Knit and Crochet Bible Study

Category: Updates

  • Stitched in Christ

    After much procrastination, prayer, hard work, editing, and more prayer, a second ‘Knit and Crochet Bible Study Devotional/Journal’ is now available in Kindle and paperback formats on Amazon.

     

    Books

     

    I have no big testimony. I live a simple life. I often wonder how God can use someone who enjoys yarn crafts and loves teddy bears. Then I found the verse in Matthew 18 about seeking Him ‘like a little child’. To me this means look for His love, mercies, and grace in the simple things.

     

    This is not intended as a deep study of Scripture. It is designed to encourage you to “be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10); to seek Him in the small things, even in the gift of knitting and crochet He has instilled in you. It is designed to encourage you to seek a deeper relationship to become ‘Stitched In Christ’.

     

     

    I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery.  Col 2:2 MSG

  • Where Two or More Are Gathered

    Wherever two or more are gathered….there will be conflict.

    It is fun to gather with others, spend time with our yarn projects and share our lives. Even when these gatherings are in an effort to share in Bible Study or just meet in a God honoring fashion, conflicts and difficulties arise. 
    caryn_holding_hands_with_friend_lg_clrI have received emails from people asking how to deal with various situations that have risen in their gatherings.  Unfortunately, where people gather, conflict will be present.  So how do you handle the conflicts?

    I would like to share with you some ideas for learning to deal with others that I have used to help me. Please note, I have no affiliation with any of these.  At the time I posted each link they led to a valid, instructional item.  As you should with all links, use your judgment when clicking through.

    This video series from FaithGateway are very informative and demonstrate various encounters, then discuss ways to deal with them.   CLICK HERE

    Sometimes, we just say the wrong thing.  With women together there are often comments between married and single individuals. This article helps to understand not all comments meant to be encouraging are encouraging.  CLICK HERE

    What conflicts occur with your groups?  How are they handled? Share your thoughts and comments below.

  • Unfinished Life–Week 10

    My knit/crochet attention deficit disorder and startitis joined forces and bit me in the tushie this week.

    Several months ago I made these fingerless gloves as a teaching tool for the knitting cables class I teach at Michaels.

    These are made to be bulky so they can be worn over a pair of gloves.

    I made these from some Caron Simply Soft yarn I had in my stash. This is not the recommended yarn.  Though we had a mild winter this year, I did wear them often with and without the gloves and they are already showing wear.

    So I decided to make another pair, this time with some Red Heart Super Saver yarn I had in stash.  I finished one glove then got startitis fever and set the project aside.

    Browsing one day I found this beautiful victorian style neck warmer.

    I went shopping and this yarn jumped into my basket.

    Which very quickly became this:

    So when we popped in disk 1 of the 55th anniversary blue ray enhanced The Ten Commandments I decided to work on the 2nd wristlet.

    Unfortunately I forgot I made the 1st one smaller to fit tighter on my hand. Yep, you guessed it.

    I am now making another set just like this one 

    How was your week?

  • Unfinished Life–Week 9

    Well, I am finished with the reading of the Gospels. I haven’t started a new reading project yet, but You Version has several to choose from. I like having this on my tablet. I can read or have the verses read to me.  I can follow a planned reading program and it records where I am at all times. I can choose from several versions of the Bible. My Bible is always with me.

    I am loving the Beth Moore study on Daniel. I have always shied away from reading Daniel because I heard others talk about how difficult a book it was. She is breaking it down and providing some excellent backup to her summation and shows us additional scripture to expand on the storyline. If you have stayed away in fear of the book of the book of Daniel I recommend trying Beth’s study.

    As far as crafts go I have finished up a couple of items.  I finished this hat as part of my lessons I teach at Michaels.  This is the hat offered in the 3rd crochet class. You learn the stockinette stitch, seed stitch and ribbing. You also learn increase and decrease.

    A new project offered in the knitting class at Michaels is this baby kimono.

    This is a garter stitch project which uses decrease stitches on the front pieces.

    I also created my own pattern when one of the employees told me about needing fingerless gloves while she was unloading the truck. So, I came up with this.

    I continue to work toward my knitting and crochet certification through the Craft Yarn Council. I have completed part 1 of crochet and hope to send in part 1 of knitting this weekend. It is then checked for accuracy and I will complete the 2nd half of both.

    Did you receive the latest newsletter? I included the story of the Ax that Floated to the Top.

    All in all it was a busy week.

    Until next time, keep on stitching your life into God’s plan.

  • Unfinished Life–Week 6

    Do you ever feel like you are so busy, you have no idea what you are doing?  Does that even make sense?

    Sometimes I look back over the week and think,  ‘I didn’t get a thing done. But at the same time I remember being busy.

    I don’t think I completed any specific projects this week.  I did prepare some Jesus Love Letter Bears with a valentine theme.  I will continue to make these as requested, replacing the small heart shaped box of chocolates with some other chocolate.

    I completed week 2 of the Beth Moore bible study on Daniel. All I can say is WOW!!!  She is such an awesome story teller, and I get excited when she shows how other scripture verses written hundreds of years before relate to these verses.  I enjoy the weekly reading between videos.  If you have never participated in one of her video study, I highly recommend it.

    I was going through some of my digital pictures, trying to organize them (unfinished them of the year leading to organizing).  I found this I want to show off.

    Superbowl 2011 was watched with my grandson and daughter. He had received 4 hologram Star Wars puzzles. During the game we completed one.  Over the next 10 months we completed the other 3 and created a hanging mobile for him.  I put the 4 puzzles together like a box using black duct tape, then attached a hanging decorative chain. His mother hung it up in his room. He loves it. I took this picture before delivering it to him

    And now, the barometer is telling my hips it is at 29 and wishes I would lay down a bit.  Sorry, more news next time.

    May your hearts be encouraged, being knit together in love,

  • 365 Days / 52 weeks

    I have enjoyed Crochet Concupiscence for some time now.   Recently I have had the pleasure of corresponding with its blogger, Kathryn having won 3 (so far) of the 31 Days of Giveaways this month and sponsoring one of her giveaways this month. She is a very pleasant person I enjoyed conversing with.

    She faithfully blogs every day and is planning now what daily entry she would make in 2012. She blogs about crochet books and artists. She reviews various yarn and highlights crochet in the news. If crochet is involved, she blogs it. Looking back over her past entries, she has decided in 2012 to photograph what she is wearing each day and how crochet is part of fashion.

    I am impressed by this and want to do the same posting regularly, not offering pictures of myself, I am not photogenic and I have the pictures to prove it.   I need to make a commitment to myself and move forward. Pain has brought a stop to much of what I do, I need a goal to help get back on track. Because of this I feel I have failed the Lord and am having trouble moving forward.  I may try to make it 52 things and see if I can manage to post once a week faithfully.

    Now the question is what to focus on for 2012.

    Any ideas or suggestions?  What would you like to see?

  • My Merry Christmas Card and a Present

    My wall looks very bare.  In past years Christmas cards lined the hallway wall, representing best wishes from family and friends

    As a child I watched as my mother proudly displayed each card after reading it. Many were filled with pictures and long notes of the year gone by. As I set up my own home and started my family, I followed in her footsteps.

    Ah, but alas, the world of technology has taken over. Combine the technology of facebook and the rising cost of postage, the past few years cards have become scarce. Today, only a few cards are displayed.

    Don’t get me wrong, I like facebook and the world that technology has opened up. That technology has paid the bills in my home for many years.

    With nearly 200 people who ‘like’  the “Knit and Crochet Bible Study” on facebook and over 900 on twitter, I certainly cannot use the United States Postal Service to send each of you a card. – hmmm. 1150 people times 44 cents each…..add the 2, carry the 7, double the 9….. that’s $484.00!!

    So I thought about a gift. If cards are nearly $500 I certainly can’t send all of you a gift. BUT… what if…..  I have been telling you about the yarn my father-in-law has sent me. I’ve heard from some who say they are jealous and would love to receive boxes like that. One person even said she’d rather have a skein of yarn than a birthday card! This got me to thinking.   I am going to put together a gift package of yarn and I don’t know what else. I’ll find some other accessories for the package. How do you get it?

    To qualify for the drawing to receive this package, leave a comment below. One per person with this exception.  If you make a comment on the Knit and Crochet facebook page, then leave a comment here linking to the facebook comment.  Now you have 2 entries.  Want a third one? Tweet that you like Knit and Crochet Bible Study -@KnitnBibleStudy – then leave a comment here with a link to the tweet ( @KnitnBibleStudy and the hashtag #kcbspresent must be included in the tweet). There you have it, 3 chances. All entries must be in by midnight December 24. I will use random dot org to choose a winner on Christmas day.  I will send the winner an email and post it on facebook and twitter.

    Now on to your Christmas Card. So what could I do that would be a special Christmas greeting to all with a story of what is happening in my life?  In comes Jon Acuff.   I follow Jon’s blog “Stuff Christians Like“.  He is a funny writer. He is now working with Dave Ramsey.  Jon just released his book “Gazells, Baby Steps and 7 Other Things Dave Ramsey Taught Me About Debt“.  He offered to write a Christmas card if his book was pre-ordered. So, I did. (I have since received the book and laughed all the way through it, realizing how true this thoughts were.)

    So here is my Christmas card letter, as written by Jon Acuff.  Merry Christmas to all. And to all, some good yarn.

    Dear friends & family,
    My name is Jon Acuff and recently on my blog I offered to write Christmas cards for people. I am happy to say that TerryAnn took me up on the offer. Why? Well, she’s probably really busy. For one thing, she’s on the edge of her 10 year wedding anniversary. For another she has found a creative way to incorporate crafting into the study of the Bible. That’s no easy feat. Be honest, did you ever read the book of Joel and think, “I could see finding a creative way to use these verses in a craft application?” Probably not, and neither did I. But TerryAnn is creative that way and so is her husband. He’s a Trekie and Scrabble enthusiast. Thus far he has not found the tie between the Old Testament and Star Trek, but if someone can it will be him.

    Thanks Jon. Wishing all of you a very blessed and merry Christmas.

  • Take Along Projects

    I am trying to organize my stash into something reasonably usable.  In December I embellished some teddy bears and purchased little accessories to make this adorable clown bear.

    The person who ordered it requested another one a few weeks later. I knew I was in trouble when I couldn’t find where I put the extra pieces from ones purchased for this bear. So, I had to head out to WalMart (like I need an excuse to go there) and repurchase the same items.

    Thus this buddy joined the troops.

    I then had to explain to my husband why I had to purchase something he had just taken me to purchase two weeks prior. Now I was busted!!  So, I am destashing and decluttering. I found more bears, and several yarn purchases.  They are all going into one place (I hope).

    My goal is to do with some small projects, what Yarn Harlot did with her sock projects. I am trying to put into my numerous totes, a project to include yarn, hook or needles and pattern. This way when I head out the door to wait at the doctor’s office, or in line at the DMV, I can throw my billfold into the tote and knit or crochet while I wait.

    No, I don’t have the destash/declutter finished yet, but it is dwindling and I am hopeful. I have a goal. That’s a start, right?   I’d also like my closet to look as nice as the Yarn Harlots, but that is another story too.  Or it it an extension of this one????

    Do you take projects with you to work on in line?  There is a poll on the right side, let us know.

    On the plus side, I did learn the loop stitch and can now make hair for my bears and dolls. However, I still haven’t found the original supplies I was seeking for the bear.

  • The Knitting Bible Study story

    Several years ago I began suffering chronic back pain that would leave me in bed crying out for relief.  Pain meds might take the edge off, but my mind still reeled in the pain.

    One day I found an old knitting project I had abandoned years before. I picked it up and started again.  Working on the project helped calm me and despite the pain factor, I found I was able to focus a bit more. When I completed the project I felt a sense of accomplishment I hadn’t felt in some time.  I had been unable to do so many things I was becoming depressed and discouraged. Then there would be something else I couldn’t do and more depression and discouragement would pile on my already frazzled self-esteem.

    During this time I would reflect and pray. I pulled out a skein of yarn that was a completely tangled mess.

    As I pulled, tugged, unwound, and mumbled under my breath I started to think how my life felt like that at the time.  I wrote a journal entry and found myself relating the tangled mess of yarn to God untangling my messy life. Anyway, I wrote a few word picture stories and later when I reading them again I realized there was a theme.  I copied and did a bit of editing then asked some friends to join me. We knitted together and I read one of them for the night. This led to our conversation and discussion. With their encouragement, I then put them all together and presented it to my church leaders who allowed me to start a Knit and Crochet Bible Study. It was well accepted and we are now about to begin the 3rd year of our study..

    I have edited the first lessons and they are now available for PDF purchase.  Purchase one copy and you have copyright privilege to copy for your local group.  Sign up for the e-newsletters and get a FREE sample lesson to try out.

    I am editing for a second book release now and will be posting different Knitting Bible Study ideas as well as working on a way to host an online study.

    May your hearts be encouraged, being knit together in love. Col 2:2