery" project with Bernat Blanket Yarn!
Open to ALL skill levels to Crochet or Knit ...

1.  Check in every Monday starting October 3rd, 2016, to get the latest stitch clue.

2.  The mystery pattern comes together as you knit and crochet along.

3.  Share your progress with others ...


Visit www.joann.com for all the juicy details and instructions ...

"Join us on Monday; September 19, 2016 at Our Next Meeting"

Join our outreach ministry on
MON, SEP 19th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM
as we enjoy fellowship while working to create knit, crochet,
or what-have-you items for others or ourselves ... your choice. 

Projects include lapghans, prayer shawls, cowls, loom knitted hats, baby booties and afghans ... the possibilities are endless.

No experience necessary!  The group is open to anyone of any age interested in our mission.  Volunteers to act as instructors are invited to attend.

Contact mewaters315@gmail.com for additional information.

"Good Works Ministry's August 15, 2016 Meeting Update"

JP, LB, MG and MEW enjoyed an afternoon session of needlecrafting fellowship at the LFBC Good Works Ministry's meeting held August 15.  

LB once again shared bounty from her garden.  She brought zucchini, peppers, and sweet sweet sweet cherry tomatoes. 

JP continued knitting booties … lovely in white.

LB completed the body of her "golden" lapghan. Next up ... the border.

MG continued working on a baby hat in soft pastels.

MEW shared two completed personal projects ... a "bulky" throw worked up in shades of teal and a lighter "bulky" throw in shades reminiscent of autumn ... orange, greens, and tan.

NOTE:  Due to the Labor Day holiday, the group will not meet on Monday; September 5, 2016. The next meeting of the group will be held on TBD from 1:00 to 3:00 PM … hope you can join us!

"Stitch Markers"

TODAY! "Meeting: Monday; August 15, 2016 ... Join Us!" TODAY!

~ TODAY ~

Join our outreach ministry TODAY ... Monday, August 15th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM as we enjoy fellowship while working to create knit, crochet, or what-have-you items for others or ourselves ... your choice. 

Projects include lapghans, prayer shawls, cowls, loom knitted hats, baby booties and afghans ... the possibilities are endless.

~ TODAY ~

"Knitting -- The Master Plan -- Lesson One ... by Frank Habit"

Credits:

Mary Jane's Tearoom & patterns2.othermyall1.net

Click the image to read "Lesson One" by Frank Habit for Lion Brand Yarn ... it's not to be missed.

*** TODAY! *** LFBC "Good Works Ministry" Meeting *** TODAY! ***

~ TODAY ~

~ TODAY ~

*** TOMORROW *** LFBC "Good Works Ministry" Meeting *** TOMORROW ***

TOMORROW

TOMORROW

"Knit & Crochet -- NEW! Lion Brand Wool-Ease Tonal"

Additional Information:

"Lion Brand" -- www.lionbrand.com

"Michael's" -- www.michaels.com

VIDEO:  "Go Behind the Scenes with Wool-Ease Tonal"

"Good Works Ministry's July 18, 2016 Meeting Update"

Six members attended the July 18^th session of the LFBC’s Good Works Ministry.  M.V., welcome to the group!

We were roasted and toasted by the meeting’s end.  The temperature outside was 82 – inside the meeting room it was HOT, HOT, HOT, CALIENTE!  Perhaps we’ll meet in the Sanctuary next month – it’s several degrees cooler in there.

The heat didn’t deter our needlecrafters.  M.G. worked on “newborn” hats and helped R.G. with a child’s spring hat. Welcome back R.G.! 

As a nice surprise to the group, R.G. shared stunning painted tiles and promised to bring more to the next meeting.  J.P. worked on knitting two baby booties simultaneously and offered to roll yarn for new member M.V.’s first loom-knitted hat. L.B. worked on deciphering a pattern for a lapghan and is off to a good start.

M.E.W. barely had a chance to work on a private project – promised to her sister months ago – before helping both L.B. and M.V. with their projects.  She jumped from pillar to post trying to keep both members on track.

Several finished projects were submitted including two “newborn” crocheted hats in baby blue by M.G., a loom-knit hat by L.B. in greens and black, and two “finished” lapghans by M.E.W. … one worked up in shades of green and the other using the luxurious new “blanket” yarn by Bernat in a medley of brown/tan/cream.

M.G.’s “newborn” caps will be donated to CareNet as part of the “10 Pairs of Booties & a Take-Me-Home Cap” challenge.

L.B.’s hat will be included in one of the winter hat drives, perhaps for the Refugee Center, the Utica Rescue Mission, or a ministry that serves area veterans as part of the “Winter Hat” challenge.

M.E.W.’s lapghans will be delivered to a veterans' home in support of the Ladies Auxiliary Military Order of the Purple Heart (LAMORPH), Operation "We've Got You Covered."

Sorry, there are no photos of the projects to share.  Watch the “Photo Gallery” for future postings.

There is a very nice collection of cranberry and sand yarn that would work up into a nice lapghan.  Let M.E.W. mewaters315@gmail.com know if you would like to create a lapghan for the "Veterans' Lapghan" challenge using this yarn.

Reminder:  The LFBG's GWM's "yarn stash" can be found in Pastor Dave's office until we find a new home for it.  Feel free to take whatever yarn you feel could be used in a project.

A summary of the current challenges and project status is available from M.E.W. ... it's yours for the asking ... mewaters315@gmail.com

We're hoping each member of the GWM will propose a new challenge, offer to be a team leader for a given challenge and/or join the team for a specific challenge.  Let M.E.W. know if you would like to lead, join, or suggest a challenge ... mewaters315@gmail.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next session of the LFBC GWM group will be held on

Monday; August 1, 2016 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.  Join us!

"Knitting -- The Master Plan -- Back to Square One ..."

Credit: "Tangled"
craftsfromthecwtch.co.uk

I had my suspicions ... there must be a special way to hold the knitting needles while working.  I was sure the left hand needed to feed the loops to the right. The right hand, the heavy lifter, must somehow keep tension on the feeder yarn while completing each stitch.  If I was ever going to speed up the knitting process I needed to discover and learn this technique. 

Well, according to a vintage 1975 "Learn How Book," some fingers go one place and other fingers go another.  The booklet provides a detailed description of "what to do with the right hand" and "what to do with the left hand."  I knew it.

Credit: learn2knit.co.uk

The left hand is straightforward ... hold the first stitch lightly by the index finger near the tip of the needle.  Here comes the tricky part ... in the right hand, hold the needle between the thumb and index finger then place the yarn "over the first finger, under the second, over the third, and under the fourth."  This placement facilitates adjusting the yarn to maintain tension and obtain "the best results." The challenge is to keep the right hand's fingers wrapped according to plan while maintaining tension on the yarn and knitting each stitch.

Whoops!  I've created my own way of holding the needle and yarn ... time to learn the correct way to knit.

Credit: keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

I'm going to explore "YouTube" to see if I can find some video of the correct position and movement of each hand. Then it's going to be "practice, practice, practice" until I master these movements. It's back to "Square One!"

P.S.  I found an insightful article for beginning knitters, "Some Beginner Tips (or "Things I hadn't thought about before Learning to Knit")" 

www.craftsfromthecwtch.co.uk/2012/08/some-beginner-tips-or-things-i-hadnt.html


The highlights from the article:

1) Be prepared to make mistakes,

2) Knitting shouldn't be a headache,

3) Get (at bit of) the right kit,

4) Find a Mentor,

5) It's not a race, and

6) It's addictive.  

Take the time to read this entertaining article!

""Knitting -- The Master Plan -- Picots"

Credit:  hookedonneedles.com

I'm nearing completion of my diversion from my knitting quest.  

I've completed 25% of the "picots" I'm adding to the border of my current project. 

Once the picots are completed and I've done the dreaded "finish work," I'll be free to turn my attention back to knitting.

I'm planning on completing the textured knitting sample mentioned in yesterday's posting ...

"Knitting -- The Master Plan" -- "Hiatus"

I've been on hiatus from my quest to learn how to knit mittens ... I've been crocheting instead!

I've completed the body and trim on two lapghans and need to do the "finish work" before I can add them to the "DONE" pile.  

The lapghans -- numbers one and two out of five -- are part of the "Veterans' Lapghans Challenge" I set for myself. I'm hoping to complete five lapghans by summer's end.

I decided to add a new stitch to my crocheting skills -- the "Afghan Stitch" ... also known as "Tunisian Crochet," I believe ... could be wrong here ...

It's simple enough ... it involves using a hook that is a cross of a crochet hook and a knitting needle ... so I'm "kind of" knitting. The hook and stitch remain a bit awkward for me, but I imagine I'll improve with practice, practice, practice.

My "Afghan Stitch" practice piece is just as wonky as my initial knitting samples ... loops in places they don't belong and a bottom edge that insists on curling.

Tuesday brings another meeting of needle crafters at the local library ... I guess I'll need to drag the knitting needles out again before day's end!  

I MAY try my hand at reading a vintage pattern for mittens and giving it a go.  If not, I'll select one of the "sampler" knitting patterns I received at the last meeting. Either way, I'll be attempting something NEW!

"Living Faith Bible Church Good Works Ministry -- June 2016 Recap"

"Knitting -- The Master Plan" -- "Perfect Practice"

Another week, another gathering of knitters and crocheters at the local library.

Today I focused on practicing the stockinette stitch using size "17" needles and "super bulky" yarn.  I opted for Red Heart's "Vivid" yarn in the type of fun, bright colors that appeal to children.

I worked up the entire skein and will soon unravel it and set it aside for some future project.

"Knitting -- The Master Plan" -- "Slow Progress."

Image Credit:  olddesignshop.com

I've read a few more pages of Knitting for Dummies and practiced k1 p1 with little success ... I get distracted as I work and things get a bit wonky.  I need to work on my concentration skills.

Tomorrow holds another session with the local library's needlecraft group. My bags are packed and ready to rock 'n roll with a nearly completed crocheted lapghan (the finish work needs to be done) for "Show & Tell," the lapghan's pattern to share with the group, and three sizes of needles with an assortment of yarns for practicing my knitting stitches.  I'm anxious to try out a pair of size "19" needles and size "6" "Super Bulky" yarn in bright primary colors ... it should be fun.

I imagine I'll need help learning to correct my mistakes ... I'm especially good at dropping an entire row of stitches from a needle and twisting them when I try to put them back on the needle.  

I have not yet researched "Knitting" topics TBD on "YouTube" ... perhaps I can find a moment or two later this week.

"Join us on Monday; July 18, 2016 at Our Next Meeting"