Wednesday WIPs - 30.10.2013

With all my show entries finished and now ready for the judges it's time to dig out all the old WIPs and see what progress I can make on them. These are the projects I worked on this week.

Crocheknit Cot Blanket

I have added another row to this one although it's quite hard to tell.

Toddler's Jacket - Zoom by Ellen Gormley (GoCrochet)

Still working on the first sleeve but I'm not sure if I'll have enough yarn. I may have to undo the edge and re-do it in a highlight colour but I'll have to wait and see how far I get on the second sleeve.

Large Santa Stocking

I'm getting close to turning the heel.

Christmas Tree.

I rechecked the instructions for this and found that I wasn't doing it correctly, bu it will still come out looking like a Christmas Tree so I'm not too worried. Maybe I will follow the pattern a little closer for the next one.

Tunisian Spiral Blanket

I think I have enough yarn to make it to the next corner and then I will have to think about what I'm going to do next. I think one round of black will bring it close to knee rug size.

Baby's Jacket, Pants and hat set

Started on the second side of the front. of the jacket.

Design Your Own Dragon Adventure - by Planetjune

All the attachable parts are now done. Next I start on the head.

There were a couple of projects that didn't get worked on this week, the baby blanket that I've taken over from Sue and the soiled AustralianaV2 that has been in hibernation while I made a clean one for the show. I might work on them this week if I find the time after working on everything else. For those that want to know, that's a total of 9 projects in progress. I will also be starting to make Trauma Teddies again shortly making it ten projects all up.

If you want to see what others have been making just checkout the links in the sidebar.

Richard.

Monday Mayhem - Unpacking

We moved into this place 3 weeks ago and we have been quite slack with our unpacking. We still have a stack of boxes in the garage with no chance of getting the car in there for quite some time to come.

This is what the garage looks like as of this afternoon.

The tubs on the left are for the markets that I attend so they will pretty much stay where they are until the next market. There are also some tables and other stuff just behind them so all my market stuff is quite accessible. The rest needs to be sorted into things that are staying in the garage, things that are going to move into the house and things that are going to be thrown away.

I have manage to sort some of it and it is stored in the back corner of the garage.

We have our first inspection on Friday so we're trying to concentrate on getting inside of the house tidy and we will probably worry about the garage later.

Next week I might show you the yarn storage.

Richard.

Sunday Sermon - 27.10.2013

The readings for this morning's sermon came from 2 Timmothy 4:6-8 & 16-18

6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

16At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. 18The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

And Luke 18:9-14

9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

The parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector is about two people praying, something that we have been told to do continually. One of these people was 'self focused' instead of 'God focused'.

We nee to be open to listen as well as speak. Each of us wants to be seen as special but we are all sinners and need forgiveness. No one is justified before God no matter how much better than others they think they are. We can't achieve holiness by following a set of rules.

If we think we will be acceptable to Go by our actions we will be disappointed when Jesus returns.

In spite of our sins we ARE special to God, so special that Christ died for us.

Do you feel special today?

May God bless you richly this week.

Richard.

Saturday Shenanigans - 26.10.2013

I've been a bit slack this week, preferring to play games instead of unpacking. I've also fallen behind on reading my email so I have quite a few to catch up with. I have managed to tidy the rear of the garage up a bit and started stacking those items that are going to be store a bit more efficiently in an effort to make more room. I might take a couple of photos on Monday and show it as part of "Monday Mayhem".

I have managed a bit of crochet time this week, even managed to dig out some of the projects that I had started before we went on holidays. Those that follow my Friday posts will note that I've also managed to finish a couple of items this week. I managed to finish another today but you will have to wait until next Friday to see it.

Friday crochet classes started back last week and I actually had someone yesterday that wanted to learn how to crochet knitted squares together, so I showed him and got him started but when he tried to take over he transferred the hook to his left hand. Since I started right handed that was never going to work so I restarted it left handed. It was my first (and probably my last) effort of crocheting left handed but I did enough to get him going.

We didn't have any band practice this week so we have no idea what tunes we're supposed to be playing tomorrow morning. There is always a danger that we may be asked to play something that we can't but we won't really know until we try.

Well, that's been my week this week. I hope you all had a good one.

Richard.

Friday FOs 25.10.2013

All the projects that I'm entering into the local show are now finished. All that's left to do is to tag them all and make sure the woollen items have a yarn label attached. I just wish they would hurry up and send the tags. Here are my FOs for this week.

Woollen Baby Blanket - Square 51 from "99 Granny Squares to Crochet"

I even did a decorative picot edging, just because I can.

AustralianaV2 - designed be me

I got asked for the pattern to this last week but it's pretty basic so it will just include the instructions for doing filet crochet and the chart. How much would you pay for that?

I'm sure there are plenty of other finished items to check out so take a look at the links in the sidebar.

Richard.

Wednesday WIPs 23.10.2013

I don't have a lot to show this week as I have been concentrating on finishing items for the show. The good news is that they are now finished and I can now go back to my regular schedule of working on half a dozen different things during the week. Here are the things I've worked on this week that aren't finished.

Large Santa Stocking

I frogged this back to the first 8 rows and started again in stripes because I just don't have enough of the variegated yarn to do the whole stocking the same as the previous 2.

Christmas Tree

I just had to start another project. I mean, 8 projects just isn't enough.

That's my WIPs for this week. Remember to check back on Friday to see the finished objects, and check out the links in the sidebar to see what others have been making.

Richard.

Sunday Sermon - Prayer

Today's readings came from Psalm 119:97-104

97Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
98Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
99I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
100I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
101I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
102I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
103How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.

and Luke 18:1-8

1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ”

6And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

We pray in the hope that our prayers will be answered. How many pray for peace yet war rages on? How many pray for an end to poverty but the poor are still with us? Can these people still hope that their prayers will be answered?

The widow had nothing so wasn't able to pay court costs, so she relied on persistence.

"The squeaky wheel gets the grease"

Does this mean that we should harass God until we get what we want? This parable tells us that this is not what God is like, but tells us that it is important to pray and that our God is generous towards those that pray.

Jesus says that God will hear our prayers and answer them quickly. Some would say that His idea of quickly is a little distorted as their prayers are yet to be answered, but maybe God hasn't answered because he has something better in mind. Time is a relative thing and what may seem like a long time maybe relatively short it the grand scheme of things.

When we want something we should remember the acronym "PUSH" - Pray Until Something Happens.

Prayer is about developing a relationship with God. Once you have that relationship then God will answer your prayers, either giving you what you ask for or giving you something better.

Keep praying and may God bless you richly this week.

Richard.