Happy Thanksgiving!

Double Cuffed Hats

Animal Blankets

I cannot believe I have not posted on this blog for so long. In fact, I just have not been knitting or writing patterns for months. We had such a busy summer filled with so many things that knitting just had no place. I used to do a lot of knitting for our knit club charities, but they are not accepting any donations at this time. So, I found other charities to knit for. I found several animal shelters that wanted cat and dog blankets, so I have made and sent off piles of those. Then I found a charity that provides hats and such for the homeless and I began making all kinds of warm hats. After Thanksgiving I will make a trip and deliver those as well as more cat shelter blankets.  Some of these hats are lined and cuffed, so they are super warm with 4 layers over the ears. I made ribbed ones are 2 layers over the ears and soon I am going to make some lined ear flap hats. All should be great for someone out in the cold this winter. I really like the instructions from Stephanie Widmann’s free pattern on how to begin and end the lined, cuffed hat. The middle is just stockinette so very easy and quick. I made some changes to her instructions to add fair isle. Since it is a lined hat all the fair isle floats are inside the layers. I will add my pattern notes in the files for the blankets and the double cuffed hats but give credit to Stephanie for the hats! I am thankful I can knit warm hats and blankets and help others less fortunate than myself as well as some animals during this cold winter. It is the time of year to think on what we are thankful for. So much has transpired this year with the virus and restrictions among other things. But if we will just stop and perhaps even make a written list of what we are thankful for – it changes our perspective. So many have so little but as you are reading this on some kind of a device, you are richer than most in the world. But material riches, even though we are indeed grateful for them, do not compare to the gift God gives us in his son Jesus Christ. He loves us with an everlasting love and we only need to trust in Him. Thank you for your encouragement and love you have sent over the years on this blog. Perhaps next year I can contribute more free patterns to it – to inspire my fellow knitters! Happy Thanksgiving!

Giving Thanks

It’s the time of year again when we are reminded to be thankful as we celebrate Thanksgiving next week. Maybe that day will not unfold as the day we envision and prefer, but what we do not want to forget is to have a thankful attitude. Every day. We are more than blessed as a nation and as individuals, even among the turmoil of the day, and we can all find things in our life to be thankful for. I am so thankful for so many things in my life, because I am blessed with a peaceful home and am surrounded by a loving family. But I am most thankful for my relationship with Jesus Christ. God loved us so much he sent Jesus to die to pay for our shortcomings – and we all have those! We all have choices in life. We can outright reject Him or choose to do nothing about Him and suffer the consequences when we meet Him (and we will all meet Him someday) or we can choose Him in this short life He has given us and enjoy a future with Him. Seems like a pretty easy choice. It is a matter of trust. Do you trust His work on the cross on your behalf? I so am thankful for you, my dear knitting friends, and for the enjoyment of this shared craft. I wish you many blessings and a wonderful life of “thanks giving”!