Prayer (Blanket) Flags

"This is my blanket.  They are all my blankets." --Albus

I've made them for the kids (the big pink and blue ones in the middle), the prayer shawl ministry at church, hospice, my surgeon, and friends in need of comfort.  This is the batch mostly from this spring; with surgery, I've been able to make several.

Yarn-spirations

Nothing like autumn for me to fall under the spell of yarn.  Sure, I had a yarn project all summer but rarely pulled it out because being draped in an afghan on 90F days didn't seem right, even with air conditioning.  But now I'm rearing to go.  With not one but two projects:  finishing Mama Teacher's 40th-birthday afghan and making a prayer shawl for Miss Sunny with some beautiful "thick and quick" homespun in charcoal, lavender, and raspberry stripes.   I think I'm even going to try a new pattern, from my The Crocheted Prayer Shawl Companion by ministry founders Janet Bristow and Victoria A. Cole-Galo.  It's called the Victory Shawl, featuring rows of the victory stitch (dc, ch 1, dc).  

And there are so many other really great ones--Portuguese-Inspired Shawl, Granny Square-Edged Shawl, Mary's Hug, Sister's Shawl with yarn embroidery, Lattice Shawl--I wish I could crochet faster! 

Because I certainly already have the yarn!

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The Original Prayer Shawl
*my adaptation
approx. 1,000 yds yarn (I use 5-6 skeins Lion Brand Homespun)
I use hook size M
ch enough to equal desired width (I usually measure on my arms, wrist to wrist, between 60-70")
do first row of sc, then three rows of dc, then repeat 1 sc/3 dc row pattern
work shawl until it is desired length (usually about 24-36")


Victory Shawl
approx. 600 yds chunky yarn (measures approx 20 x 60"
ch 132 (multiple of 3 + 6)
Row 1:  Work V-stitch in 6th ch from hook.  *sk 2 ch, dc, ch 1, dc in next ch.  Rep from * to last 3 ch, sk 2 ch, dc in last ch.  Ch 3, turn (42 V-stitches + 2 dc)
Row 2:  Work dc, ch 1, dc in each ch-1 sp across, dc in top of t-ch.  Ch 3, turn.
Repeat for 20+ rows or desired width.



Take-Away Afghan for Mama Teacher
pattern by Donna Kooler, with adaptations in yarn and hook size (and thus gauge and stitch count)

6 skeins Lion Brand homespun in one color A
3 skeins Lion Brand homespun in another color B
Size M hook

Ch 15, sc in 3rd ch from hook.  *Ch 1, skip 1 ch, and sc in next ch*.  Rep across ending in top of ch 2 turning st:  7 sc and 6 ch 1 spaces.  *Ch 2  Turn.  Sc in first ch 1 sp, ch 1 and sc in each ch 1 sp across ending in top of ch 2 turning st*.  Rep until you have 52 row or strip measures 44".  Make 15 strips altogether.

Assembly:  Align bottom edges of two strips with WS tog ad attach Color B to bottom row with a sl st.  Sc in next st, *ch 1, skip 1 st and sc in next*.  Rep to top of strips, cut yarn and weave in ends.  Rep until all strips are joined

Edging:  Attach Color B yard at any outside point with a sl st and *ch 1, skip 1 sc and sc in next st*.  Rep all around afghan.  Put 3 sc in each corner so it will lay flat.  After completing Color B edge, join with a sl st, cut yarn, and FO.  Weave in ends.

My Simple One-Skein Scarf

With M hook, ch 10

Row 1: sc in 2nd stitch from hook and in each ch across

Row 2: ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across,

Row 3 etc.: repeat Row 2 until scarf is the desired length, fasten off and weave in ends.

Mommy Hungry

Large Granny Square Afghan

adapted from Knitterly Arts 

I've removed the ch 1 sp between side sets of 3 dcs.

Rnd 1: Ch 4, join with sl st to first ch made to form ring. Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc + 2 chs),

*work 3 dc in ring, ch 2, rep from *twice more, work 2 dc in ring; join with a sl st to 

3rd ch of beg ch-5. (four ch-2 corners) DO NOT TURN WORK.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *ch 1

(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp, rep from * twice more, work 2 dc in final ch-2 

sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5.

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *work 3dc in 

next sp (side), work (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp (corner), rep from * 

twice more, work 3 dc in next sp (side), work 2 dc in final ch-2 sp 

(which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5. 

*Continue working rounds like Rnd 3 until afghan reaches desired size.  Edge as desired.

And one knitting pattern:

One Skein Knitted Scarf

Size: appx. 6 x 60"

Materials: 6 oz worsted weight yarn; size 10 knitting needles

Directions: Cast on 22 loosely.

Row 1 Knit
Repeat row 1 for pattern, using entire skein.
Bind off and weve in ends.

Adapted from Lion Brand pattern

Off to a Good Start

It's the first of February, the beginning of my two challenges: to write a letter a day and to meditate daily.  I've done the both today by lunchtime.  And combined them, in a way.  I penned (really, typed and printed) a letter to my Aunt Sis in the rehab center recovering from a broken hip.  And then, listening to my lovingkindness meditation while holding the shawl I crocheted for her, I sent thoughts of health, happiness, safety, and ease to myself, my aunt, and all beings.  Done, I packaged the shawl up with the letter and sent it along.

Crocheting in the Car Line

I'm rushing to finish this prayer shawl before the dedication in church on Sunday.  It's in three rows of double crochet with one row of single crochet, in a Lion Brand homespun color I can't recall (Pacifica? Tudor?  Quartz?  Update:  It's Tudor.), until it measures approximately 20 x 70" give or take.    I'll eventually add fringe, if there's time; if not, I'll give it some kind of scalloped edge.  So, getting off the blog now . . . .

A Prayer for Mama

May she be safe.
May she be happy.
May she be healthy.
May she live with ease.

As I stitched with the maroon yarn she'd chose for her prayer-shawl-inspired blanket, I said metta for Mama.  And now it's all ready for her recovery, a bit warm for late summer, but hopefully comforting nonetheless.

Just plain double crochet in Lion Brand Wool-Ease until it was the right size, then edged in same stitch of differently-colored yarn.

Stitch-N-Smile

I'm renaming our church's craft club, at least for this blog, since I need to get out of calling it by its real name in case one of the kiddos inquires what exactly a bitch is. But there was more smiling than bitching at the get together last night, where several knitters, crocheters, and one cross-stitcher gathered to ply our crafts. I've just started work on a new prayer shawl in bold somewhat autumnal colors (Gommie said they would be great), for a kind woman who has made many things for the kids and needs some love and prayers right now. Hopefully, it doesn't take me until the colors are again in season to finish the thing!

Prayers in Yarn

When the babes were just newborns, my first outing without them as a new mother was to a Prayer Shawl workshop at a local church. Founded by two graduates of a Women's Leadership Institute at the Hartford Seminary, this ministry encourages the thoughtful creation of knitted or crocheted (or even woven or quilted) shawls and lap blankets for people in crisis. As a beginner knitter and crocheter, I attended the workshop to learn about the spiritual side of shawl creation from the founders themselves in hopes of making shawls for friends in need or for my church. It was an inspiring day and I have made several shawls since that time (though not so recently).

I was asked a few weeks ago by one of my shawl recipients if she might pass on her shawl to a friend of hers in need. Touched that the shawl meant so much to her, I said I was honored. She had been worried that I would be upset that she parted with it. Not in the slightest. In fact, I think this recycling of shawls, especially by people who don't make handicrafts, is a wonderful addition to the ministry and a way of keeping the cycle going.

Blessed Be.

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My Version of the Shawl Pattern: I use the basic pattern in Lion Brand homespun (which is controversial in the movement because many think that Lion Brand has not only begun to make cheaper yarn but also capitalized on the movement for profit, but I can get it relatively cheap in lots of colors and I like the way it looks). Acrylic yarns, I think, are best for this (as for baby blankets) because they can be washed easily. I try to find out the person's favorite color beforehand. I add long fringe on each end. And then tie a charm or two into the fringe, usually something small with a spiral or heart or a word of hope, depending on the character of the recipient. I then give the recipient the shawl, wrapped in paper and tied up with a piece of the yarn, along with a card noting that it was made specifically for her or him in love and meditation.