Crafty Angels

Reaping - Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:13:00 +0000

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16

Sunday, December 6, dawned cold but sunny and clear -- perfect weather for coming to church, and perfect weather for coming to a fundraiser! I just wish all of you could have been there for worship service, part 1 of our fundraiser, our Chancel Choir's annual Christmas Concert, and part 2 of our fundraiser -- so I'll use this post to help you envision what it was like.

We had excellent attendance at our worship service, and I had an opportunity to share with the congregation all that you had accomplished this year and how wonderful you all were. Here is the little speech I made about you:

On January 1, 2009, I sat down to write a post for the Crafty Angels blog, and what I saw was greatly increased need for all the yarny goodness the Angels make – due to global economic problems. I knew there would be more people out of work, more people in shelters, more people on the street, and more people needing the services of the ministries and groups we support. So I started praying every day that God would send us more Angels and more resources to meet that need. I can truly say now that God answered those prayers – He has moved powerfully in, through, and on behalf of, the Angels. Several knitting and crocheting groups joined us – as did many individual women – and we now have over 600 Angels around the world. These women have created more yarny goodness than ever before, and that has allowed us to reach out to new groups serving people in need. When we needed resources, God – and many of you – provided yarn, those little bottles of bath gel and body lotion, financial support, and most of all, encouragement.

Around Thanksgiving, I wondered who would be thankful for the Angels. Here’s what I came up with:
Over 400 mothers across Africa – because their babies were alive right now because of the baby hats the Angels made for Knit One, Save One
Nearly a hundred children in across Africa whose parents have died of AIDS – because Angels made toy bears for the Mother Bear Project, which were the first toys these children had been given
Over a hundred families across Afghanistan – because Angels made warm woolen hats, scarves, blankets and shawls for Afghans for Afghans, serving moms and children in war-torn Afghanistan
Over a hundred mariners across the world – because Angels made hats and scarves for the Christmas at Sea Project, serving mariners on the seas and rivers of the world
Over a hundred students across the US – because Angels made scarves for the Red Scarf Project, serving students who had aged out of foster care
Nearly 200 homeless men in Rogers Park – because the Angels made hats and scarves for the homeless men served by the Good News Community Kitchen
Literally thousands of homeless people in the Lakeview and Uptown neighborhoods – because Angels made all sorts of yarny goodness for those served by Cornerstone Community Outreach’s ministries
Nearly a thousand new moms – because Angels made baby hats, blankets, and sweaters for their babies born at Swedish Covenant Hospital
And many people of our church – because Angels made prayer shawls, comfort afghans, blankets and baby things

All that yarny goodness sitting the Chapel will have an impact beginning next week. What you see there is only about 2/3 of the total – we’ve already shipped out or delivered packages of yarny goodness that will end up in Afghanistan, around the world, across the US, and in Chicago through:
Afghans for Afghans
Christmas at Sea Project
Good News Community Kitchen
Red Scarf Project
And now Parenting ProGRESS – Ravenswood Covenant’s program for unmarried teen moms and their children

After our fundraiser today, all the remaining yarny goodness will be delivered to:
Cornerstone Community Outreach
Friendly Towers – serving very needy seniors in Chicago
Swedish Covenant Hospital

I pray for the Angels every day, and I first ask God for compassion for each of them. I just don’t see how you can do what the Angels do – expending their time, talent, and treasure on others they don’t know – without it. It takes a lot of time and effort to make an afghan or baby sweater – and people don’t generally do that unless they love someone. The process also changes a person – when you finish that afghan or sweater, you can no longer see the recipient as an “it” or an “other” – you can only see them as an equal human being, a precious child of God. Sai Baba, a much revered Indian holy man, once said, “No joy can equal the joy of serving others.” The Crafty Angels have certainly experienced that joy, as they expand their very extended human families.

Please join me in prayer now for each of these compassionate, caring women:
Doris Ahlstedt
Helen Alexander
Ann-Helen Anderson
Debbie Anderson
Jean Bianchi
Arlene Bilinski
Sonja Bowen
Karen Boykin
Margaret Bridgewater
Kanani Caauwe
Jacci Canino
Marge Carlson
Margie Chan
Susan Chou
Mary Coleman
Joyce Conlin
Maura Costa
Carol Cranmer
Nancy Cronk
Rose Curylo
Pat Daily
Joyce Dattalo
Sue Doman
Sally Domijan
Judi Druzik
Anne Dryndrozyk
Linda Ellis
Jane Esterline
Catherine Falkenstein
Linda Faubel
Ann Fitzpatrick
Carol Flowers
Linda Fusek
Amy Gawura
Margaret Gettings
Kristin Green
Martha Greene
Heather Groh
Ethel-Mae Gundlach
Anna Marie Hand
Stacy Hayden
Kay Hedrick
Dorrit Herreid
Lisa and Shelly Heyden
Anita Hohenstein
Cheryl Jessup
Cathy Jones
Yunji Kim
Peggy Kingsley
Chenoa Knight
Debbie Korbas
Lisa Kowar
Debbie Kreusch
Christine Larsen
Joann Larson
Jill Lind
Hazel Lindsay
Alexis Lueth
Angie Lyke
Helen Magnavita
Michelle Malles
Mary Mangin
Elly Minton
Lori Nienke
Carol O’Neill
Dianna Overall
Sue Paluh
Jeannine Patt
Peggy Peryam
Karen Pillsbury
Jean Plummer
Chris Pokorny
Eve Pokorny
Marya Preston
Judy Rasico
Sandy Rice
Penny Sawczak
Jessica Sawyer
Lorene Schlie
Anna Schmalz
Katie Schmalz
Barb Schnarr
Carol Schultz
Julie Scigalski
Nancy Senatore
Joan and Emma Seymour
Gail Shaw
Ruth Siburt
Phyllis Snodgrass
Debra Sotka
Iliana Stark
Rosalie Stenftenagel
Carol Stephan
Pam and Sydney Tedrow
Regina Thomas
Kathy Waldsmith
Sherry Walker
Alma Wamsley
Ginny Ware
Helen Watson
Stacy Weber
Judy Whipple
Birgit Yacoub
Jackie Zydeck
Crochet Corner
Caring Hearts Charity Crafters
Fourth Presbyterian Church Knitting Group
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church’s K1P2 Knitting Group
Happy Charity Klickers
Holy Trinity Crafty Angels
Stitching Sisters
The Armitage Army @ Richard Armitage Central
DONORS
Karen Boykin
Mary and Michael Doucette
Business Valuation Group
Edgebrook Covenant Church Deacons
Edgebrook Covenant Church Women Ministries
Joann Larson
Don Leatz
Frank Pokorny
Debbie Ranieri
Gail Shaw

Father God, we are so very, very thankful for each and every one of these loving women, your dear daughters, dedicated to caring for the “least of these.” All are committed to showing Your children Your love, using what they know best – knitting and crocheting. Their gifts are humble and small in the grand scheme of things, but we ask that You take them and use them. Only You know where they will go – but the Angels trust that You have a plan for each item they made, because You led them to make it.

Please keep their fingers nimble, their needles and hooks strong, their yarn tangle-free, and their hearts continually open to Your leading to care for those they will never even meet – so that You can us a hat, a scarf, a blanket, or a shawl to bring someone closer to You. We ask all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I had to practice this speech dozens of times before I could get through it without choking up! And guess what, Angels -- you got a rousing round of spontaneous applause from the entire congregation when I finished!

The fundraiser started right after worship as part of our coffee hour, and Angel Kathy Waldsmith did a wonderful job of coordinating the actual "coffee hour" part. Many local Angels contributed treats and goodies, too -- want to see?

That's Kathy by the punch bowl. And we even had special treats flown in all the way from Australia:

Thank you, Angel Hazel Lindsay and Armitage's Army! Let me tell you, the children of our congregation were anxiously awaiting these treats -- they remembered how wonderful they were last year! And there weren't ANY left over after coffee hour!

I had a special helper to handle the money:

Frank was the "money guy" for both parts of our fundraiser -- making sure that every person's purchases added up correctly and that everying balanced at the end of part 2 of our fundraiser. We owe him a big thanks, because things got REALLY CRAZY!

I managed to snap a few photos before things got REALLY CRAZY and I had to help bag purchases and make sure each item had a special Crafty Angels gift tag with the right care instructions on it. Just look!

Everyone was AMAZED at how gorgeous all your yarny goodness was, and were very pleased to be able to purchase a bit of it as Christmas gifts for friends and family. We had record attendance at both part 1 and part 2 of our fundraiser -- and our local Angels worked very hard to keep our "stock" well organized and displayed attractively. But I have to admit, it was a little like trying to do it in a hurricane!

We sold raffle tickets at both parts of the fundraiser for Angel Birgit Yacoub's beautiful afghan "Hope":

Angel Sandy Rice stood guard over the lemonade pitcher that served as the "bowl" for the tickets, and Angel Lisa helped people fill their tickets out so the line didn't get too long. Lisa also served as an excellent "personal shopper" for many of the men and boys looking for Christmas gifts for the women in their lives!

We had never had a part 2 of our fundraiser before -- it just worked out that the Chancel Choir's annual Christmas concert was the same day as our dedication and fundraiser. My friends Margo Jarosz, who serves on the church's Worship and Music Committee, and Ann-Helen Anderson, who serves on our Deacon Board, both independently came up with the idea of having a part 2 fundraiser. They spearheaded the effort to make it happen, and it worked out wonderfully! Thank you, Margo and Ann-Helen!!

Would you like to know how much money we raised at the fundraiser? $1,893! That is a RECORD! Half of the money will be sent to Cornerstone Community Outreach's Friendly Towers -- their home for very needy seniors -- to be used as staff sees fit to make the seniors' Christmas season more merry. The other half will be used by us -- so that I can purchase more yarn for you to use to make your love gifts and have funds to ship yarn and yarny goodness around the world. In addition, we raised $75 for the Good News Community Kitchen through the raffle of Birgit's afghan, which will be used to purchase food for the next time our church serves dinner there in February! Can you believe all this wonderfulness!!!!

After we caught our breath Sunday evening, we packed up your love gifts in to great big bags. All the yarny goodness for Swedish Covenant Hospital went into my car -- and Frank's car! It took us TWO cars this year. The rest got packaged up for Cornerstone. But that story is for another post!!

Reaping - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:40:00 +0000

"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity." 1 Corinthians 13:13

On Saturday evening, Dec. 5, our church served dinner at the Good News Community Kitchen. We've been doing it for several years, in an effort started by my good friend Tony Senatore. On Friday, Tony and Frank purchased food for the meal - using funds raised by our congregation. They delivered that food, along with EIGHT giant garbage bags of hats and scarves to the Kitchen that same day.

The Kitchen has a small staff that actually prepares the food, so when we arrived at 4:30 PM on Saturday afternoon, everything was ready -- and people were already lined up outside in the cold. All we had to do was help get things set up:

At 5 PM, the doors are opened, guests check in and drop off their backpacks, carts, or tote bags, and are given a table number to sit at. Then the fun begins! Guests are served "restaurant style" -- meaning that plates of food are prepared by passing the plates down the line you see above, and then "runners" take the plates to the tables to serve the guests. Other runners serve water, coffee, and milk. The Kitchen has a well-developed routine, and you work hard and very fast until the food line closes at 6:30 PM. Then you clean up. This past Saturday, we served over 125 people.

The Kitchen organizers decided that our hats and scarves would be given to the guests as they left -- and to be honest, they were sort of worried about how it would go as they had never done anything like this before. But I wasn't worried at all -- God had taken us this far and I knew things would be just fine because I could feel His presence in that kitchen on that very cold night.

Want to see what happened (thanks, Tony, for taking photos!)?

Rows of mostly men patiently got in line and waited their turn to choose a hat and scarf. Let me tell you, Angels, it was a heartbreaking and very moving experience to be your representative. The look on the guests' faces when they learned that they could get a warm hat and scarf was one of amazement and, in many cases, disbelief. When they came to the counter and saw that someone had actually MADE the hat and scarf for them, they were very overwhelmed -- they just couldn't get over it. And to be able to CHOOSE which one they wanted was a rare opportunity for these people who subsist on others' leftovers or left behinds.

They kept saying "thank you, thank you" in several languages -- still not believing that they could leave with the hat and scarf in hand. Each one immediately put the hat and scarf on -- almost as if they were afraid someone was going to take it from them. Angels, I just wish each of you could have been there to see the gratitude in their eyes. It was deeply moving.

One very elderly woman, in a very thin coat, grabbed my hand and just kept saying "You don't know what this means to me, you just don't know." That just broke my heart. Another older man had two very small children with him -- one still in diapers. He told me that they were his brother's children -- and a couple days previously his brother had just abandoned the children. We found some smaller hats and scarves for the children -- they were too big, but he was thrilled because they would help keep the kids warm. That also broke my heart.

After everyone had gotten a hat and scarf, the Good News Kitchen staff asked if we could do this again next year. Of course I said yes! I also told them that I would keep scarves in reserve for them, and would ask all of you to make some up soon -- so that if they felt there was a need to do this again this winter, we would try to do it. The staff just couldn't get over that you Angels had handmade each hat and scarf -- to them that was just amazing. And I told them how amazing each and every one of you are!

I took this photo of our volunteer "crew" (minus the hairnets and aprons!)--

In the front row, from left to right: Frank Pokorny, Tony Senatore, Christian Baer, Bunny Hughes, and Melissa Nelson. In the back, left to right: Philip Nelson, Chris Baer (you can barely see the top of his head!), Chuck Hughes, Nancy Senatore, and Emily Nelson. What a wonderful group!

As Frank and I left the Kitchen to go back to our warm house, I marveled at God's perfect timing. It had gotten very cold while we were inside -- and I was just so glad that our guests had warm hats and scarves to wear that night. We've since had snow, and are expecting LOTS of snow today and tomorrow. Just think, Angels -- because of you, 125 people have something to keep their heads, necks -- and hearts -- warm now. Tony wanted me to tell you that he is truly appreciative of what you did on Saturday night -- and considers each an every one of you a true blessing!

Reaping - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:33:00 +0000

"And let us not be weary in well doing - for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galatians 6:9

What a weekend, Angels!!! This past weekend, Dec. 5-6, was our busiest weekend of the year - with setting up for our annual fundraiser and dedication, distributing yarny goodness at the Good News Community Kitchen, and then the actual dedication of all you've done all year and the fundraiser. There is too much to fit in a single post, so I'll be doing several. Here's what happened Saturday during the day:

The Angels got together for lunch at my house to prepare us for the work ahead, and we were honored to be joined by two members of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church's K1P2 knitting group -- which has provided us yarny goodness for the past two years. Meet Gini Bezella and Irene Homa!

And they brought yarny goodness with them -- want to see?

Much oohhing and aahhing ensued! Isn't everything just so lovely? Thank you, K1P2ers!! You are awesome!!!!

Angel Doris Ahlstedt also brought some last minute goodies:

Just gorgeous, don't you think? Perfect for the newborns at Swedish Covenant Hospital.

Pastor Greg Mesimore joined us for lunch, and afterwards, Gini, Irene, Doris, Angel Peggy Kingsley, Angel Sandy Rice and I headed over to church. There we were met by Angels Gail Shaw, Phyllis Snodgrass, Nancy Senatore, and Kathy Waldsmith. With Pastor Greg's help, we set up banquet tables and started opening bins chock full of your love gifts. About three hours later, here's what we had accomplished -- at least part of it! I couldn't fit everything in the photos:

Can you believe this?!?!? And remember, this is only part of your yarny goodness! We used every single banquet table in the entire church -- and things were just STACKED on them! After further organization and discussion of logistics for Sunday, these lovely ladies helped carry all the bins out for their return trip to my basement (with additional help from Frank and Sandy's husband Tony):
If we look rumpled, hot, sweating, and tired -- it's because we WERE!! That's Birgit Yacoub's one-of-a-kind afghan called "Hope" in the background -- the folks at Good News Community Kitchen thought we could raise more money for the Good News Community Kitchen raffling it off during our fundraiser than having it be a silent auction item at their annual fundraiser.

Pastor Greg could not believe how many things you all made during this past year -- AND about 1/3 of your yarny goodness had already been shipped out and distributed! He thinks you are absolutely amazing, and I do, too!

We limped home, and Nancy and I consumed caffiene to get us ready for the next step -- distributing goodies at the Good News Community Kitchen. But more on that in the next post!

Serving

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:44:00 +0000

"No joy can equal the joy of serving others." -- Sai Baba

I have to apologize to all of you -- I am so late in getting this post up! It has been a wild run getting everything ready for our dedication and fundraiser - which is Sunday, December 6 - and going to visit my Dad and sister Cin in Maryland for Thanksgiving week.

The Crafty Angels got together on Saturday, November 21 for food, fun, fellowship, and WORK! We got to see Angels we hadn't seen in awhile, friends of Angels, and new Angels, too. Poor Supervisor Cowboy was so overwhelmed by the laughing and talking that he stayed on the staircase going upstairs and watched between the railings!

The Angels brought LOTS of yarny goodness - and several out-of-town Angels had sent in boxes full of love - so I've decided to only put up a small selection of photos, for fear of crashing our servers. Just take a peek:

Can you believe all the GORGEOUS yarny goodness here?!?!? I really think the Angels have outdone themselves this year.

After a quick lunch came WORK -- the Angels crowded in around my dining room table (with all the leaves added) and put together spa bags:

Many hands made light work, and after about three hours, here's what we had:

SIX HUNDRED AND THIRTY SPA BAGS!!!!! WOW!!! And we could have done about 100 more, but I hadn't purchased enough organza gift bags -- 630 had seemed like such a huge number to me that I almost didn't buy that many. I should have known that the Angels would easily blow through whatever number I was carrying around in my head as "a lot."

That 630 number meant that we could spread the joy around a bit: 30 will go to the teen moms served by Parenting ProGRESS, 350 will go to women in homeless shelters served by Cornerstone Community Outreach, and 250 will go to needy new moms whose babies are born at Swedish Covenant Hospital -- I thought it would be nice for the moms to get a gift for themselves, too. AWESOME!!!

Thank you, Angels for all your hard work making all those spa bags -- and for continuing to create such lovely yarny goodness. Thank you also to Pastor Greg and the men and boys from our church who carried all the bins and boxes over to church on Sunday, Nov. 22! They worked so hard for us -- and were totally overcome by the volume of love gifts you all produced. They just kept saying they couldn't believe it!

Now I'm preparing for tomorrow -- Saturday, Dec. 5 -- when the Angels will gather for lunch and to set up all that love for our dedication of your love gifts and fundraiser on Sunday, Dec. 6. Lots of details to follow up on, lots of last minute sign printing and errand running -- so I'll write more after the big event! I've been in constant communication with Swedish Covenant Hospital, Cornerstone Community Outreach, and Parenting ProGRESS -- and they can hardly contain their excitement to see what I deliver to them early next week. Frank and my friend Tony Senatore are delivering 150 hat and scarf sets to Good News Community Kitchen this afternoon, and we'll be distributing them tomorrow evening when we serve dinner there. I'll try to take photos for you! Gotta run!

Small (Or Not)

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:59:00 +0000

"Small deeds can change the world...God inhabits the tiny seed, empowers the tiny deed. He cures the common life by giving no common life, by offering no common gifts. Don't discount the smallness of your deeds." -- Max Lucado

I've been thinking about the quote up top quite a bit lately. One of the Angels confessed that she felt she had only done a little for the Crafty Angels, and that her work was only a small thing. I begged to differ, because you never know how God is planning to use that baby hat or scarf to change someone's life, and the world. Just think of that famous mustard seed in the Bible story. You can hardly see a mustard seed, it is so tiny -- yet it grows into a giant bush. God says that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains.

And I have faith that each Crafty Angels item, no matter how small or big, can change a life and rock a world. Somehow our culture has gotten us to think that only grand, big gestures matter when helping those in need. In actuality, it is the jar of peanut butter placed in the food pantry bin, the baby hat, the scarf, the $5 dropped in the church collection plate, the hour here and there volunteered at the soup kitchen, the outgrown children's jacket placed in the coat drive box, the pennies put in the World Relief soup can, and the change slipped into the beggar's coffee cup outside the train station that keep work for God's kingdom here on earth going.

Little things add up and grow into big things -- and we, as crocheters and knitters, should know that better than anyone else! Think how tiny one stitch is -- but as we make them, one by one, they add up into a love gift!! So hear me when I say this: NO BIT OF YARNY GOODNESS YOU MAKE IN LOVE FOR SOMEONE IN NEED IS TOO SMALL TO HAVE AN IMPACT!!! We may not see the impact right away, but believe me, it is there! And I have seen those "small deeds" add up in a big way this past week! So many wonderful things have come in that Pastor Greg has worn a path from the church's side door to my front porch bringing boxes over!

Let's start with that photo up top. Mary and Michael Doucette, devoted members of our church's congregation, told me that they wanted to help the Angels by purchasing "spa bag innards" for us. Mary's sister, Debbie Ranieri, works for American Hotel Supply, and Mary and Michael planned to purchase some hotel room-sized bottles of bath gel and body lotion from American Hotel Supply. Debbie kindly went to AHS's "store" to make the purchase and found boxes of body gel and lotion that had been discontinued -- 300 bottles of each, to be exact. When she went to check out, she mentioned to the store manager what they were for, and the wonderful store manager charged her a grand total of $6 -- one penny for each spa innard bottle!! See what I mean? Small deed, BIG payback! And what a blessing these bath gels and body lotions will be to women staying in Cornerstone Community Outreach's shelters! Thank you, Michael, Mary, and Debbie!!

Angel Linda Faubel from Ladd, IL was also thinking about spa bag innards -- look what she sent us!

Thank you, Linda -- lots of ladies will be feeling luxurious when the receive these in their spa bags!

Angel Alexis Leuth from Winter Springs, FL sent us two boxes -- one packed full of spa bag innards. She was so excited to find them that that she purchased all they had at the store:

And one packed full of:

Her famous furry hats for the fundraiser -- check out the Christmas one that she made with tinsel garland (top row on the left)!

And the results of powershopping the clearance bins at Target! She also sent along some warm gloves she had, but never used in Florida. Thank you , Alexis! The bounty will keep our ladies sweet-smelling, and WARM this winter!

Angel Phyllis Snodgrass from Chicago also found some neat spa bag innards:

And she made us more of her famous scarves for children:

Can't you just see these being worn to school on a cold winter day, providing a dose of much needed cheer? Thank you, Phyllis -- these love gifts are GREAT!

Angel Anita Hohenstein from Chicago stopped by with these goodies:

Isn't this scarf that Anita made for our fundraiser just gorgeous! She took a class to learn how to make it! I just love the stitch pattern - it is so light and feminine.

She also included these neckwarmers (another class project, and the yarn is so soft!) and scarf. Anita, thank you so much for caring about our families - these are wonderful!

Angel Margie Chan from Chicago sent us two envelopes full of yarny goodness:

Two hats for men, and a scarf for Project Red Scarf and one for Christmas at Sea. I'll make sure to send these off right away, Margie. Thank you so much -- the guys will be nice and warm this winter!!

Angel Iliana Stark from Chicago also stopped by with goodies:

Spa cloths to go with all these spa bag innards! I particualy like the moss green striped one - she used a great dropped stitch pattern that I really like. Thank you, Iliana - these will be so appreciated by the ladies in Cornerstone's shelters!

We also received packages from TWO NEW ANGELS! First up is Kanani Caauwe from Chicago, who sent us some lovely love gifts:

Aren't these scarves creative? I particularly like the one on the right -- I really like the colors she chose. And she went powershopping, too:

Our teens at Parenting Progress will like these! Thank you, Kanai, you are truly an angel to care for the families we serve. Welcome!

New Angel Rose Curylo from Chicago dropped three big bags off at church. Want to see what was inside? You know you do!

Aren't these toddler sweaters just awesome?!?!? Rose chose the cutest buttons for them, too -- on the purple sweater, they look just like those Valentine message hearts candy!

Check out these wonderful baby blankets for the newborns at Swedish Covenant Hospital - they are perfect!!

This poncho for a little girl is just gorgeous and so soft - AND she crocheted it out of HOMESPUN! Rose deserves an extra blessing for that, because I know how hard it is to crochet with Homespun yarn!

Rose used the Baby Jacquards or sock yarn for these hats for little girls -- you can see the effect quite clearly on the smaller hats on the left side, top and middle rows. It looks like Fair Isle knitting, without having to juggle multiple colors of yarn. Cool!

Check these out! I really like how she used sock yarn to make the hat and scarf for a young girl - I think this set will be well loved! And how creative are those leg warmers to match the hat?!?! The lucky little recipient will be the fashion queen of her grade-school class!

And check out these patriotic items of yarny goodness! I'm going to group one of the blue hats, white scarf, and red mittens together as a set! She also gave us a whole bag of yarn! Thank you, Rose -- you have been so generous with your time and talents for our families -- what a blessing you are to them, and to us. Welcome!!

And there was EVEN MORE! Honorary Angel Sonja Bowen from Fourth Presbyterian Church's knitting and crocheting ministry stopped by and brought us this:

Two more really big bags of yarn -- and each of the colors is all of one dye lot. I swapped her for some yarn in colors she needed, so both knitting and crocheting groups came out winners!

WOW!! I am overwhelmed! What wonderful yarny goodness love gifts! Angels, you have outdone yourselves this week! So many people will be touched by your kindness - no matter how small you think your individual contribution may be. How absolutely, totally WONDERFUL!

Splendor

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:21:00 +0000

"The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily did not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness." -- Therese of Lisieux

I have often thought of this quote over the last eight years -- but not in the way Saint Therese intended. She was talking about all the kinds of people and their gifts that were needed to build God's kingdom here on earth, and how we all needed to be different for that to happen. I loved that image of spring and all the different flowers that bloom, and it stuck in my head.

I came to think of it in terms of the Crafty Angels as it became clear to me that each and every one of you have unique gifts and talents, and each of you like to make different types of yarny goodness in different ways. In the early years, I sometimes worried that we might not have enough baby caps, or scarves, or something -- yet it always turned out that we had exactly what we needed, when we needed it, for the people who needed it. I may be dense about some things, but it didn't take long for me to see God's hand at work among you!

Your individual uniqueness never ceases to amaze me. Never once, in all these years, have two people made exactly the same yarny goodness thing in exactly the same way! Can you believe that? Never! I can now pick up a bit of yarny goodness and probably 90% of the time tell you exactly who made it. Your work is as distinctive as your face or fingerprints. And every single year, you make - by divine grace - exactly what we need for the familes we serve. That still blows me away, every single time I open a box, envelope, or bag full of your love.

Speaking of boxes and bags, more love came in late last week! First up is Angel Cathy Jones from Chicago. There was a big bag of her yarny goodness on my front porch when I went to bring in the Sunday paper - Pastor Greg had brought it over from church early in the morning. What a great way to start my Sunday! Want to see what she made?

Isn't this a great afghan for one of our senior men at Friendly Towers or a man who has suffered an illness or loss? I really like how Cathy used various shades of burgundy in this blanket. Our Supervisor Cowboy liked it so much he refused to get off of it after I took this photo - which you'll see in the photos below!

She also made these great scarves -- two of which will be just great for the men we serve at Good News Community Kitchen. The other will be perfect for a woman in one of Cornerstone Community Outreach's homeless shelters.

"Do I like this prayer shawl, Mom! It is so soft and warm. One of our 'grandmas' will love it!"

Angel Cathy also made this lovely prayer shawl for one of the senior women we serve at Friendly Towers. I really like how Cathy was brave enough to CROCHET it out of Homespun yarn, which we all know is very dificult to crochet with!

Thank you, Cathy, for sharing your gifts with the families we serve and helping the Crafty Angels garden bloom! Your yarny goodness will bring light and life to so many this winter!

A box of love came all the way from Australia, too. Angel Hazel Lindsay and Armitage's Army have been very busy -- just look:

I just loved the cabled detail on the yoke of this baby sweater.

Aren't these baby sweaters just gorgeous? They will be just perfect for the newborns we serve at Swedish Covenant Hospital. And I really like the mitts -- these are so helpful in keeping babies from scratching themselves with their tiny hands - and keeping those tiny hands warm in the winter. Hazel's work is so fine that I just know the new moms will treasure these tiny keepsakes!

And there was more in the bottom of the box:

Incredibly soft, fluffy, warm scarves for the homeless women we serve - which will be most appreciated this winter, because it is supposed to be very cold here this winter.

Hazel, thank you so much for taking the time to create so much love for so many of our little, and not so little, ones! I do not have the patience to use such fine yarn and needles as you do - I am in awe of your talent!

What a beautiful garden and spring you Angels create - each and every year. I can't wait to start distributing all this yarny goodness!

About the photo up top: doesn't it look like our Supervisor is looking really pitiful? Supervisor Cowboy was TRULY glad I didn't try and put one of the baby hats on him -- I took pity on him because it was a night with very full moon. Both Cowboy and Princess Cody Grace the Magnificent are VERY sensitive to full moons - they actually spent the entire day hiding in their respective closets. I just didn't have the heart to torture him with the baby hats - although he would have looked so darned cute in one of Hazel's baby hats!!

Used

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:14:00 +0000

"Do not fear to be busy. You are the servant of all. 'He that would be the greatest among you, let him be the servant of all.' Service is the word of my disciples...Be used. Be used by all, by the lowest, the smallest. How can you best serve? Let that be your daily seeking, not how best can you be served." The Two Listeners in God Calling

I came across this quote in God Calling some time ago, and marked it in the book with a little Post-It tag so that I could use it on this blog at some point. I liked it, because I sometimes feel "too busy" with Crafty Angels responsibilities on top of everything else I have to do and, I admit, sometimes that makes me cross and cranky (just ask Frank!). It was really nice to be reminded why the Crafty Angels are important to God, and that I should not fear being busy. Invariably God provides the strength, endurance, stamina, or "conicidential" cancellation of some other thing I'm supposed to do whenever I feel that way. It's rather amazing how it all works out, and I've learned just to trust that things will work out as they are supposed to.

The important thing I carried away from this quote was that I am to be "used." Even to the point of being "used up" -- by the lowest, the smallest. And that it is my duty to think of ways to be "used" by those we serve. Now that is heavy. While my sister Cin keeps telling me she is going to get me a t-shirt with "Stop me before I volunteer again!" printed on it, it's actually important that I be "busy." And you Angels have indeed been busy -- three packages arrived over the last couple of days!

Angel Cathy Falkenstein from Loomis, CA had emailed me to see if any of the Angels might want some sock yarn. She had purchased it, but found it hard to work with. Of course I said YES!

So, if you would like to make some socks, let me know. And I know that there are several of you who like to make socks for the families we serve! This is lovely sock yarn, and enough to make several pairs. Cathy also included some cotton chenille yarn she had tried to use for spa cloths - but found she liked Peaches and Cream yarn better. There was also one other bit of yarny goodness inside:

An absolutely perfect preemie baby hat! I tried really hard, Cathy, to get our Supervisor to wear it, but he just would not cooperate -- even with treats! Thank you, Cathy, for sharing this gift with us -- I'm betting I'll be getting emails really soon asking for your yarn!!

Angel Debbie Anderson from Auburn, IL has been VERY busy -- she sent us a BIG box of yarny goodness and all in fall colors:

"What?? You need to pack this blanket away in the big bins in the basement? I don't think so, Mom! I LIKE this blanket! Are you sure Angel Debbie didn't make it for me?!?!?"

Don't these colors just remind you so much of Halloween candy corn?!? They surely did remind me -- I craved candy corn all evening after I took these photos! The hats and scarves will be just perfect for the folks we serve at Cornerstone Community Outreach's homeless shelters -- and the blanket will be perfect for one of our senior men at Friendly Towers. Can't you just see it really brightening up a grey winter day for him? And there was more:

Another wonderful blanket for one of our senior men -- just perfect, Angel Debbie!

And a lovely baby blanket for one of our newborns at Swedish Covenant Hospital. It is so nice and soft. Thank you, Debbie, for keeping busy serving the lowest and the smallest. You are such a blessing to so many people!

We also received two boxes from Angel Hazel Lindsay in Australia from Armitage's Army. The first box has been driving Supervisor Cowboy and Princess Cody INSANE ever since it arrived, because a strand of yarn had worked its way out of the box, and hung quite tantilizingly from the box's corner. I would wake up in the middle of the night and hear the Princess whapping at it with her paw. Both cats were present at the box opening -- you can see the Supervisor's reaction in the photo up top:

Can you see his paw at the end of the table trying to grab that strand of yarn? Here's what happened next:

Needless to say, the yarn barely stayed on my dining room table long enough for me to take the photo! Princess Cody was waiting on the floor to catch the yarn as soon as it started falling down. I don't know what it was about this lovely purple yarn, but it was like catnip to the cats! They left all the other skeins alone, but were fascinated by the purple yarn. The purple yarn coordinates nicely with the multicolored yarn right underneath it -- there may even be enough to make a prayer shawl if someone combines both colorways of the yarn. The other yarn is great, too. Thank you, Hazel, for sharing this bounty with us -- and Cody and Cowboy!!

So don't be afraid to be busy, Angels. Allow God to use you for the smallest, the lowest. He will work out whatever needs to happen for you to do what He wants you to do for the families we serve. Just trust, and keep those hooks and needles going! You are changing the world!

Love

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:50:00 +0000

"To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my true character. Love is my name." -- Thomas Merton, from A Book of Hours

I've been thinking about love a lot lately -- mainly because it has been staring me in the face every time I go into our basement and walk around and through all the stacked bins of yarny goodness you Angels have sent in! I thought of the quote up top on one of those trips, and felt it truly describes the Angels -- love is indeed your name, or at least your middle name! And selflessness is definitely your character -- you can't miss that staring at all those full bins. I've read several of Merton's books, and particularly enjoyed A Book of Hours. If you are into love, it is definitely worth checking out.

More love came in the mail and arrived by personal delivery late last week. On Friday evening, Michelle Malles came by and dropped off some lovely yarny goodness that she and Angel Debbie Koubas made for us. Both Debbie and Michelle are from the Chicago area, and work where Frank used to work.

First up is Angel Debbie's loveliness. She made us two special scarves for our fundraiser, and Angel Kathy Waldsmith is modeling one of them up top (yes, it was cold enough to wear a winter coat to church here on Sunday - and because the boiler was out again at church, Kathy was really glad she had worn it!). Here's a closer look at that gorgeous scarf:

Debbie made a second version of that same pattern, but with finer yarn on smaller needles -- I'm modeling it here:

Michelle said that Debbie said the scarf was easy to make -- I'm not so sure, so I'm going to try and get the pattern from Debbie to see. I do know that it defintely takes a lot of love to make a scarf like this -- it's complicated and you would have to keep careful track of exactly where you were in the pattern. It also takes a considerable amount of selflessness to make something this lovely and then not keep it to wear yourself!

The love in this scarf caused quite a stir at church. I've been wearing a Crafty Angel shawl or scarf to church on Sunday for the past several weeks as advertising for our upcoming fundraiser -- inevitably people comment on them during coffee hour after church, and I then have a nice lead into telling them about the fundraiser! Angel Debbie -- your scarf got lots of compliments on Sunday!!

Debbie also took a class during the summer to learn how to make this stunner:

It's sort of a very narrow shawl/long scarf that drapes nicely around your neck. Take a look at the lace stitch Debbie used:

Isn't that just lovely? Michelle said that she watched Debbie work on it during lunch hours, and it was quite complicated. You can't tell from this photo, but it's made in a lovely shade of pale green in a cotton blend yarn -- just perfect for spring. Supervisor Cowboy really liked it, too! Thank you, Angel Debbie, for using your talents to make us such lovely scarves for our fundraiser -- they are gorgeous and I'm positive they will sell quickly because people can easily sense all the love stitched in with the yarn!

Angel Michelle has also been busy:

"Whoa! My paws are tingling, Mom!!! It must be all that love I'm feeling!"

Spa cloths for our challenge! Each of these scarves is different and uses a different stitch or knitting technique. Michelle said that making them has been a wonderful way to teach herself how to knit -- she is getting VERY good! These will be wonderful for our spa bags for the women in homeless shelters served by Cornerstone Community Outreach and Wellspring Center for Hope. Thank you so much, Michelle, for caring for the women we serve -- these will be a source of comfort for them during a very difficult time in their lives, and every time they use them, the women will be reminded that someone loves them -- even if they don't feel very loveable.

Angel Joyce Dattalo from Oswego, IL sent in a HUGE box full of love, too. Want to see what was inside? You know you do!

Hats for our challenge to make hats for the men served by Good News Community Kitchen! And scarves and mittens to match! The hats are just awesome -- extra thick -- and just perfect for the men who live on the streets even during the coldest part of the winter. Thank you so much, Angel Joyce -- you may just save one of these men's lives this winter with your gifts of love.

And there was one more love gift inside:

"Mom, this blanket is GREAT! What a wonderful blessing for one of our senior ladies this Christmas!"

I agree, Supervisor Cowboy. This blanket is soft and so warm, and such a lovely colorway -- it will be treasured by the homeless senior woman living at Friendly Towers who receives it. Thank you, Angel Joyce, for caring so much for so many people we serve. You are truly a blessing to all of them!

So much love, so much selflessness touching so many lives in so many ways. Yup, you Crafty Angels certainly are made in the image of God! What a blessing, and inspiration, you are!

Treats

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:04:00 +0000

"In ancient times, cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this." -- Terry Pratchett

Hi, Angels! It's me, Cowboy, your favorite Supervisor! I'm cross today, so I'm taking over the blog today because I have a special message for you at the end. But Mom says I'm supposed to talk about yarny goodness and a bunch of other stuff first, so here goes:

I got pretty excited when Pastor Greg brought over two different packages from church. One was crinkly paper, and smelled like it came from waaaay far away. The other was a nice tidy box that look like it would be great to play in when it was empty. Turns out we have TWO new Angels! WHOOO HOOO!

The crinkly paper envelope (and you know we cats like crinkly paper!) came all the way from the United Kingdom - can you believe it? Angel Hazel Lindsay has been talking to Armitage's Army again on their bulletin board, and Anne Davies decided to send us some treats -- after she saw my picture on the blog, of course! Take a look:

"These sleepers are really nice and soft -- the kiddies will have no problem sleeping in these!"

And check out these purple pants -- three different sizes even! These clothes will be just great for the children served by Parenting Progress - the teen moms will really appreciate them. Angel Anne also sent a card that send she sent me "love from the U.K."! My fan club just keeps growing because I'm so handsome. Thank you, Anne for the treats -- our kids will love them!

The nice tidy box came from new Angel Helen Magnavita from Slatington, PA and had treats in it, too. Want to see what she made for our babies at Swedish Covenant Hospital and Cornerstone Community Outreach's homeless shelters?

These baby blankets are AWESOME!!! I wanted to take a nap on them, but Mom said they were for babies, not cats. Too bad, because they are really nice and soft. Mom kept going on and on about the "stitchwork" to Dad -- I'm not sure what THAT is, but I do think the babies will really like them a lot. Angel Helen sent me a card, too -- she said she saw me on the internet and she wants to help the Angels take care of the poor and homeless people. I think that is really pretty special -- thank you, Angel Helen, for taking care "our" babies. You are going to make the new moms really happy!

Did you know that Mom won't let me go in the basement any more? And it's all because of all of YOU!! I love sneaking down into the basement when Mom isn't looking -- there are all kinds of cool hiding places down there and I can really freak Mom out by not coming when she calls my name. Well....NO MORE!! Mom says it's too crowded down there now and she'd never find me if I got stuck somewhere, so I can't go downstairs. I didn't believe her until she showed me the pictures she took:

Yup, all those GIANT bins are full of completed yarny goodness -- treats for all the families we serve -- and YOU made them! And the little bins against the wall are full of yarn for you all to use. Can you believe it?!?!? Dad lost Mom on Sunday when she was working down there after church -- he told me he went down the stairs and he couldn't see Mom. The bins are stacked taller than she is! She had to stick her arm up in the air and wave her hand so Dad would know where she was! It is really something to see -- Dad takes all our visitors down there now to see all the yarny goodness. So I don't know why he won't take ME down there - he keeps saying I'll get lost. Dad has a bet with Mom that she'll have to start stacking bins in the garage before Thanksgiving if the Angels keep sending in more treats. Mom says she thinks she can wiggle the bins around and fit even more bins in the basement!

OK...........Mom just left to answer the phone and I've got the laptop all to myself! Angels, I need your help!! Mom STILL hasn't bought me some decent treats -- she just has these icky ones she got with coupons that I HATE! I know lots of you Angels have cats (although they aren't as handsome as me!), and I'm SURE, because you are all Angels, that you give your kitties GOOD treats! So email Mom and let her know what kind, OK? Princess Cody Grace the Magnificent and I are really getting cross about this lack of decent treats -- we work pretty hard around here chasing yarn balls, greeting Angels when they come to visit, checking Mom's knitting progress to make sure she doesn't make mistakes, AND posing for pictures for the blog! We DESERVE GOOD TREATS!!! Ooops! I hear Mom on the stairs! I'm clicking the publish button NOW!

Hands

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:48:00 +0000

"Christ has no body now on earth, but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he is to go about doing good; yours are the hands with which He is to bless people now." -- St. Teresa of Avila

As I mentioned in my previous post, several Angels sent in boxes and envelopes recently, and I'm anxious to show you all the yarny goodness they sent in -- and they sent in LOTS! Oh...I'll explain that picture over to the left at the end of this post (got to build excitement, you know!!).

First up is Chicago Angel Margie Chan:

Sweet baby hats, Birgit, for your challenge!! In her note, Margie said she has been very busy at work, and this was all she could get done. And that is just fine, Margie -- that hats are lovely and will be just perfect for the babies we serve at Swedish Covenant Hospital! Thank you!!

Angel Alexis Leuth from Winter Springs, FL sent us two PACKED boxes -- take a peek:

Hats for all ages -- just perfect for the families we serve at Cornerstone Community Outreach's and WellSpring Center for Hope's shelters!

Spa cloths for our challenge!! WHOO HOO! Alexis said she really enjoyed making these this summer when it was so hot in Florida -- and don't the colors just look like Florida?!?

Alexis said that she doesn't make sweaters or clothing, but she did hit a super-great sale at Target -- and look what she sent for the kids we serve:

Just look at all these great sweaters, baby things, and socks! They are absolutely wonderful for the children at Cornerstone's shelters! Thank you so much, Alexis, for sending us so many lovely things (including the tiny Whitman's Sampler box, which I DID NOT share!!). This is just great!

Angel Linda Faubel from Ladd, IL emailed me during the summer and asked what the Angels needed for the folks we serve, and I told her that we could really use some hats and scarves for men. Linda took that to heart:

WOW!!! And DOUBLE WOW!! Now that is a LOT of hats and scarves -- they will be great for the men we serve at Good News Community Kitchen!

Linda was also thinking about our babies:

Isn't this a lovely baby blanket? I just love the pattern!

She also sent SO MANY baby hats for the challenge, Birgit! Look carefully -- Linda used sportweight or baby weight yarn that is the striping and jacquards yarn, which makes patterns like sock yarn. It turns out looking like you did Fair Isle crocheting or knitting -- when in fact you just did plain crocheting or knitting. If you haven't seen this type of baby yarn before, check it out. There are patterns on the ball bands that take advantage of this striping feature, and I've seen the cutest baby sweaters that you would swear were drop stitch or Fair Isle knitting - but the yarn did all the work! Very cool!

Linda also makes wonderful afghans, and she sent us two:

Check out the hearts inside the colored squares! Perfect for one of our seniors at Cornerstone's Friendly Towers!

Ever make a baby blanket and think: "I wonder what this would look like made into an afghan"? Wonder no more:

This afghan was made with the same stich pattern as the baby blanket Linda sent us, just made larger and in a different colorway. Awesome!! All the Angels who crochet who were at our get-together now want to make this blanket! I will be saving this blanket to use as a comfort afghan for a man who is facing a health crisis or the illness/death of a family member. It will be treasured.

Linda --thank you so much for your commitment to the Crafty Angels and for blessing us with the wonderful yarny goodness you make. So many people will be touched by your kindness!

As I opened all these boxes and envelopes of yarny goodness, I thought of the quote up top. It has been a favorite of mine for a long time, and I came upon it after a discussion in my high school youth group during which we argued heatedly about how God worked in the world when He was up in heaven. As only teenagers can, we were fixated on how all that blessing stuff actually got DONE - other than by divine miracle, and none of us had ever seen a miracle.

I thought St. Teresa nailed it perfectly -- and it opened up a whole new world to me: we human beings were God's hands and feet -- we did the stuff to get the blessings done here on earth, following His divine direction, according to His divine plan. I remember thinking: "Whoa! What a responsibility!" and feeling slightly overwhelmed. But that teenaged epiphany literally changed my whole mindset, and the course of my life. I definitely think that Margie, Alexis, and Linda are being God's hands by creating all this wonderful yarny goodness -- and so are all the Angels. What marvelous calling we all have!!

Oh....about that picture up top. Angel Linda also sent something else:

Have you ever seen women fighting over bargains in Filene's Basement or something in the movies? It was sort of like that when I pulled these skeins of Pound of Love yarn from Linda's boxes. Angel Jeannine Patt lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw them (that's her up top!!) - it's her favorite yarn. There were serious negotiations over who got what color! Linda -- there is lots of baby yarny goodness being made being made as I write this with your yarn!!

Circles

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:44:00 +0000

"Until he extends his circle of compassion to all living things, man himself will not find peace." -- Albert Schweitzer

This past week was a busy one for the Crafty Angels. We received six BIG boxes and two envelopes of yarny goodness from far-flung Angels, and the local Crafty Angels met on Saturday, October 10. I decided to do two posts on all the lovely handmade items because there were so many! So I'll start with our get-together on Saturday.

We had a wonderful time of inhaling yarn fumes, fondling yarny goodness, and coveting yarn. Plus we had lots of laughs! Even with the cold, dreary weather, the temperature inside my house was nice and warm - both from the love waves given off by the yarny goodness the Angels brought with them and the warmth of friendship. We were a small, but mighty, group. Want to see who was there? Take a look!

Angels Debbie Kreusch and Doris Ahlstedt - both from Chicago, and Lisa from Lake Forest.

Angels Jeannine Patt and Penny Sawczak - both from Chicago, and Carol Flowers from Barrington.

Penny started off the parade of yarny goodness with these lovelies:

A lovely blanket made by a friend of hers at work, which will be perfect for one of the young girls served by Cornerstone Community Outreach's homeless shelters.

LOTS of wonderful scarves for the folks we serve at Good News Community Kitchen and Cornerstone Community Outreach.

A beautiful prayer shawl - everyone just loved the colors!

And toys for the kids at WellSpring's shelters -- she made scarves for the bunny above and the bear (a Chicago Bear) up top! Penny, thank you for your speedy fingers and creativity. You rock!

Angel Debbie Kreusch had the babies we serve at Swedish Covenant Hospital on the brain, and in her fingers:

We were blown away by this blanket -- it is amazing because it is NOT knitted, it is CROCHETED using a special technique to fade out the yarn colors working with two strands of BABY YARN, AT THE SAME TIME, and a very complicated stitch that puts one strand of yarn in the front and one strand in the back.....actually, I got completely lost when Debbie tried to explain it to us. Suffice it to say it is indeed something you have to concentrate on doing, and you can't be chatting with someone while doing it. The results, however, are truly heirloom worthy.

Always the Queen of Scraps, Debbie made this blanket out of leftover yarn from the previous blanket!

If you remember the post from our last meeting, Debbie took home lots of partially finished squares made by Lela Runquist, and donated by her daughter Amanda Bixby, when Lela moved into an assisted living center downstate. Look what Debbie brought back, made from those squares:

Beautiful blankets for the seniors we serve at Cornerstone's Friendly Towers! These are not only gorgeous, but will really keep our seniors toasty warm this winter. Debbie did a great job crocheting all the squares together and creating artistic designs from them. Debbie, thank you for continually taking on challenges and being absolutely fearless in trying new techniques and stitches - you are an inspiration to us all!!

Angel Carol Flowers has been busy, too:

Lots of nice, warm, feminine scarves!

And beautiful spa cloths for the spa bags we're putting together for the women served by Cornerstone's and WellSpring's shelters. The Angels would also like to thank Angel Anita Hohenstein and honorary Angels Mary and Michael Doucette for their very generous donations of spa bag "innards" -- small bottles of body lotion and body wash. The Angels are shooting for 500 spa bags this year -- and we are well on our way! Carol, thank you for your so very strong dedication to the cause and great willingness to teach so many of us how to do what you so wonderfully do!

Angel Jeannine Patt took some more of our "never-ending balls" of donated yarn -- this particular yarn has AMAZING yardage! -- and with TWO skeins, made this lovely prayer shawl:

This is the second one she has made, and they are just gorgeous. Trust me, this shawl will be treasured by someone facing a serious illness or death of a family member.

Jeannine also had our Swedish Covenant Hospital babies on the brain, and made this gorgeous baby blanket -- which she said consumed yarn like there was no tomorrow! But just look at the lace edging she put on it - breathtaking! Another family heirloom! Jeannine, thank you for always caring so much for our babies, and for making yet more prayer shawls whenever I ask. You are such a blessing!

Angel Doris Ahlstedt always likes to make baby things -- and just look at these sweet baby hats, Birgit! More for the "bath-tub filling" challenge! We also all really liked the baby blanket -- Doris used simple stitches, but created an absolutely lovely pattern. Doris, thank you for sticking with the Angels for so long - and for being so concerned that all the babies we serve have something lovely to go home from the hospital in. You have touched so many lives!

Carol has been teaching Angel Lisa how to crochet over our last two get-togethers, and just look how far Lisa has come:

Scarves for the Red Scarf Project - wonderful!

And gorgeous spa cloths using all sorts of stitch combinations. Way to go, Lisa! Lisa, you have such a busy life with so many, many demands on your time. Thank you for deciding to learn how to crochet on top of your already great knitting skills, and for squeezing in work for the Angels in those fleeting free minutes you get in your day -- and doing this consistently. You amaze me!

As we laughed and chatted, I thought of Schweitzer's quote up top. I pray for each of you Crafty Angels every day, and I've mentioned before that one of the things I pray for you is for compassion -- because I just can't see how you can do Crafty Angels work without feeling compassion for those in need. It dawned on me on Saturday that, very definitely, the Angels' circles of compassion have grown tremendously in the eight years of our existence -- and continue to grow every year. Your circles of compassion now encompass not just people in Chicago, but those in need across the United States, in Afghanistan, in Africa, andon waterways literally around the world. WOW!! Angels, YOU ARE AMAZING!!! I am so thankful for your loving hearts, creative spirits, nimble fingers, and great dedication. What an impact you have made, and are making, in your global circles of compassion!

Neighbors

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:35:00 +0000

"We are not asked to love the neighbor as neighbor, but as ourselves." -- Geevarghese Mar Osthathios, Metropolitan of the Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala, India

I have LOTS to show you, but first, a happy announcement! Angel Helen Watson from Wadsworth, IL is the happy grandmother of a brand new bouncing baby boy - Linkin David Watson! Congratulations! After that, almost everything pales in comparison -- well, almost everything..... except the packages that arrived from California and Australia!

Angel Cathy Falkenstein from Loomis, CA sent us an envelope with these inside:

"Where are my kitty treats?!?!?!? I got up off the Polarfleece blanket because you said there would be treats!"

Uhhhhh.....Supervisor Cowboy, the Angels can't see the yarny goodness with you sitting on it.

Ahhhh....that's better! A lovely turquoise scarf for the folks we serve at Cornerstone Community Outreach's homeless shelters and a Christmas spa cloth for the women we serve at WellSpring. Thank you, Cathy!! Both bits of yarny goodness were made with lots of love and are just wonderful!

Angel Hazel Lindsay sent us a big box of goodies from Armitage's Army in Australia -- want to see?

"I'm warning you, Mom: no treats, no cooperation!"

Supervisor Cowboy, I know it's Sunday afternoon and you prefer to keep the Sabbath holy (or maybe just sleep on the Polarfleece blankets) -- but the Angels want to see you! And these lovely scarves made for the folks we serve at Good News Community Kitchen. OK, OK -- I'll go get the treats.........

Ahem.....now, let's try this again!

Hey! Cowboy! Where did you go?!? Oh, well -- this way you can see this gorgeous baby blanket even better. How perfect for the babies we serve at Swedish Covenant Hospital.

Isn't this just the sweetest little baby sweater with matching mitts? I just love the color, and so will the new mom!

Finally, some cooperation! Yet another wonderfully made baby sweater for a little boy!

"I WANT TREATS!!!"

Hey!! Cowboy, the Angels can't see the sweater with you sitting on it! Now be a good boy! Get off!

Thank you. That's better! Won't this look so cute on a toddler girl living in one of Cornerstone's shelters? Hazel even made a hat and scarf to match:

And just look at this yarny goodness:

Just perfect!! I really liked the yarn Hazel used in this little sweater -- it's "Barbie pink," sort of "spongy," very lightweight and warm, and it washes like a dream. This will be a little princess' prized posession! And there was more:

"I don't like these new treats you bought! They are icky!!"

Oh, good grief!!! OK, OK, I'm sorry, Supervisor -- I had the coupon and I've heard other kitties really like them. I apologize - the next time I go to the store, I'll get a different kind. Can we get back on track here?

Thank you. This sweater will be just wonderful for a toddler boy -- Hazel's needlework is just so fine. It will become an heirloom!

Hazel also packed in some extra goodies:

Ballerina Barbies! These are guaranteed to make a little girl's eyes sparkle come Christmas!

And nice, warm hats Hazel found on sale for the men at Good News Community Kitchen! Thank you, Hazel, for your continual generosity, commitment to service, and beautiful yarny goodness! You are such a treasure!

Another treasure stopped by on her way home from church, bearing gifts:

Angels, meet honorary Crafty Angel Sonja Bowen and her husband, Bill! Sonja heads up the knitting and crocheting ministry at Fourth Presbyterian Church here in Chicago, and we became fast friends because Bill worked with me at the Central Conference office until he retired last year. Just look at what she gave us!

REALLY BIG BAGS O' YARN!!! This yarn was donated to the ladies at Fourth Presbyterian, but the agencies they serve are pretty strict about the kind and color of yarn the ladies can use to make things for them. So Sonja always gives me the yarn she cannot use -- and this is a bumper crop!! WHOO HOO!! I've been praying for more yarn to fill our bins, and here comes Sonja! Thank you, Sonja, for your neighborliness and willingness to share -- you are such a blessing to us!

Frank and I were talking about being a good neighbor and what that meant on Saturday night, and of course, I quoted the Bible -- you know, "Love your neighbor as yourself." We talked about what that meant, and I remembered the quote up top. I like the emphasis Osthathios puts on "neighbor" and "ourselves." We humans, being human, always love ourselves the best of any people around, and usually our families come in second. Neighbors can come in a distant third -- or even further behind than that. But God calls us not to love neighbors as we would someone way down the list, but as we would love the person first on the list, ourselves. Now that is something to think about!

Then we started talking about who is our neighbor. Just the folks that live next door to us? What about the guy across the street? How about the homeless man I've seen lately pushing his grocery cart around our neighborhood in the morning when I'm on my way to work? What about the people the Crafty Angels serve? What about that child living in poverty in Africa or the mom giving birth at a hospital in Afganistan? Is a neighbor someone you have some sort of tie to or feeling for -- or is a neighbor any human being?

Angel Helen Watson carries the idea even further -- she considers all the people she knits and crochets for as members of her family. They are her grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins, and so on. Her goal is to treat them as she would treat her family members. And believe me, she treats her family pretty good!

So, if we were in a philosophy or theology class, we'd be at the point where we could begin to agree that our neighbors could be most anyone -- anywhere in the world. That is profound. And if you add in on top God's command to love them just as we love ourselves, the first people on our lists, that can rock your world. Just imagine what would happen if people did that! But I don't have to imagine -- I see it every time I open a box of yarny goodness sent in by an Angel. I see how Angels are changing their world -- one neighbor at a time!

Influence

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:42:00 +0000

"Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another." -- George Eliot

Two packages arrived from Crafty Angels in the past couple of days -- both of which were full of love and brightened my spirits!

Angel Cathy Falkenstein from Loomis, CA is so very faithful in making things for the Angels -- in fact, she is one of the very first Crafty Angels from outside the Chicago area!! Take a look at what she crocheted for the women we serve at Cornerstone Community Outreach's homeless shelters:

"Mom, I really like this Christmas-colored spa cloth -- do you think Angel Cathy would let me put it on my pillow in the closet??"

I agree, Supervisor Cowboy, that the Christmas-colored spa cloth (right by Cowboy's paw) is lovely, but Angel Cathy made those for the ladies we serve! So no, the spa cloths must go to them, not you. And the ladies will indeed like these -- in her note Cathy said that she really likes doing the spa cloths because they are fun and quick. And that is why Angel Birgit Yacoub calls spa cloths and baby hats "potato chips" -- because you can't do just one!!!!! Thank you, Cathy -- you will be making someone's Christmas much brighter this year!!

Angel Alexis Lueth from Winter Springs, FL also sent in a package -- and inside was a charming book of quotes, just perfect to use on the blog! And, yes indeed, the quote up top by George Eliot is from that book. Thank you, Alexis, for providing inspiration -- and more quotes for what Frank calls my "quote addiction!"

Last week I got an email from Angel Helen Watson from Wadsworth, IL that just cracked me up -- Angel Helen has the most fun sense of humor! She told me about "places" she had been visiting based on the colors of yarn she was using for her Crafty Angels projects. For example, in my email back to her, I told her that: I just came back from "Burgundy" where I worked on my Red Scarf Project scarf, and before that I had been in the Arizonan "Painted Desert" working on a prayer shawl, but I was looking forward to going to a "Fiesta" where I was going to wind yarn for another prayer shawl. I had been on a trip around the world! Who knew?!?!?!? Where have YOU been? Let me know, and I'll share your "trip" with the Angels!

If you think back over your life, I'm betting you will find that the quote up top is very true. The Crafty Angels are some of the most loving people I've ever met, and believe me, your influence is far greater than you can ever imagine.

I'll never forget the time I was at one of the groups we serve and a teenager, a recipient of your gifts, pulled me aside and told me that he still had the hat an Angel had made for him three years previously. He told me no one had ever made anything for him before, and he treasured it so much that he wanted to say thank you. I told him I hoped he felt the love that was added to that hat, and he said he did -- and it was a wonderous feeling that someone cared for him so much they made him a hat. He was still amazed about that.

A simple hat, made with love, given to a teenager in need. Three years later he is still amazed by that gift. Oh yes, Angels, you have influence beyond your wildest dreams!

Called

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:47:00 +0000

"Maybe I'm not making big changes in the world, but if I have somehow helped or encouraged somebody along the journey, then I've done what I'm called to do." -- Sister Thea Bowman

Hey, Angels!!!! It's me -- your handsome spokesmodel Cowboy! Didja miss me?? Like all BIG STARS I went on hiatus the last few weeks, chilling out, snoozing on the Polarfleece blankets, practicing my poses. But I knew it was time to come back from vacation when Angel Helen Watson said her granddaughter Madelyn wanted to know where I was. She missed me! I figured you all did, too, so I'm back!

You can imagine my surprise when I was checking out the blog the other day to see what Mom had been up to and I saw that GEORGE AND Addi got to write a blog post -- and even ROCKY got coverage!!!! NO FAIR!!!!! So I sat Mom down and told her the facts of life -- I'M THE STAR! And I told her that if she ever wanted uninterrupted sleep, she'd better let ME write a post. She said OK, so here goes:

We have a new Angel! Angel Lori Nienke from Chicago got a new job at the Blind Service Association. She made a new friend there -- Heather Groh -- and Heather made us some baby blankets for our newborns at Swedish Covenant Hospital. Just look!

Lori and Mom really liked the color -- I think the new mom who receives it will like it a lot, and so will the little baby.

Last week Mom had lunch with Angel Joann Larson from Glenview. I was glad Joann came over to the office and dragged Mom out -- Mom's been eating so many peanut butter sandwiches Princess Cody Grace the Magnificent and I are afraid she's going to turn into a peanut! Joann brought along lots of goodies -- take a peek at the spa cloths she made for our ladies at Cornerstone Community Outreach's and WellSpring's shelters:

Mom really liked that lacy blue one -- I think they are all just perfect! She also made warm woolly socks for Afghans for Afghans -- part of their project for new moms at a hospital in Kabul -- which she sent off already.

And there was more! Look what Joann made for the men at Good News Community Kitchen and our families at Cornerstone:

But I think this scarf is the BEST:

This scarf brings out my innate handsomeness, don't you think? I look MMMMMAAAAHHHHVVVEEELLLOOOOUUUUSSSS!

Angel Joann has gotten her friends to make things for us, too. The ladies at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church gave her lots of yarny goodness. Joann already sent in their hats and scarves to the Christmas at Sea project, but there was still more. Angel Birgit -- the next picture is for you:

SIXTY FIVE BABY HATS!!!!! I think we can start filling up a second bathtub for Birgit's challenge! 11 of those hats were made by Dorrit Herreid. AWESOME!!!!!

This is a whole lot of yarny goodness and love, Angels! You did GOOD! Mom said I had to say something "theological" at the end. I saw the quote up top on Mom's desk -- she saw Sister Thea on "60 Minutes" once. Mom told me that Sister said that little things people do for others really add up, and are far more important than big things people only do once in awhile. I've been supervising Mom making prayer shawls for the last two months, and she told me that while a prayer shawl may seem like a small thing when someone has lost a loved one or is very sick, it can mean a whole lot.

I guess that's true -- I heard Mom talking to her boss Jolene, who was really sick this summer, after Jolene got better and called Mom to thank her for the prayer shawl. I didn't hear what Jolene said, but it made Mom cry. When I jumped on Mom's shoulder and batted at the tears, Mom said it was OK -- she was just really happy the shawl helped Jolene. I believe everything the Angels make has that power because it has so much love in it. The Angels are helping people every day, little by little. Mom told me once she wants to be a little mouse, peeking around the corner in heaven when each of the Angels gets to meet all the people who received their yarny goodness, and the Angels learn what that gift meant to them. She said the Angels won't believe their eyes and ears!! I think that will be AWESOME....but I'd feel a whole lot better if Mom wanted to be a little CAT!

Repetition

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:26:00 +0000

"The repetition of small efforts will accomplish more than the occasional use of great talents." -- Charles H. Spurgeon

Whew! It was a wild weekend, Angels! And it was a wild weekend because Honorary Angel and Director of Marketing Frank Pokorny (that's him over to the left there) and I had to clean out and rearrange the basement to make room for all the yarny goodness you Angels are making! I would not have been able to do it without my husband's help, for which I am truly thankful. Do you know that you have almost filled all the bins I used ALL last year?!?!?!

We even had to start putting bins in the GARAGE! We skipped church on Sunday (horrors!!) to hot-foot it over to Target because they had the giant 30 gallon bins I use for storage on sale for $6.44 each -- a true bargain! But, when we got there, we found out that our Target had not received ANY of the bins. I was irked, needless to say, but got a rain check for 8 of the bins when they DO come in. And I know that you all will easily fill those 8 bins up!

Want to see what came in? You won't believe this:
Those bags hold close to 500 Beanie Babies!! Yes, Angel Michelle Males has donated her ENTIRE collection to us, so that we can give them to the children at Cornerstone Community Outreach's homeless shelters, WellSpring Center for Hope's shelters, and Parenting ProGRESS for Christmas gifts. AWESOME! The kids will just LOVE these, Michelle -- thank you so very, very much for so generously sharing your collection with kids in need!

Yarny goodness came, too! Unfortuantely, our spokesmodel and supervisor Cowboy was sacked out on the Polarfleece blankets with his sister Princess Cody Grace the Magnificent when I took the photos, so his furry Highness isn't in these shots. But this way, you focus on the beauty of the stitches:
First up is Angel Carol Stephan from Forest Park, IL. In her note she said, "It has been a long while since I sent something your way -- but I do enjoy staying in touch via your blog, so you and the Angels are often in my thoughts. I marvel at how much some of the Angels church out - they are like machines! I work at a much slower pace." That, and she has had three sets of twins and two pregnant sisters-in-law to knit for! This layette set will be perfect for the new babies and their moms we serve at Swedish Covenant Hospital -- I think this will become a family heirloom! Thank you so much, Carol, for taking care of OUR babies!

We also got a box from Australia from Angel Hazel Lindsay, head of the Angels of Armitage's Army:
Scarves and Barbies - it doesn't get much better! The scarves are perfect for the women we serve at Cornerstone Community Outreach's shelters, and the black one will be just perfect for the men we serve at Good News Community Kitchen. And the little girls at Cornerstone's shelters will just looooooooove these Barbies! Thank you so much, Hazel -- please let the Army know how much we appreciate their generosity, and them!

Angel Birgit Yacoub from Champaign, IL sent us a BIG box, and this just took my breath away:

Angels, let me introduce you to "Hope." Birgit wanted to make something very, very special for the Good News Community Kitchen's annual fundraiser, which happens in late October. So she designed this gorgeous bed-sized blanket HERSELF! It is a one-of-a-kind, and Birgit hopes it raises a goodly amount of money to help feed the homeless people the Kitchen serves. As always, Birgit's stitchwork is just gorgeous, but she had outdone herself on this blanket. It is truly breath-taking!

And there was more:

Lots of spa cloths for our Spa Cloth Challenge - we now have TWO 30 gallon bins filled with spa cloths, Angels! I particularly like the orange one on the left with the hearts worked in.

Wonderful hats and scarves for the men at Good News Community Kitchen -- and Angels, if you are wondering what to make next -- we could surely use some hats and scarves for men.

And LOTS of baby things for our babies at Swedish Covenant Hospital:

Lots of baby hats for her Bathtub Full of Baby Hats Challenge -- for which we have very nearly filled up at 30 gallon bin with hats already!

And check these out! BIBS!!! What a great idea for spa cloth cotton! Some have bands that fasten around the neck with a button and some have ties. Great idea!

And just look at this beautiful set for a girl baby -- that's a poncho to the right, even though my lousy photography skills make it look like a baby blanket.

Thank you, Angel Birgit, for your amazingly generous spirit, creative mind, nimble fingers, and caring heart. You never cease to amaze me -- and you are such a blessing to ALL of us!

As I unpacked all these boxes, the quote up top from Charles H. Spurgeon came to mind. This summer when my Dad started to get worse and I had trouble falling asleep because of worrying, I searched Amazon.com for a good devotional to read at night before I went to sleep. I came across Spurgeon's "Evening by Evening"-- which includes a reading each night from one of his many sermons. He died in 1892 after a very long, illustrous career as a preacher in London, but his sermons could have been written today.

Spurgeon was all about steady, bit-by-bit, step-by-step growth in one's understanding of the Bible and faith -- and the importance of living out that faith in small ways, every day. He was also all about the English language and chosing just the right word to covey what he meant. As a writer, I am thoroughly enjoying his compound-complex sentences and joyful use of complex words. He's also teaching me about hanging in there and working in small ways every day to reach out to others. That is just what Michelle, Carol, Hazel, and Birgit -- and all of you Angels -- are doing every single day, with every single stitch and every donated toy. And what a wonderful world you are creating for so many, many people!

Compassion

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:29:00 +0000

"I have this theory that if one person shows compassion to another then that person will start a chain reaction of the same." -- Rachel Joy Scott

Hi, I'm Addi! That's me, sitting on Angel Penny Sawczak's lap at the Crafty Angels' get-together this past Saturday. Chris said I could write the blog today because all the Angels loved me so much! My Mom is Angel Debbie Kreusch, and she made me out of yarn she and Chris got doing what they call "Noro-diving" in a big pen at Stitches Midwest a couple of years ago. The pattern called for me to be little -- made on size 2 needles -- but Mom said "what the heck!" and used size 8 needles to make me BIG!! I say there's just more of me to love!!

I can't wait to go to my new home -- Chris says that I'm going to some place called Cornerstone Community Outreach to be a Christmas present for a child whose family doesn't have a home. Maybe I can cheer that child up -- I AM "squeezably soft," I like to cuddle up in bed at night, and I'm good for drying up tears. I wonder whether my child will be a boy or girl? I don't care -- I just like little kids!

What? Oh....Chris says that I have to tell you about the yarny goodness that the Angels brought, not just talk about myself! OK, want to know who came to the party?

Here's Jeannine Patt and Doris Ahlstedt, both from Chicago.

Here's Angie Lyke, Lori Nienke, and Phyllis Snodgrass -- all from Chicago.

And Penny Sawczak from Chicago, Lisa from Lake Forest, and Carol Flowers from Barrington, IL.

Here's my Mom, Debbie Kreusch (cuddling me!!), Sandy Rice, and Peggy Kingsley. Everybody in this picture is from Chicago, too. Of course, Chris was there, but she said that because she was taking the pictures, nobody could take a picture of HER!

I have to tell you, I could NOT believe how much yarny goodness the Angels brought on Saturday!!! Mom told me to be prepared, but I just couldn't imagine how much love came in the door. Do you know that the Angels had yarny goodness stacked up on Chris' dining room table SO HIGH that it nearly touched the light fixture and Chris made everybody take all the yarny goodness off the table midway through so she could take good pictures (well, with Chris that's a relative term.......) of the rest of the yarny goodness? It is TRUE. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.

In fact, Chris was worried that if we put up ALL the pictures she took that we might crash the servers where this blog resides! So I got to pick what I thought are the best things each person brought! Even THAT is a lot -- just look:

Angel Penny Sawczak brought so many things, including several shawls using this stitch. I liked this one the best because I like bright colors, and I think one of our seniors at Friendly Towers will, too.

Angel Penny also made this lap blanket for one of our senior men at Friendly Towers -- I think he will like it!

Aren't these scarves just the coolest?! Penny made these for the little boys in Cornerstone's shelters. I think they are kinda scary.....

Angel Carol Flowers does such beautiful crocheting! Just look at these spa cloths she made for the Spa Cloth Challenge! She makes them on her lunch hour at work!

She also makes scarves on her lunch hour -- I particularly like the mauve-colored one on the left here.

And just look at this prayer shawl Carol made! The yarn she chose has such a nice sheen and it's so soft. It will be a great comfort to someone who is ill or has faced a loss.

Angel Jeannine Patt made this beautiful baby sweater and hat for our newborns at Swedish Covenant Hospital. The Angels just went ga-ga over the itty bitty cables on the front next to the buttons and on the sleeves. Very, very cool!

Jeannine was also thinking about the toddlers we serve at Parenting ProGRESS -- she wanted their little heads and hands to stay warm this winter, so she made these hat and mitten sets just for them! All the Angels think that Jeannine makes absolutely the BEST pompoms!

This baby blanket got LOTS of oohhs and aahhs -- Angel Jeannine really showed off her crocheting skills on this one for our babies at Swedish Covenant Hospital. Chris really liked the edging she put on the blanket. I think the new mom who gets this will be really happy!

More spa cloths for our Spa Cloth Challenge! These were made by Angel Sandy Rice -- don't you think she did a wonderful job with her seed stitch pattern? I do!

Angel Lori Nienke made these beautiful spa cloths for the Challenge. I really like the orange one -- the pattern is just so cool!

Lori made her very first baby blanket!! Isn't it just beautiful? I think the new mom at Swedish Covenant Hospital will really like it a LOT!

Angel Phyllis Snodgrass learned to knit in Scotland, and look at these beauties she made for the Angels! Chris said these will go to the families we serve at WellSpring, which I think is a good idea!

Just look at all these baby hats that Angel Doris Ahlstedt made for Angel Birgit Yacoub's "Fill a Bathtub with Baby Hats Challenge!" Each little hat is different!

Isn't this just a great Seafarer's Scarf and Watch Cap for the Christmas at Sea Project? I think it will keep the mariner serving on a ship who recieves it nice and warm this winter.

All the Angels really liked this scarf that Angel Angie Lyke crocheted -- and luckily she brought copies of the pattern with her. No one had ever seen anything like it - it's just gorgeous!

When Angel Angie last came by to pick up yarn, she said she wanted to try working with yarns she had never used before. So she and Chris went through all the bins holding the Angels' fancy yarns, and Angie picked out some cool stuff. She made all these scarves for the Angels' fundraiser in December -- I think they will sell really well!

Angel Angie also made this lovely blanket -- just look at the border she crocheted around the edge. Isn't that just something? Chris said she was going to save this to be a comfort afghan for a man who is sick or who has suffered a loss. I think it will be a big comfort to him.

Now I want to show you some yarny goodness my Mom, Angel Debbie Kreusch, made! She has been so busy this summer making so many things for the Angels! She wanted to try something called "needle felting," so she made these felted mittens for kids and then needle felted the designs on them. Cool, no? I'm betting they will sell well at the fundraiser and REALLY keep kids' hands warm this winter!

She also made this afghan for one of the senior men we serve at Friendly Towers. It's much greener than this picture (once again, Chris takes a bad photo -- she really should take a class or something!).

All the Angels really liked this baby blanket -- it took a long time to make because Mom used the really fine yarn someone's grandmother donated. But it turned out nice, don't you think?

Now I have to tell you that Mom's favorite thing to make is TOYS! She made ME, after all!! She made some other toys this summer -- take a peek:

This is Flo -- Mom made her to go with Purl and Lovie, so now they are triplets! Don't you just love her little cloven hoofies?!?!?
Mom made this polar bear using the same pattern as ME -- but I think I turned out better!
Isn't this just the best gift for a tween girl?? Mom had yarn left over after making the blanket and decided to make a bear to to with it. I think she's cute (but not as cute as me!).

And just in time for Christmas, Mom made this snowman. I think it will be perfect for toddler-sized hands at Parenting ProGRESS!

WHEW!!!!! Can you believe this is only a small PART of all the yarny goodness the Angels brough?!?!? After the Angels left to go home, Chris told me that the Angels were some of the sweetest, bestest, most compassionate women she has ever met. She said that if that quote up top is true, then there will be an avalance of compassion all over the Chicago area come this winter. I think the Angels are pretty nifty, too -- so before I sign off on the blog, I want them all to know I think they are GREAT!!!

Lightening Burdens

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:01:00 +0000

"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for someone else." -- Benjamin Franklin

Last week was a very busy week for the Crafty Angels. Not only did we have our bi-monthly get-together, but packages of all kinds of yarny goodness arrived at church and other places. I'll post more later about our get-together, but first I want to share with you all the things that came in outside of the get-together.

First off, you are probably wondering about that photo of Lowe's yard refuse bags in my dining room. Early last week, I got a call from Amanda Bixby telling me that a man said she should give me a call. She didn't know the man's name, but she was at her grandmother's home in Oak Park, IL. Amanda was cleaning out her grandmother's home because her grandmother, Lela Runquist, had moved into an assisted living facility downstate at the wonderful age of 93. Lela was a life-long crocheter, and she left behind her considerable stash of yarn, needles and hooks, and books. Amanda knew that her grandmother would want that stash used to help others -- so did I want it?

Now what Amanda didn't know is that I had been praying for more washable yarn for the Angels every morning for the last month. Our bins were getting a bit thin, so I was hoping God would find a way to fill them. So when I got the call from Amanda, of course I said YES!!! What an answer to prayer!!

On Thursday, Amanda and her husband dropped of those big yard bags (or as Angel Lisa called them on Saturday "YARN bags"!) at church, along with about 8 big bags of clothing, which went immediately to Cornerstone Community Outreach for distribution at their homeless shelters. Frank and I got those BIG bags home, and we opened them at our get-together -- only to find much more than just yarn, hooks, and books. Want to see what Lela gave us?

Look at these wonderful finished works! The striped blanket up top, the lacy one, and Christmas-colored blankets right above are baby blankets -- perfect for our newborns at Swedish Covenant Hospital. The others are adult-sized afghans that will be perfect for the seniors we serve at Friendly Towers. And there was more:

Completed squares for three afghans that need sewing up. Angel Debbie Kreusch volunteered to do the finishing, saying "WOW! I can knock out three afghans for our next meeting really quick!!" This from the woman who usually brings one or two of her own afghans to each meeting!

Lela and Amanda, thank you so much for offering the Angels your stash and gifts of love -- and in doing so, answering my prayers. The blankets and yarn will touch many lives this winter, and keep so many of those in need nice and warm! This is a truly generous gift to give to a group you don't even know, so thank you from the bottom of my heart!!

Saturday evening Frank and I went to the twelfth birthday party of our niece, Katie S. Katie learned to knit a year ago, and she said she had something for me when we came to the party. Take a look at this!

That's Katie and her sister Anna (along with a little birthday party guest) modeling two awesome scarves Katie knit for the tweens we serve through Cornerstone Community Outreach's homeless shelters. Want a closer look?

Aren't these scarves finely made? Katie has wonderful tension control - her stitches are very nice and even. When Frank saw me photographing them, he thought that one of our adult Angels had made them! They are just perfect! Thank you, Katie, for caring so much about girls your age who you will never even have the chance to meet. You are truly an Angel!

I have to brag on Katie and Anna a bit - an aunt and godmother's perogative! Both girls are very concerned about those in need and help their community in a variety of ways. Katie is also learning to crochet - and will be making more things for the Angels. How do you like Anna's cute new hairdo? She just got her long, long hair cut off for Locks of Love -- and Saturday she told me this was the fifth time she had done it --she is only 10. Their Mom and Dad are definitely doing something right!

OK, so much for the bragging and on to yarny goodness! Take a look at what Angel Cathy Falkenstein sent us from Loomis, CA:

Spa cloths for our challenge! Don't you just love the star-shaped ones? They are not easy to make, and Cathy did a wonderful job.

Angel Cathy said that this lovely scarf was for The Red Scarf Project -- which is a great reminder for all of us to start working on our red scarves. I'll be sending them off the first week in November, so start planning yours now! She made hers out of Lionbrand Chunky Wool-Ease yarn, which is a good choice because it can be washed and dried easily. In her note, Cathy said: "We are beautifying our horse pasture and arena. It is hard physical work. I am sore today from all the pullin on pipe rails. The crocheting is easy and fun and not so physically hard. I like to sit down and crochet after working so hard!" And we are glad that you like to do that, Cathy! Thank you so much for this beautiful yarny goodness!

We also got box from Angel Margie Chan from Chicago - look what was inside:

A beautiful baby blanket for our newborns at Swedish Covenant Hospital -- there were ooohs and aaahs when the box was opened on Saturday. The yarn Margie chose has a lovely subtle sheen to it, and her stitchwork is just lovely. I think we'll be seeing more of this blanket, because several Angels sat down to figure out her pattern. Thank you, Margie, for continuing to support the Angels with your lovely love gifts - what a blessing you are!

We also got a box all the way from Australia from Angel Hazel Lindsey, head of the Armitage Army. There were treats inside:

Baby hats for Angel Birgit Yacoub's "Fill a Bathtub with Baby Hats Challenge"! Hazel made these all premie size, because she had noticed a shortage of those in the baby hat pictures on our blog.

Spa cloths for the Spa Cloth Challenge. We all commented tha the cotton yarn from Australia was definitely brighter in color than anything we have here in the US -- and we all liked the Australian yarn better! But there was something else, too:

Barbies for the children being served by WellSpring in their domestic violence shelters! Two little girls will have a much brighter Christmas with these beauties in their stockings. I haven't seen these particular Barbies during my trips to my local Target, so that makes them even more special. Angel Hazel, once again, we thank you and the Army for their incredible generosity to the people we serve here in Chicago. And to think it all started because the folks here chose Richard Armitage as the best new actor on TV awhile back! Those Armitage fans are pretty special people!

As I looked at all these goodies and thought about the women and girls behind them, I couldn't help but think about good old Ben Franklin's quote up top. Even in Ben's time, women banded together to knit, crochet, and sew things for people in need -- the poor, the widow, the orphans, and, very importantly, soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Women and girls were still considered "property" back then and "useless" in terms of their contribution to society. But Ben hit it right on the head with that quote -- NO ONE is useless who helps someone else in need. And our Angels are MOST CERTAINLY not useless -- in any sense of the word! God bless each of you!

Doing and Being

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:50:00 +0000

"What you do when you don't have to, determines what you will be when you can no longer help it." -- Rudyard Kipling

Hey there, Angels! It's me, George -- back again to take over the blog! And why not? I'm more handsome than Cowboy is, and when Chris came to visit my Mom, Helen Watson from Wadsworth, IL, on Saturday, she said I could. So there, you old Cowboy, you! You're probably sleeping on the Polarfleece blankets anyway!

Like I said, Chris came out to the country to visit Mom on Saturday, and it was a good thing, too. The other cats and I were running out of room, what with all those boxes of what Chris calls "yarny goodness." We really did like it when Mom moved all of them out under the window in the living room -- that was sooooo cool! There was room for all of us to stretch out and STILL see out the window. I think some of the pack are going to miss their perches. Did I tell you that the boxes filled up the ENTIRE hatchback area of Chris's midget car? Yup, did indeed. Mom's been pretty busy with her hooks and needles. Although me and the other cats can't complain, we really like lounging on the couch with Mom when she's making things for her "family" down in Chicago.

Chris got a picture of Mom -- she was really sneaky about it, too. She and Mom were just chatting away about all kinds of boring stuff, like yarns, and needles, and patterns, and blogs - and she whips out this tiny camera and CLICK! A pretty good picture of Mom:

Hey, want to see what me and the cats think is the best thing for Mom to make? It's this:

BIG blankets -- they keep Mom on the couch longer AND when it's cold, we lay on the blankets while Mom is making them. Keeps us all nice and toasty! Mom says that these are for our "grandparents" who live in Friendly Towers -- that retirement place Cornerstone Community Outreach runs for seniors in need. These blankets are BIG -- I think our grandparents will like them.

Here's our second favorite thing for Mom to make:

Yup, it's baby blankets. They don't keep her on the couch as long as the big blankets and fewer of us can lay on them at the same time while she's making them, but they do keep you nice and warm when it's cool. There are for our new "grandbabies" who are born at Swedish Covenant Hospital down in Chicago. I think the new moms will really like them -- I sure do!

OK, here's our third favorite thing for Mom to make:

Prayer shawls for our family down in Chicago. Mom says Chris gives these to people when someone in their family is really sick or when someone they love dies. Me and the other cats think that is a nice thing to do AND these also keep Mom on the couch for awhile. Chris really liked the purple one, but let me tell you from experience -- you can easily get your claws caught in that lace! Hoo eeee -- did Mom get mad!!

Now, Mom makes lots of different kinds of "yarny goodness" -- some of which we cats have mixed feelings about, like these:

Mom calls these "spa cloths," and says they are for our aunties in Chicago who live in Cornerstone's homeless shelters or WellSpring's shelters. They don't take long for Mom to make, so she doesn't stay on the couch very long. HOWEVER, these babies are GREAT for batting around on the floor and hiding under the couch! Mom keeps them in a big bucket, and (now don't tell Mom this...) sometimes we sneak a couple out and play floor hockey with them when Mom's not around!

Mom likes to make sweaters, too -- not many people do, but she does. She decided to make them in all sizes this spring:

Although you can't tell it from Chris's bad picture up there -- that's a brown VEST for a man. I honestly think Chris should take some picture-taking classes or something. I mean, how are you supposed to know that that rose-colored blob up above is a SHRUG??? Anyway, I think our relatives at Cornerstone will like them.

The Angels said they needed scarves and hats for men who go to the Good News Community Kitchen and then there's this thing called the Red Scarf Project. So Mom got busy and made these:

I breathed a BIG meow of relief when Chris left -- I was afraid she was going to put that funky red hat with the strings on me and take my picture in it before she left -- you know, like she does to Cowboy all the time. I was worried! Onyx, one of the other cats, said I should just smack her with my paw if she tried it, but I didn't have to. Thank goodness!

When it was cold this spring, Mom got worried about our grandmas' and grandpas' feet. Yes, feet. She was worried that their toes might get cold -- so she made some more socks:

Now cold toes I can understand. Do you think Mom could make some socks for me and the other cats????

The Angels have something called "challenges" going on, and Mom wanted to give Chris something called "prizes" for the winners. Me and the other cats sniffed them over pretty good, and we don't see what the big deal is -- but Chris was pretty hopped up by them:

I guess Mom and Chris had a good time -- they sure talked a long time!! They even got my Dad Dave talking about knitting -- I couldn't believe it!! Chris brought Cowboy's Dad Frank with her, and she told me that Cowboy LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to sit right next to his Dad in the chair. So look at this, you big black furball you:

I SNUGGLED UP AGAINST YOUR DAD AND LET HIM RUB MY BELLY AND GOT MY FUR ALL OVER HIS SHORTS!!!!!!!!!! BWWWWAAAAA HHHHAAAAAAA!!!!! I may or may not have even fallen asleep while he was doing it!!! He likes me as much as YOU!!!! Just try and top THOSE pictures, you old Cowboy!!!

Light

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:51:00 +0000

"There are only two ways of spreading light -- to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." -- Edith Wharton

The last couple of days have brought a bounty of yarny goodness to church! As I opened the envelopes and big box, I thought of Edith Wharton's quote up top. Back when that was written, candles and oil lamps were standard in homes, and you enhanced the light they gave off by using mirrors behind them to reflect that light. It got me thinking about the Crafty Angels -- all of you are candles shedding the light of compassion, love, mercy, and grace into our world today, and you do that with all the yarny goodness you make for those in need. Those yarny items literally bring a ray of light in others' world.

My job is to reflect the light you shed -- to let more people know about your light and to do all I can to help your lights burn brightly. I take that responsibility very seriously because all of you take YOUR responsibility very seriously. I've joked before that sometimes the glow of the love knitted and crocheted into all the wonderful things you make is so bright I have to wear sunglasses to look at it and that my house or the church don't need lights on to see by -- and that metaphor is indeed accurate. Your lights are far more powerful than you realize!!!

Speaking of lights, take a look at some of these mega-watters! Look what Angel Cathy Falkenstein of Loomis, CA sent us:

Spa cloths for our challenge! In her note, she said that she has discovered that she really likes crocheting the ripple stitch pattern -- and you can tell that, because those cloths are just lovely. Cathy, thank you for making these for the women served by Cornerstone Community Outreach's homeless shelters -- you are bringing light to them at a very dark time of their lives.

We also got goodies from Angel Margie Chan in Chicago:

More spa clothes for our challenge! Margie said that she chose a basic pattern because she was going for volume production here, and hoped that the bright colors of the yarn would make them interesting. I think she succeeded! Thank you, too, Margie for shining your light so brightly -- Cornerstone's women will love these!

OK, I know you are all wondering about that photo of our fearless Supervisor Cowboy up top. Here's the scoop: last night when I started taking photos, he was sacked out on the Polarfleece blankets, and didn't even look up when I told him his services were needed. So I started without him, taking the photos of the cloths that Margie and Cathy sent. I guess he heard the click of the camera button all the way upstairs, because he came roaring down the stairs as I was taking a picture of some of yarny goodness sent by the Happy Charity Klickers from Loogootee, IN. He jumped up on the dining room table and stuck his face in the camera and started chewing me out royally! That photo up top is what happened when I clicked to take the photo -- he jumped up so fast I didn't even see him coming! I guess I'm not supposed to take pictures unless the "talent" is present......

The Happy Charity Klickers did send in a BIG box of light -- they have been VERY busy! Want to see more?

"That is a whole lot of hats, Mom. Lots of people will be nice and warm this winter!"

Here's a better photo of all those hats without our Supervisor blocking your view:

That's literally a dining room table's worth of hats! They will be just perfect for the folks we serve at the Good News Community Kitchen and Cornerstone.

The Klickers have taken our spa cloth challenge very seriously - take a look at these beauties:
WOW!!!! I hope the Klickers are tracking their production numbers because they are well on their way to winning one of our prizes! And there was more:

"These baby blankets are just great, Mom. My favorite is this one!"

Three lovely, finely made baby blankets -- the first two will go to either Swedish Covenant Hospital or Parenting ProGRESS, and the moms will just love them. Ann Marie Hand made the last one especially for Afghans for Afghans -- and will be winging its way to Afghanistan to keep a baby warm this winter.

Just look at this beautiful prayer shawl! It is so nice and soft and the stitch work is just lovely. The recipient will find great comfort in this.

Aren't these baby bonnets just precious? Little girls will look so sweet in them -- I think these will be great for the babies at Parenting ProGRESS.

Dianna Overall, the leader of the Happy Charity Klickers, had emailed me that they had a couple of things that they hadn't made - but wondered if they could send because they thought the folks served by Cornerstone could use them. I said yes, of course!
Look at this nice warm blanket and EXCELLENT warm gloves. Both will be outstanding for the homeless men we serve through the Good News Community Kitchen and Cornerstone.

Thank you, Happy Charity Klickers, for shining your lights so brightly, and thank you, Dianna, for reflecting those lights so well! Your gifts of love will brighten the winter of so many people this year -- what a blessing you all are!

Keep your candles buring, Angels, and I'll keep reflecting your light -- you are actively turning away darkness all around the world!

Love

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:56:00 +0000

"One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving." -- Amy Carmichael

Angel Marya Preston from Wheaton, IL sent us lots of love late last week in the form of lots of yarny goodness. Our Spokesmodel Cowboy was back in the mood to cooperate, but a kitty treat was needed to get him to wear Marya's baby hat in the photo up top. Apparently he liked the treat......

And I liked the treats Angel Marya sent us! Just look!

A lovely basketweave pattern baby blanket - perfect for a newborn at Swedish Covenant Hospital! The new mom will treasure this love gift.

"Angel Birgit is going to be really happy about this load of baby hats, Mom! WOW!!"

LOTS of baby hats for Birgit's bathtub challenge! 39 baby hats, to be exact -- which will keep lots of little newborn noggins warm at Swedish Covenant Hospital. Keep counting your baby hats, everyone -- our challenge is well underway!

Wonderfully warm scarves for the folks we serve at Cornerstone Community Outreach and the Good News Community Kitchen. I see several there that would count towards our men's scarf challenge, Marya! Keep up your tally, everyone!

These are great hats for children - and I think they will be just perfect for the children in Cornerstone's homeless shelters.

"Do you have to send this hat in, Mom? Can I keep it?? You know cats love wool!"

No, you cannot keep it, Supervisor Cowboy -- Angel Marya made that for Afghans for Afghans. It's needed to keep someone's head warm in the fiercely cold Afghanistan winters, so off it goes!

And Marya sent us some much needed yarn (which I've been praying for, Marya!):

Our yarn bins are full once again, so Angels, if you need yarn, please let me know and I'll make arrangements to ship it to you or deliver it to you, if you are in the Chicago area. The need is growing so rapidly with so many people out of work right now, and the numbers of people coming to Cornerstone's homeless shelters and the Good News Community Kitchen's soup kitchen are at an all-time high. Many, many people will need your love gifts this winter - so keep those hooks and needles busy! If, like me, your financial situation is forcing you to cut back on your yarn purchases for the Crafty Angels - please let me ship yarn to you! We have it for you to use, and it doesn't do anyone any good sitting in bins at Crafty Angels Central!

It's clearly obvious that Angel Marya loves those we serve, and gives generously as a result. I thought of the quote up top when I opened her box. You might have to read it a couple of times for it to sink in, like I did. But there is profound truth in that quote. If you love someone, don't you want to do nice things for them? Love compels you to give of whatever you have. And that's what Angel Marya, and all of you do: you have compassion for, and love, those we serve, and give generously of your time, talents, and treasure. So thank you, Marya, for giving out of love, and thank you, Angels, for loving those we serve!

Take This

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:48:00 +0000

"...When I give someone a hat, I don't really mean, 'Hey, here's a hat.' I mean, 'Take this. I made it for you. I want you to be warm and safe and careful in the big world. I want you to know I love you.'" -- Stephanie Pearl McPhee

Ok, before we get started, let me explain that photo to your left because I'm sure you are wondering about it. Let me just say our fearless Spokesmodel and Supervisor Cowboy was NOT being cooperative last night. I really, really, really wanted to take a picture of him in that crumpled up baby hat you see there (the hat being so adorable and all), but he absolutely refused. Even kitty treats didn't work. Then he flopped over on his side and turned his back to the camera!! The ingrate! He is failing his fans! So I told him in no uncertain terms that THIS was going to be the lead photo for this blog post -- his BACK! Just so you know......

Now, on to Crafty Angel business! When I got to church this past Sunday, there was a big box waiting for me from Angel Carol O'Neill from Honolulu, HI. There was LOTS of yarny goodness in there - just look!

That's 27 spa cloths for our challenge, which will go to the women served by Cornerstone Community Outreach's homeless shelters! WHOO HOO!!

Ten more baby hats (which will go to Swedish Covenant Hospital's maternity ward) to fill up Birgit's bathtub!

"I deem this definitely comfy enough for a baby!"

Along with a lovely crochet baby blanket, which will also go to Swedish Covenant Hospital's maternity ward.

Angel Carol has been busy -- she's also gotten some of her friends to make things for us:

"Hey, Mom!!! There are hula dancers on these little cards!! Are the Angels hula dancers, too?!?"

Indeed, Supervisor Cowboy, Angels can be hula dancers -- they have many talents besides knitting and crocheting! While Carol made most of these scarves, her friend Lily made the bright blue one. These will be perfect for the folks we serve at Good News Community Kitchen, and will join the challenge we have going on to make scarves for men. Lily, thank you so much for the lovely scarf -- you have a very generous heart and it will keep a homeless man warm during the cold Chicago winter to come. You are truly an Angel!

Carol's friend Nathalie made these GORGEOUS hat and scarf sets -- there are 6 in all, in a variety of sizes. These will be perfect for the families we serve at Cornerstone Community Outreach! Thank you, Lily, for using your time, talent, and treasure to make things for people you will never get the chance to meet -- you also are truly an Angel!

Thank you, Carol, Lily, and Nathalie for making so much yarny goodness for so many! You are showing your love most generously -- and will be helping so many people in need. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

On Monday, TWO packages arrived at church. The first one came all the way from Australia. Angel Hazel Lindsay sent along a little something for the children in Cornerstone's shelters for Christmas:
TWO Cocky Circle Book Packs -- each with five storybooks inside! These are very popular in Australia, and I'm betting they will be very popular here in Chicago, too. Thank you so much, Hazel, for thinking of our children. These will definitely be well-loved books!

Angel Linda Faubel in Ladd, IL sent us some more prizes for our challenges! Take a peek:

"Crochet from the Heart: Quick Projects for Generous Giving" -- there are lots of great, easy patterns in here that will work up quickly and be perfect for all the families we serve. They will also make great gifts for the recipient's family!

"Lacy Layettes" -- There are some lovely patterns in here for baby things. Perfect for all the babies we serve, or those the winner knows!

Thank you, Linda, for sending these on as a prize for our challenges -- now we have some excellent prizes for our crocheters! Thank you so much!

And last but not least, I'm adding this to our prize stash:
"Easy Knitted Socks" -- I know that several of you out there like to make socks, and have made some wonderful socks to keep our Friendly Towers seniors' toes warm in the winter. There are some great patterns in here for the winner to try.

When I saw the quote up top on my Page-A-Day calendar, I immediately thought of all of you. You want the families we serve to be warm and safe and careful in the big, and often times bad, world they find themselves in. And you want them to know you love them. What generosity of spirit, what caring hearts! Angels, I am so proud of each and every one of you! God bless each of you RICHLY!

Giving

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:36:00 +0000

"Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due, and only suffer want. A generous person will be enriched, and one who gives water will get water." Proverbs 11:24-25 (NRSV)

This past Saturday, July 18, Angel Debbie Kreusch and I took a road trip to visit Angel Karen B., whom we hadn't seen in person in awhile (we'd seen her on her blog, and kept it touch via email, of course!). Karen was doing some summer cleaning, and very generously wanted to share her washable yarn stash with the Angels - AND wanted to show us one of her favorite places for lunch. Yarn, lunch out, and a visit with a friend?? That was something Debbie and I couldn't pass up, so off we went!

We were greeted at the door by Rocky, Karen's furry doorbell (that's him up top). This handsome and very inquisitive young man was immediately most curious about the freezer bag I had in my hand, so I had to open it up right away so he could play with the organic catnip toys inside. I can truthfully say that he fully enjoyed the 'nip!

Karen enjoyed the flowers we brought her and agreed to have her picture taken, once she pulled Rocky away from the 'nip:

Debbie and I had a great time talking knitting, yarn, cats, and politics with Karen -- here Debbie and Karen are discussing some of the finer points of sock knitting (under the watchful supervison of Rocky - can you see his backside in the photo?):

We went to lunch at one of Karen's favorite restaurants, Manny's -- a Chicago institution. There is nothing I like better than diner food. The food was great and portions huge -- so huge in fact that Frank made a dinner out of the 3/4 of my Reuben sandwich that I couldn't possibly finish! That sandwich had to be nearly two pounds of corned beef!

Once back at Karen's home, we went looking for Rocky's roommate, the elusive and shy Nikita. We found sweet Nicky hiding (he really doesn't like strangers -- but once we wagged the catnip toys at him, he came out of his hideyhole):

Now you are all probably just on "hooks and needles" wanting to know what the very generous Karen gave us. Take a look at this:

That is an entire dining room table's worth of yarn! As Debbie and I fondled it when we got back to my house, we decided some of it was so nice that we should use it as prizes for our challenges (you remember those: baby hats, spa cloths, and scarves for men). So take a gander at these AWESOME prizes, courtsey of Karen B.!

Here we have three skeins (all same dyelot) of glorious Claudia Hand Painted yarn in the Blue Terra Cotta colorway. This is lovely worsted weight merino yarn - so soft. There's plenty here to make a really nice scarf, and maybe even a hat.

10 skeins of (SIGH!!!) Debbie Bliss merino dk in a lovely moss green color. This yarn is just heaven to knit or crochet with! There's enough here to make a shawl or sweater.

8 skeins of blissful Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora in a gorgeous deep raspberry color. There is enough here for a very fine scarf or even a shoulder shawl.

10 skeins of incredible Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK cotton in a rich terracotta color. There most definitely is enough here to make a sweater or shawl.

10 skeins of Elann Esprit, a fine nubbly cotton yarn in a soft lavendar color. I'm thinking tank top or small stole here.

FIFTEEN skeins of Elann Sonata cotton yarn in a wonderful latte color -- which is enough to make a cardigan, if you so desire.

9 skeins of GGH's Bali cotton yarn in color "Grape" (it's much more purple than it looks here). You could make a tank top or a cute short sweater out of this gorgeous stuff!

16 skeins of (GASP!!!!!) Rowan All-Seasons Cotton in color "Tapestry." You could definitely get a cardi or a shawl out of this beautiful yarn!

16 skeins of Mission Falls 1824 Cotton in a variety of colors that would go really well together for something larger, or alone in smaller projects.

I was sorely tempted to use this lovely stuff myself to make a prayer shawl -- but I thought one of the winners should have the pleasure of knitting or crocheting with this gorgeous yarn. The color is off in this photo, but this Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted is in the Icehouse colorway, a lovely aqua, blue, and green scheme. There is certainly enough here to make a shawl.

And last but not least, for you Chicago Bears fans out there, a limited edition "Bears" colorway of Lorna's Laces Lorna's Shepherd Wool. This yarn will be really fun to knit or crochet with, and will make a great scarf or hat for the football fan in your life.

WOW!!! And this was just the yarn we set aside for PRIZES!! Thank you, Karen, for your inspiration, kindness, and commitment to caring for the least of these. As I looked at all the wonderful yarn you gave us, I thought of the Proverbs verses up top. Truly, your life will be enriched by your generosity - and many, many people will benefit from it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

On Sunday, there was a box waiting for me at church from Angel Joyce Dattalo from Oswego, IL. More generosity was inside:

A wonderfully warm, soft blanket for one of the seniors we serve at Cornerstone Community Outreach's Friendly Towers.

Joyce also sent along a very finely made baby blanket in soft lilac yarn for the newborns we serve at Swedish Covenant Hospital. This blanket will most definitely become a family heirloom! In her note, Joyce said: "Thank you for the opportunity to partner with you and yours." Honestly, Joyce, it is WE who are thankful for YOUR generosity! What a blessing you are to those in need! Thank you so very much!

What, you may ask, can top a visit with Karen and yarny goodness from Joyce? Not much, but a good belly laugh comes close! Last Christmas some of our most prolific Angels were given a little Hope - a soft toy sheep. One of those Hopes flew down to Winter Springs, FL to live with Angel Alexis Leuth and ended up supervising operations down in the Sunshine State. Last night, after a very long, sad day I came home to find a letter from Hope -- and a photo. Check it out!

Doesn't Hope look like she is having a great time lounging by the pool? I just LOVE her itty bitty sunglasses, and the hibiscus flower is a nice touch -- and that she is so modestly covered by a beach towel! Here's what she wrote us:

Hi, Chris -- Here I am taking a break from my job of overseeing "tropical spa cloths" production (the switch from wool to cotton 4 me is HUGE!!). I am adjusting to life in Fla. and really like it here. Now I'm working on my tan. My sunscreen is "200" -- but they tell me I'll be a "bronze goddess" in no time! Just wanted to send "a little Hope" your way -- yours in "wool-e-ness." -- Hope

Well, Hope, you certainly did cheer me up! And I'm betting you cheered up a whole lot of other Angels, too! Angel Alexis, you have a wonderful sense of humor! Wherever did you find those Hope-sized sunglasses? Too cute for words!!! Thank you for being so generous with your tropical sunshine and good fun -- you've certainly enriched us and I hope the Angels have enriched your life!

You know, I am constantly amazed at the generosity, compassion, and love shown by the Crafty Angels. I know no finer women than all of you. You are all truly a blessing, to ME!

More Angels and Prizes!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:29:00 +0000

"Kind hearts are the garden, kind thoughts are the root, kind words are the blossoms, kind deeds are the fruit." -- John Ruskin (thank you, Angel Alexis Leuth in Winter Springs, FL for the quote!)

We have some new Angels! Caring Hearts Charity Crafters, led by Natalie, have made the Crafty Angels one of their permanent charities! This great online group has this as their description:

The main focus of this group is to provide hand crafted items to charity, but of course online fellowship is highly encouraged through chatting, humor, craft discussion (both personal and charitable), and prayer request. No matter your craft, whether it be crocheting, quilting, knitting, sewing, embroidery, cross stitch or something else. No matter your skill level (from making squares to advanced level work). If you have a desire to help others through your hobby, this is the group for you! There are so many people that can use a donated items and even more importantly the hope and love that comes with it, that our focus will not be on one specific charity, but many. Projects can be worked on individually or coordinated as a group. Charitable organizations listed will be on a World, national level, and a local level as well. (Local meaning – local to our group members).

Caring Hearts Charity Crafters have 91 members so far, and are very ably led by Natalie. These very active members share information about free patterns, discounts, and charities -- and are lots of fun! You can join by sending an email to: CaringHeartsCharityCrafters-subscribe@yahoogroups.com So welcome, all you Caring Hearts! We are so glad to have you join us!!!

We also have some wonderful new prizes donated for our challenges. Remember those? We have three going on:

one to make scarves for men served by Cornerstone Community Outreach and the Good News Community Kitchen. Our goal was to get as many as we could

one to make spa cloths to be given as gifts with bath goodies to the women served by Cornerstone's and Wellspring Center for Hope's shelters. Our goal was to make 400.

one to make baby hats for Swedish Covenant Hosptial, Wellspring Center for Hope, and Parenting ProGRESS. Birgit's goal was for us to fill up a bathtub!

The idea was that you keep track of how many scarves, spa cloths, or baby hats you send in to me, and then in mid-November, I'll send an email around getting counts from everyone. Those with the highest numbers win prizes. Prizes already mentioned were $50 gift certificates to KnitPicks' online store for first prize, and several knitting/crocheting books for additional prizes.

And now, thanks to Angel Helen Watson, we have lots more books! Take a look (you can't click on them and see inside, sorry!):

Knit Along with Debbie Macomber: Debbie's Favorites -- lots of great patterns!
Cool Knits for Kids -- lots of great patterns here for kids of all ages.
Knitalong: Celebrating the Traditions of Knitting Together -- a truly fun read!

Knits for Babies and Toddlers -- lots of classic patterns here!

Lost Sock! -- ever wonder what to do with all those "onsie" socks? Wonder no more!!

Ponchos On The Go by Vogue Knitting -- you could have a lot of fun with this book!

25 Gorgeous Sweaters for the Beginning Knitter -- if you haven't made your first sweater but want to try, this book is for you!

Thank you, Angel Helen, for this very, very generous donation! You are truly an angel!!!

Angel Lisa also donated a wonderful book as a prize:

Luxury Knitting: The Ultimate Guide to Exquisite Yarns - Cashmere, Merino, Silk Ever wonder how your yarn came to be? I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book -- I learned so much about how these gorgeous yarns came to be, how to use them, and how to care for them. This book applies to crocheters, too! Thank you, Lisa --you are a gem!!

And I've donated some fun reading:

While My Pretty One Knits -- a brand new cozy knitting/crocheting mystery series. Light, fun reading when you just want some "mind candy."
Knit Along with Debbie Macomer: Friendship Shawls -- some great patterns!

WOW!!! The prize treasure chest is growing, Angels!!! And there will very likely be more to come -- so keep knitting and crocheting -- and sharing those caring hearts of yours!

Speaking

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:32:00 +0000

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

This past weekend delivered a bumper crop of Crafty Angel yarny goodness to church -- boxes from Winter Springs in Florida, Ladd in Illinois, and the Bronx in New York. On Sunday afternoon after church as I opened the boxes just packed with love and compassion, I couldn't help but think of Emerson's quote up top. These Angels are speaking quite loudly and with great enthusiasm, and they are saying "we love YOU" to people they will never even meet. Not only did these Angels use their talents and spend a great deal of time to show their love, they also spent their treasure -- which as you will see below is no small thing.

First up is Angel Alexis Leuth from Winter Spring, FL. In her card, she said: "Here are 25 premie hats to go into the bathtub! I have set a personal goal of 75 baby hats - I hope I make it!" Alexis is off to a good start - just look:

Each of these hats is so soft and will be just perfect for the newborns we serve at Swedish Covenant Hospital. Thank you Alexis, for taking on our challenge and helping us fill that bathtub! You are awesome!

Angel Linda Faubel from Ladd, IL sent us three boxes -- one small one, and two GIANT ones. In her letter she said: "I just looked at the Crafty Angels blog and I knew it was time to pack up boxes to send to you. I can really identify with what Birgit (Yacoub) said about making baby hats being like eating potato ships. I really have fun making them, too. Also, same goes for spa cloths, I guess. They work up quickly and it's fun to try all the various colors available. Also like Birgit, I am NOT entering the challenge, but I will keep making hats and spa cloths just because I enjoy making them so much." Want to see those baby hats and spa cloths? You know you do!

Now that's a LOT of baby hats for the babies at Swedish Covenant Hospital!!!!!

That is also a LOT of spa cloths!!!! FYI -- all of you Angels have totally filled up one 31-gallon Rubbermaid tub with spa cloths so far, and started on another one! Just think of all the women in Cornerstone Community Outreach's and WellSpring Center for Hope's shelters who will be blessed by these! Linda used some patterns I hadn't seen before for her spa cloths -- here are my two favorites:

Linda also sent along some goodies to put in the spa bags with the spa cloths -- more tiny bottles!
At the rate you Angels are going, I'm going to have to track down more of those tiny bottles!

Angel Linda also answered my call for more summer-weight prayer shawls for women facing a family crisis, death in their family, or a serious health situation:

Just gorgeous! Linda, was the yarn you used in the orange, blue, and pink one above the yarn you won in our Day of Service challenge? I "think" it looked familiar to me -- and the shawl is so wonderfully made! But this one was my favorite:

This absolutely spectacular butterfly shawl is made of very fine yarn - almost like thread - and Linda's stitch work is just incredible. These shawls will be absolutely treasured by the women who receive them!

Thinking about our newest group of people we're supporting, Linda made some adorable sweaters and hats for larger babies and toddlers at Parenting ProgGRESS:

"You know, Mom, I don't think I've seen this sweater pattern before. I really like it!"

"That blue and green sweater is quite handsome - and the green matches my amazing green eyes, which all my fans comment upon."

Our fearless supervisor Cowboy may like the blue and green one the best, but my favorite was on the right, with the turquoise and purples. These sweaters will be just great and super easy for the teen moms to take care of.

And Linda also made some wonderful baby blankets for the babies we serve at Swedish Covenant Hospital:

I think these baby blankets will become family heirlooms! And there was one more beauty in the box:

"Mom, I just LLLLLLOOOOOOOVVVVVVVEEEEEE this afghan!!"

I really like it, too, Supervisor Cowboy. In her letter, Linda said that she made it out of Paton's Decor yarn. I've used this yarn before and really enjoyed working with it -- it also washes and dries in the drier like a dream.

In closing her letter, Linda said: "It is so much fun to see on the blog what everyone is making and how talented and creative everyone is." And we think YOU are talented and creative, too, Linda! Thank you so much for ALL the yarny goodness and love you packed into those HUGE boxes! So many, many people will be touched by your caring heart and willing hands - you are speaking loudly!

And we have a new Angel! Please welcome "bccmee" from the Brox in New York. She comes to us by way of Armitage's Army - the fan club for British actor Richard Armitage. Angel Hazel Lindsay, who heads up the Crafty Angel contingent of Armitage's Army, emailed me to give me a heads up that "bccmee" was sending us something. Hazel said that "bccmee" was so impressed with what all of you were doing that she wanted to contribute, but she wasn't crafty. So she picked up on those of you who had sent in books to give to Cornerstone's kids at Christmas, and look what arrived:

My nieces just LOVED these books when they were little -- and I know they will certainly become favorites for the children who get them at Christmas. Thank you so much, "bccmee" -- your actions are certainly speaking volumes of love for children you will never get a chance to meet. Bless you!

I just had to sit down for a bit after opening all the boxes and unpacking so much love! My husband Frank kept marveling at all the things that kept coming out of those boxes. He teases me that he'll soon have to fit out our garage so that I can store bins of your yarny goodness there in addition to our basement -- and you know, at the rate you Angels are going, he may NOT be kidding. We talked about all the lives that Alexis, Linda, and "bccmee" will touch by just the things that arrived this weekend -- and about the amazing generosity of the Angels. The Crafty Angels are truly speaking so loudly with what they do -- and you are being heard loud and clear! Bless you all!

Shameless Plug for the Kitties

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:57:00 +0000

"Even if you give what you think is a little, it might be the world to someone else." -- Supervisor Cowboy

I don't know about you, but every once in awhile (actually, nearly every day lately) I just need to take a break from all the "major badness" out there and get my spirits lifted. Usually that involves something scriptural, knitting related, or chocolate. But sometimes even those big three don't cut it, and I just need some CATS! If I'm home, it's easy -- I haul our fearless spokesmodel Cowboy or Princess Cody Grace the Magnificent out of their respective sensory deprivation chambers (closets) and hug the stuffing out of them -- whether they like it or not. However, I can't do that at work. What to do, what to do.......

Several weeks ago a link on a knitting blog led me to a great source of cuteness and comfort -- The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, which I now check whenever I need a lift. The blog owner, Laurie Cinotto, and her husband Craig and big kitty Charlene Butterbean foster kittens for the Humane Society of Tacoma/Pierce County, and nearly every day Laurie (who is an incredible cat photographer) posts photos of the itty bitty kitties they currently are fostering. Oh my goodness gracious -- Frank is SOOOOOOO lucky that we don't live in Tacoma, or else I'd truly be a crazy cat lady with about 13 kittens! I currently have a mad crush on Selma and Francine (that's them up top), and even told Frank that I would pay for plane tickets with my own saved up yarn money to go get Selma and Francine if I could bring them home. I got a big fat NO on that one......

But that saved up yarn money gave me an idea: Laurie is going to participate in a walk-a-thon for the Humane Society, and just for grins, put up a link on the blog to try to raise money for her walk. She didn't think she'd raise that much, but cat lovers, like knitters, are generous -- and she's raised over 11 "squillllllion" -- and Charlene Butterbean now wants to raise 15 "squillllllion" -- all of which will go toward caring for, and fostering, cats.

How can you resist such cuteness?!?!? They are waiting by the phones for your call!!

Or you could just click here. Even $20 of your saved up yarn money will feed a shelter cat for a WHOLE WEEK! Our fearless Supervisor and Princess Cody Grace the Magnificent were alley shelter cats -- they have given us over eight years of love and general nuttiness. I strongly support shelters and the wonderful work they do.

Just think of it! If we Angels and other knitters get behind this, who knows how much Charlene Butterbean and the itty bitty kitties could raise for Laurie! Cody and Cowboy made their donation - can you spare a little of your saved up yarn money?