Haven't Stopped Crocheting

 When the quarantine hit this spring, all of the volunteers at the local hospital were put on hold. That included me and my prayer shawls. Since no one was doing visits for hospice care, they didn't need my handiwork. 

Somehow that didn't deter me from keeping up with my crocheting. I can't just sit and watch TV. I have to do something with my hands.

I've come up with a plan for this stack of prayer shawls and lap robes. It involves Christmas. I'm betting that most of them will be going to hospice people by the end of the year. Plan to be laid out in a later blog. Right now, it is not for public consumption.

I have a few more to make and then my plan will come together.

The hospital sent me a letter which arrived just yesterday saying that volunteers are welcome to come back. They don't have to if they don't want to just yet. 

Everything may have changed, but my hobby hasn't.

Here are a couple of afghans that I made as gifts for those I love.

Thanks for visiting with me.

Kathi

Crochet Forever!

I enjoy crocheting. Maybe I should write more, but I mostly find myself with a hook in my hand when I have spare time.

I mostly crochet lap robes and prayer shawls for hospice. I also crochet little gifts for family and friends. This year I made a little Amish puzzle ball for my great-niece.

I'm including photos of some of my recent work (which I have been lax about posting here). I make at least 2 prayer shawls every month and often more than that. I know hospice sends out at least 30 of them a month and I try to make sure I'm doing my share.

Time to Crochet

I spent my summer working on inkle weaving and mesh weaving. Now the cooler weather is staring us in the face, it's time to consider making prayer shawls and lap robes for hospice.

Here are my first three for the year:

 

 

Thanks for visiting with me,

 

Kathi Linz

 

 

Extra Weeks for Lap Robes

Our church postponed its blessing of the baby blankets and prayer shawls for hospice for two more weeks.  Of course, I couldn't resist trying to finish a couple more.

I started three on Saturday, not knowing about the postponement. I had only a couple of rows finished on each one.

As soon as I found out (Sunday morning, March 3), I got to work on all three. Here's the result as of Wednesday, March 6, three days later.

One is finished.

And this is the progress of the other two.

I'm giving my wrist the rest of the day off. Tomorrow is another day.

Thanks for visiting with me,

Kathi

The Last Two Shawls for This Season

I finished shawl number 29.  I started on a lap robe to make it an even 30.  Then God told me that Sharon should get the purple shawl before she goes to surgery on Monday.

So I crammed in the rest of the lap robe and turned it in as number 29.

As I was chatting with the church secretary, she mentioned that she would like a black and white afghan because her office is basically unheated except for a space heater.  Seems like that's a little short-sighted of the builder, but I wasn't part of the planning committee on that issue - or any other part of the building for that matter.

Anyway, here are the last two pieces for hospice this season.

Only 13 rows left to go on the granny ripple.

Thanks for visiting with me,

Kathi Linz

Nearly There

Back in July, I started crocheting again after hurting my right hand just before Christmas.  I decided to get a little ahead on the prayer shawls and lap robes for hospice.  Our church collects baby blankets for the neonatal ward at Riley's Children's Hospital and the above mentioned shawls for hospice.  We have a service at Valentine's Day when the handiwork is prayed over and sent out to the intended destinations. 

I took a notion to count the weeks from the time I started crocheting until Valentine's Day and came up with 29 weeks.  I figured I would be able to average one shawl or lap robe per week.

Somewhere in there, I managed to wear out the tendons in my left shoulder.  No surprise, as I was turn ing out more than two a week.  During the 29 weeks, I would take off a couple of days here and a week there to rest my joints.  I never picked up my crochet hook once between November 17th and December 15th. 

At that point, I had finished 25 prayer shawls/lap robes, two full-sized afghans, three baby blankets, and a couple of scarves.

After taking a month off, I started craving yarn again, so I tried to fill up my promise of 29 shawls for the church project.  Since I had given 4 of the previous shawls to other people, I still needed to make another 9 shawls or lap robes. (I also made two doll blankets for my great-niece's Christmas present.)

Today I am halfway through number 29.

Here are some of the ones I recently finished.  I didn't take a picture of a turquoise granny triangle or a sage green lap robe.

The yellow and brown one in the upper photo was done in Bavarian crochet.  That is a very labor-intensive stitch and one I won't be repeating any time soon.

Thanks for visiting with me,

Kathi

Works in Progress

I'm working on hospice lap robe #21 a striped one in navy and white.

I have one skein to go on this one.

I also found out that my great-niece would like a doll blanket or two for her baby dolls.

I have one finished and one half finished.

I'm giving my arms a couple of days off. They'll appreciate the rest.

Thanks for visiting with me,

Kathi



Knitted Squares Lap Robe

This one is a knitted lap robe for hospice.  It is item #19 for hospice and #23 for this season's crocheting.  I gave four away to other people who really needed them.

Also, the round afghan that I made in July has found its home.  I was pretty sure I would be giving it away.  I just didn't know who was going to get it.  It's on its way to Tennessee.



I'm on vacation this week.  I'm planning to come as close as possible to finishing my 50,000 words novel I started for NaNoWriMo and working on a couple more hospice shawls or lap robes.

Thanks for visiting with me,

Kathi

Two More Hospice Entries

I am going a bit slower with the crocheting.  But I haven't stopped completely.

Here are the two most recent pieces I've finished.

Brown Lap Robe

This is a rose trellis. (Pun intended)

I have a pregnant coworker and neighbor, so I will also be working on two baby blankets.  And I have not finished using up either ideas or yarn.

I'm signed up to participate in National Novel Writing Month starting on Thursday, so I don't know if that will slow down my crochet progress or not.  My basic plot so far as I know it is that a creative, but self-absorbed youth who wants to make a pile of money for his own use ends up transported back to the time of his great-grandfather whom he resembles.  He does, in fact, find an excellent way to make large amounts of money, but when faced with the desperation of the Great Depression, he must make choices as to what he might be able to do with his fortune.

Sound like a plot?

Thanks for visiting with me.

Kathi

Chocolate Granny Square Shawl

This is number 16 for hospice, a chocolate granny square prayer shawl.

Thanks for visiting with me,

Kathi

Blue Lap Robe

Not all people in hospice care are women.  I seem to fall into a series of shawls and then suddenly recall that I need to make some lap robes for men.  I finished this one and have another under construction.  Also another granny shawl is nearing completion.

Here is number fifteen in the hospice collection for 2012. It is a v-stitch holding two strands together and crocheted with a P hook.

Thanks for visiting with me,

Kathi

Scrappy Stripe Lapghan

Here's what my work table looks like on a typical day.  There are three projects going here all at once.

Here's one of those projects completed.

This is called the scrappy stripe pattern.  I made it as a lapghan hopefully for some gentleman in hospice care.

Thanks for visiting with me.

Kathi

More Crochet

I finished a lap robe and a shawl for hospice.  I especially like the aqua shawl.

And a little baby crown.

Thanks for visiting with me.

Kathi

Two More for Hospice

I've finished a pink ripple prayer shawl and almost finished a men's lap robe for hospice.  I'm trying for one item per week.  Hopefully, that will be little enough not to damage my hand like I did last year.  We'll see if I can keep it to only that.  lol

Thanks for visiting with me,

Kathi

Lap Robe

I've crocheted three shawls for hospice.  I'm sure there are men in their care, too.  So I'm trying to make something the guys will appreciate. 

There's the first one for this season:

I used two strands of yarn together.  This is a thick, warm lap robe. 

Thanks for visiting with me,

Kathi

A Couple of Crochet Projects

Here are two of my current works in progress.  The step lapghan only needs a border and then it will go to a wounded veteran through Soldiers Angels. http://soldiersangels.org/blankets-of-gratitude.html

I appreciate our troops and this is the very least I can do for them.  I always try to get three lapghans in the mail during the fall.  As soon as the garden goes down, I pick up the crochet hook.

The flower one, assuming I get enough of it finished, is planned to become a prayer shawl for hospice.

We'll see what I finish along with the class I'm taking.

Thanks for visiting with me.

Kathi