Thursday, November 21, 2013

Oh Happy Day!

While our November meeting is always a very busy meeting, it is hands down my favorite meeting of the year.  It represents the culmination of a full year of "gathering" (all of the warm and wonderful yarny goodness delivered throughout the year by Angels near and far).  We open boxes, we photograph, we admire, and then we get to work!  This is the meeting at which we assemble the spa bags that go to the moms in the Leland House shelter and the new moms at Swedish Covenant Hospital.  We also package up the hats and scarves that will be delivered to A Just Harvest community kitchen when our church (Edgebrook Covenant) serves there the first Saturday in December.  Once again, we were blown away by all of the packages that arrived in time for this meeting.  So much goodness!!  I took the opportunity at this meeting to FINALLY get a picture of the Angels in attendance and not just all of the wonderful stuff they make.  Here's who was at our November gathering.

Seated in front row (l to r):  Pam Gantzer, Cindy Weinzierl, Heather Groh, Sandy Rice
Standing in back row:  Doris Ahlstedt, Deb Kreusch, Maureen Martin, Becky Rosacker, Peg Kingsley, Carol Flowers, Joyce Dattalo, Jeannine Patt, and Phyllis Snodgrass

It amazes me to think of all of the heaps of happiness stitched by these incredible women and so many others over the course of the year.  Thank you, Angels, for your selfless ways and caring hearts!

On with the show!  First up is "The Wadsworth Wonder" - Helen Watson from Wadsworth, IL.  Holy heaps of heavenly harvest!!!  When Helen warned me that there was a box on the way and I would probably need a truss to get it in the church when it arrived, she wasn't kidding.  And then, shortly thereafter, she sent another giant box filled with all kinds of goodness to keep even more folks warm this winter.  Just look at all of these love gifts from this lady whose heart is way bigger than the boxes in which her things arrived.  Oh, and something else she sent which isn't even included in these pictures - 80 spa cloths!!  Amazing!

 
Once again, I tried to cover a variety of charities in my stitching.  I made a scarf for The Red Scarf Project and one for Christmas at Sea.  The ear warmers will go to The Night Ministry and the baby hats were a special project and will go to the neonatal intensive care unit at Northwest Community Hospital.
 


 Our associate pastor, Jill Lind, loves to knit and she also contributed some hats to go to the preemies at Northwest Community Hospital.  Are these not adorable??  A Santa hat, a Swedish hat, and an acorn hat...

Jill donated some bigger kid hats, as well, that are just as adorable as the baby hats.

Those krafty Klickers from Loogootee, IN shipped more of their gifts of love for distribution to Cornerstone Community Outreach, North Park Friendship Center, A Just Harvest, The Red Scarf Project, the babies at Swedish Covenant, etc., etc., etc.  They pretty well covered ALL the bases!


We're always anxious to see what Jeannine Patt has created.  This time she did some beautiful prayer shawls, which we were in need of, and another of her stunning baby sets.  The photos just don't do her work justice!

Carol Flowers came bearing scads of spa cloths and baby hats as well as some hat and scarf sets.  I love the ruffly spa cloths that Carol makes!

Heather Groh knitted up some very chic hats with some fun fur trim and a matching scarf.  Love the colors!

Doris Ahlstedt brought some of her signature baby hats.  I found out just recently that she doesn't do these with a pattern - she just "toys around" with different things.  That totally impresses yours truly who can only do the simplest of things without a pattern to follow.  The babies at Swedish Covenant are blessed by her creativity.

Okay!  Get ready for this!!  Take a look at the headbands that Maureen Martin made for the girls' volleyball team at North Park University.  I still can't get over their gorgeous-ness.  I was just blown away by the colors and varieties, but am partial to the ones with the bows.  Unbelievable!!!

Cindy Weinzierl, one of our new Angels, came again with her friend, Becky Rosacker.  Cindy whipped up this cute headband/hat/scarf set in one of my favorite colors - purple.

Joyce Dattalo's love gifts definitely had a Christmas theme going this time around.  Love those little red and green hats!

And then there's Deb Kreusch.  Just when you think you can't be any more amazed by her creativity and craftsmanship, well...

Check out all of these incredible toys, including the Raggedy Ann and Andy.  She also made an entire Jurassic Park full of dinosaurs critters.  Amazing talent!
 
Peggy Kingsley brought some wonderful stuff for the folks at A Just Harvest courtesy of her surrogate stitcher, Jo.  Here's their latest installment...

Cheryl Kerr, from Lee's Summit, MO, sent in all of the yarny goodness shown below - beautiful baby afghans, hats in a variety of sizes, bibs, slippers, and some itty bitty teeny tiny socks for preemies/newborns.  Thanks, Cheryl!  As always, fabulous work!

We also received a package from Ann Mazzitelli and her "Just for Fun" group down in Port Richey, FL.  They stitched up lots of hats and scarves to keep the folks at Cornerstone Community Outreach and North Park Friendship Center warm this winter season.
 

 
Phyllis Snodgrass brought some more of her Red Heart Super Saver scarves.  I always love the variety of colors in these scarves!
 
Carol Stephan of Forest Park, IL sent in baby afghans for the newborns at Swedish Covenant Hospital or babies at The Women's Center, as well as some scarves for the folks at Cornerstone Community Outreach.  Aren't the pink and white and blue and white-striped afghans adorable?
 
We had several folks, in addition to Maureen Martin, who stepped up to the request for the blue and gold/yellow headbands for the girls' volleyball team at North Park University.  Here are some from an anonymous donor...

lots of beauties from Linda Faubel of Ladd, IL...

and, finally, some from Doris Freeman of Orange, CA

Thanks, ladies!  The team is going to be thrilled when they see your hand-made love gifts!

Sylvia Frey of Rock Falls, IL worked up all of this yarny goodness.  We especially appreciate the mittens because we don't get many of those.  The kids served by Leland House and/or North Park Friendship Center will be warmer this winter thanks to you!

Finally, Margie Chan of Chicago made these warm and wonderful Wool-Ease hats for folks served by Cornerstone Community Outreach or North Park Friendship Center.  And, yes, Margie, they will bring more than a little comfort and warmth to someone in need!

Whew!  That's A LOT of yarny goodness lovingly hand-stitched by all of you amazing Crafty Angels.  You are simply the best!  It's been a fun and busy year and Sandy and I look forward to seeing you and/or your love gifts at our next meeting on January 18th, 2014.  We'll pull together the list of 2014 meeting dates and will e-mail those to you in December.  Angels, we wish you a richly blessed holiday and thank you so much for all of your hard work this year.

 



1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Crafty Angels truly turn straw into gold--bless you all.
Happy Holidays.

9:21 AM  

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