STOLES

Since it is Vacation Bible School week I am not getting to do much personal crafting.  Any craft time I have involves 105 kids from 3years old thru 6th graders,  So, in order to keep posting I am digging back to what I have been doing since spring. 

Today I am featuring stoles I made for each member of our church's confirmation class.  I have been been making these stoles since the 1990's.  I'm not actually sure when I started doing them but I know I began while Rev. Kaylor was pastor and he retired in 2000.  I'll guess it was around 1998.  I have used this design each year I have made them, but each stole is personalized with a label listing the confirmands name, the date of their confirmation, the location and the name of the minister that confirmed them.  I used to also put the name of the confirmands mentor, but we don't use mentors any longer so that line has been eliminated.  I print out the labels on my computer using pretreated muslin sheets that have been adhered to freezer paper.  The dove is appliqued and the ribbon under the dove has a pretty edge.  I try to find something with gold on it but this year I could find a ribbon with gold that I likes so I used a ribbon with embroidered roses on it.  Some years I've had to make 12 or more.  This year I think I did 8.

NO STAMPING OR PAPER BUT OTHER FUN!

No one has ever accused me of being a single minded crafter. There are only a few crafts I have never tried and even fewer that I have tried that I didn't like. There are ones I can't afford such as needle point on hand painted canvases, but that's a whole different reason for not doing something.

So what have I been up to lately besides stamping, paper crafts, and quilting. Well, at the last quilt show I attended I decided it was time I taught myself how to knit socks. I've been knitting since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Having a very English grandmother I suppose it was only natural that I would learn to knit at a young age. My mother also is an avid knitter so the stage was set. I've done scarves and an afghan or two in my time and even a few sweaters including a very challenging fisherman knit sweater full of cables and popcorn stitches. I loved that sweater even if it turned out a bit larger than I wanted it to. Socks however were something I never took on. The heel scared the dickens out of me. Then our church administrative assistant started knitting socks and I fell in love with what she was doing. It took me 2 years to get up the courage, but in September I bought the needles, yarn and pattern and set out. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, though I have to credit You Tube instructional videos I found with getting me through the turning the heel part of the sock. I know have one done and am on my way with the second of the pair. My main concern now is that the two end up being at least close to the same size........

I think that what I really love about knitting socks is getting to use all the wonderful washable wool sock yarn that there is to choose from. Its so pretty. I already have the yarn for a second pair.

What else have I been doing????? Yesterday I appliqued the aprons for the winners of tonight's Chili and Dessert Cook off at church. It is an annual fund raising event put on by our churches youth group. I think I've made the aprons for the winners for about 10 years now. Every year I also enter a dessert into the competition, but have I ever won.....of course not. Do I care...not really. Usually it's one of the youth group kids that wins the apron. We all think the kids stuff the voting boxes........this year I went with an easy entry. Simply a chocolate sheet cake with yummy chocolate frosting covered with crushed toffee pieces. Not fancy, but it sure smelled good baking!

So that's what I have been up to that is not paper or quilt related. This next week I will be busy preparing items to be sold in our second annual church Fall Arts and Crafts Festival. I have less than 2 weeks to get ready............So you know where I will be if I don't show up here for a while, but I hope to make it by so do stop back and see whats up!