...Well, the package got here today & I knew I couldn't wait for Mother's day to give it to her! I figured time for her doesn't really exist anyway & I thought it might make her happy. So I opened the box & I gave it to my Mom & her eyes cleared from the fog she usually lives in & she smiled. Not a fake smile or a glossy glazed over one, but a REAL honest to goodness Mom Smile! The kind I miss so much seeing every day!
...A few minutes later, she looked up at me & she smiled again. She touched the roses on the top & said "that's pretty" again & then she looked at me once more & said "Thank you".
I just smiled at her & said "You're welcome Mom. I love you." She nodded her head & said "love too."
That is the most she's said to me in probably a week. At that point I couldn't hold back the tears & I just started crying & thought about what a wonderful gift my friend had made for my mom.
THIS is why I do what I do! See the full original post with pictures at The Perfect Knot's blog. Blessed beyond measure that the Lord has given me such a gift that I am able to use to bring some small measure of joy to others. Love and prayers to all of you ~ Cara Louise
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Welcome to the month of May everyone, my how time is flying by. The first Thursday of each month has been deemed Sisters In Thread Crochet Thursday here, a time to celebrate some kindred spirits also working to keep this marvelous variety of artistry alive and well. Ann designs some of the sweetest patterns that it is hard to pick a favorite. This Bluebirds of Happiness doily is AMONG my favorites... along with her Springtime Teacup Bouquet, the Angel of Love, Snow Queen... you get the idea! Her shop is called BellaCrochet, and you can find her in several places... Facebook, Etsy, and her Blog, and the BellaCrochet website. Ann even has the patterns for several small items available for free! One that I love is this Tiny Christmas Angel. I have made many of these, in all sorts of colors, a few shown here next to a ruler so you can see their size. They are just delightful to work, and make super little 'thinking of you' gifts. Sheryl is a superb craftswoman also sharing the love of thread crochet. She is on Facebook as Crazy about Crochet and also has a shop on Etsy. Sheryl has a great sense of color, and this piece, using one of Ann's patterns, is just gorgeous. Anne at Crochet Plaisir has a tremendous collection of thread crochet patterns which she has gathered onto her blog to share with us. Her language is French, but don't let that stop you English speakers from taking a look, as the patterns are all given in pictorial chart form which needs no translation! I must point out, that Anne is not the designer of the items found on her site, but she is a fantastic curator and has many categories set up for browsing (and drooling) simplicity. I hope you have enjoyed being introduced to these lovely ladies. If you are, or you know of, one who truly loves thread crochet and would like to be featured here just let me know. All I ask is to have any of my links to FB, Etsy, or my website shared somewhere!
Looking forward to hearing from you, love and prayers, Cara Louise I have decided that the first Thursday of every month is going to be 'Sisters In Thread Crochet' day! I am always beyond excited when I meet another crocheter working with skinny thread and tiny hooks and I want to help them celebrate this wonderful variation of crochet. This week's featured 'sisters' don't know yet they are being given mention here... but I will let them know soon enough. Meanwhile, if YOU are a sister-in-crochet, or know of one, and would like to be mentioned and shared, please let me know. All I ask for is a return mention somewhere of any of my various online crafty sites (facebook, web site, blog, ravelry store, pinterest board, etc.). Let's work together to show today's generation that thread crochet is NOT just the realm of old grandmothers! My sharing of sisters in thread crochet simply MUST start with Deborah- also known as Snowcatcher. Her weekly (yes, a new one EVERY week!) snowflake patterns make me wish I had more hours in a day to crochet! Goodness- you just have to check out her site- start with THIS blog post which has the details on how you can get your own copy of her newest MS fundraiser pattern booklet. Deborah- you know I just love you sister! Among my newest sisters (well- she's not new to thread crochet, just new to me!) is Penny. She's got a page on Facebook called Knot Forgotten Studio, and believe me I will 'knot' be forgetting her lovely work! I discovered her through Kara's recent blog post on Petals to Picots, where Penny so graciously gave a guest tutorial on how to make this lovely item. Oh I think I may have found a new obsession... again, if only there were more hours in a day! My last sister in crochet to share about today is Kathryn. She is an extraordinary designer of exquisite thread crochet items, one of which is this amazing Stagazer Lily doily pattern which I completed not too long ago. Kathryn's web site, CrochetNBeads, is a true celebration of thread crochet...she's even got several free patterns she has shared with all of us! Kathryn also has a Facebook page and can be found on Ravelry, Etsy, and probably a lot of other places! I hope that you have enjoyed these little snippets of introductions and that you take time to introduce yourself to these lovely ladies of thread crochet. Love and prayers, Cara Louise
These cross ornaments make me smile every time I make one, and I have been making them for about 30 years now! Over the years I have tweaked and perfected my pattern, and have developed several different edgings to make each one unique. These continue to be my best seller in my Etsy shop and there's no wondering why! I have made these in every color you can imagine. Some left soft and with a tassel attached to be used as a bookmark, others starched firmly for hanging on the Christmas tree or in a window. In addition to custom ordered crosses, I also have my pattern available for sale. This is a fairly easy pattern, with dc and ch stitches mostly, and a couple hdc’s at the corners. Instructions for 4 different edgings are included in the pattern, ranging from a simple sc stitch to a more advanced reverse sc stitch. My pattern also includes my favorite starching method and instructions, which you can also find here on my blog. Got out some practice thread yesterday to refresh my memory and my fingers on how to create the bullion stitch. There's a new customer order coming up for 3 of these lovely doilies from Kathryn White's design called Pieces of Eight, found in Annie's Attic publication 'Beautiful Bullions'. The Bullion Stitch, also known as the Roll Stitch, is accomplished by wrapping your yarn or thread over your hook as many times as indicated by pattern instructions, then inserting the hook in next st, and drawing the yarn through all the loops on your hook. It can be tricky to keep an even look, hence my practicing! I did find this very clever idea quite some time ago which I have been experimenting with, using a coffee stirrer straw to help keep the loops at an even tension. Take a look at this blog post to see all the details. I'm not sure yet if it's helping me or not, I think my coils look too loose, but I will end up with a couple really cool coasters by the time I'm done practicing! I love birds...I have since I was a little girl watching the birds at the birdfeeder my mother hung in the backyard. I have had birds as members of my family now for 10 years now and can't imagine not having them anymore. I collect crochet patterns featuring birds, and I keep promising myself that one day I will make them all! Spring has brought all kinds of new antics from my sassy little bird companions, so I started thinking about crochet projects to showcase my love of these wonders of God's creation. I've got a whole board on Pinterest devoted to birds and bird crochet patterns and bird posters... if you'd like to stop by! Here are several of my most-wanted-to-make items. I want to make two of these crocheted budgies from this delightfully cute pattern I bought from Crochetroo on Etsy, done up in the colors of my dearly departed Sonny and Cher. And maybe a crocheted bird cage to put them in, like this one from Crochet Memories ...but twice the size so two birds can fit in it. And then of course I need to make one of these lovely doves from TheItsyBitsySpider on Etsy to be my Lovey-Dove's twin...maybe he'd stop trying to 'court' me then? I would love to find this pattern someday to crochet some look-alikes for Pixie and Sprite, the cockatiels... so far no luck finding it though. Love the one with his head turned sideways... 'wanna play?' So I may have to go with this pattern instead from Chiwaluv on Ravelry. That will finish up my birdy family members...but there's still TONS of birds or bird items to crochet, like this cute birdhouse from TeenyWeenyDesign on Etsy. And well, the list just keeps growing! But one day... they will get made! These and more! If you have some favorite crochet patterns that feature birds, do please tell me about them! I would hate to miss any of them!
Introducing my newest item, just in time for St. Patrick's Day! A gorgeous Shamrock Bracelet! Did you know that a true shamrock only has 3 leaves? The name shamrock is derived from the Irish word seamróg, meaning simply "little clover". Legend says that St. Patrick used it as a metaphor for the Christian Trinity. While I do have this pattern available in my Ravelry shop, I must warn you, it is not for the faint of heart! It was a bugger to get the design to work and required a LOT of photos to help with instruction as to what happens and where! I will of course endeavor to clarify any issues if you decide to be adventurous and try this. I will also be taking orders for ready-to-wear bracelets. The item isn't up in my Etsy shop yet, but anyone interested can email me for details at [email protected] OhMyCrochet, am I glad February is OVER! Just waking up this morning knowing that it was MARCH has so tremendously improved my state of mind... silly, maybe, but I know there are plenty of others who struggle through winter battling the lack of daylight and we are ALL rejoicing now that spring is definitely in sight! One of the greatest things I have discovered in my quest to stay 'balanced' are the blogs of some beautiful and talented women with whom I can identify in one way or another and who remind me almost daily via my Google Reader that I am not alone. My Google Reader is my first stop in the mornings, mug of coffee at hand, and spending time reading the new blog posts from the day before has just become such a great way to start my days. These four blogs have become good friends... I don't really know the women who write them and they don't know me, yet there is no denying the connection formed. My hope one day is that my own blog becomes such a place for someone else. I've got a way to go before that happens, but it is my prayer that every word I write may be helpful or inspirational to someone just as the words on these blogs help and inpsire me. Clicking on the banner photos below will take you right to the blogs featured if you wish to become acquainted! Stunning photography, personal stories, fantastic snowflakes- Deborah at Snowcatcher inspires me daily. Flowers, crochet, color, fun, family- Lucy at Attic 24 is a great friend to enjoy my morning cup of coffee with. Jacquie at Bunny Mummy doesn't write about bunnies...although they do get mentioned occasionally! Gorgeous countryside walks, more colorful hooky fun, a great place to relax. With a banner like that, how can you NOT want to check out Ashley Ann's blog, Under the Sycamore? She doesn't know me, but I feel like I am a part of her lovely family through reading her from-the-heart personal experience regarding life and all its curveballs. There are some special stitches I use quite frequently in my pattern designs and I sometimes forget that they may not be familiar to some crocheters. I do try to include links in my patterns for tutorials for anything 'out of the ordinary', but occasionally I do forget to do that. Hopefully if I reference them here, those who need to know will be able to find them easily! There are some terrific sites which have tutorials already published on the web, much better than I would have done, with clear writing and helpful photographs. I am very happy to be able to direct fellow crocheters to these spots. I think perhaps my favorite site is the Crochet Spot page, which has tutorials on a myriad of topics. Some of the topics that apply to my designs include the invisible single crochet decrease, the magic or adjustable ring, and the foundation single crochet (fsc) stitch. There are so many other topics covered on this site... the only thing that would make it better is to have an index somewhere of everything on it! PlanetJune is also a great place to go for help on furthering your crochet skills. June has recently re-done her website and made it even easier to find tutorials by making a master list- yay! From the basics to embellishments to special techniques, June has you covered. Please see also this blog post for more information on starching thread crochet pieces. What are your favorite resource sites? Or what crochet issue have you NOT been able to find answers for? Perhaps I can help you track down the information you need. Love and prayers, Cara Louise
This lovely little angel was made over 20 years ago, but this picture was just taken within the past 2 years. Your crocheted pieces can indeed become heirlooms when they are treated with the care and respect all lovely things deserve! She was the first angel I ever made, standing about 6 inches tall, and was actually quite simple to fashion out of 2 'ordinary' doilies. Those doilies could (gasp- cover your eyes!) be purchased already made from the craft store... but with the abundance of free simple patterns out there, why not spend the time instead to make your own? You'll need a tiny one, perhaps coaster would be a better name for that one, about 5 inches across or so. And then you'll need a doily about 10 inches across. A few other supplies are needed: a small styrofoam cone, about 5 1/2 inches tall (or make a cone out of cardboard!); a flat-bottomed wooden ball about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (or polymer clay, or paper mache); some stiffening agent (my favorite is cornstarch! see this blog post); and some assorted ribbon-y odds and ends of your choosing to embellish (for my particular bits used in the angel pictured, click here). First, trim a bit off the pointy end of your cone so the wooden ball will have a nice flat place to sit on for the head. Next, cover the cone with some plastic wrap or a plastic bag, apply your chosen stiffening agent to the 10 inch doily, and arrange doily over the cone, forming soft pleats around the bottom. Set aside to dry. Take the smaller 5 inch doily and apply stiffener. Drape in half over a plastic-wrap-covered wooden spoon, or ruler, or dowel, or clothesline, etc, so it will take the shape of the angel's arms/wings. Leave this piece to dry. When your starched doilies are dry, carefully remove from the forms they were on. Now you simply get to work with your craft glue or hot glue gun and affix everything in the places they should go! For more details of exactly how I made mine click here for a PDF version of the full instructions. I hope you decide to make one of these little cuties, and if you do I would LOVE to see pics of them! Love and prayers, Cara Louise
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