Project OCC 2016

I am sure some of you are familiar with my yearly 40 Hats in 40 days project during Lent in which I make a hat a day to donate to God's Tiny Angels for newborn and preemies.   And while my hook and needle are in use frequently for the rest of the year, I also have a special Fall project that I work on as well for Samaritan's Purse - Operation Christmas Child.

For those of you unfamiliar with Operation Christmas Child, it is a yearly outreach from Samaritan's Purse in which you and I can pack a shoebox full of supplies and gifts for children around the world.  Samaritan's Purse collects the packed shoeboxes and then arranges the distribution.  Long before we even think about packing a shoebox, though, they have gone to the distribution areas and worked with the local pastors to prepare.  You see, the children who receive these shoeboxes not only get what may be the ONLY gift they ever receive, but they are told about the most awesome gift the world EVER received, Jesus.  Many are given the opportunity to participate in 12 week Bible study, free of charge, so that they can learn more.  These shoeboxes open the door to let children feel loved and valued so that they can understand just how much the King loves and values them as well.  It is a ministry that is close to my heart.

Every year I try to ensure that each shoebox my family packs contains at least 1 hand-made item.  As I make each item I pray for the child that will be receiving to to have an open heart to the message they will hear, to feel the love of our Creator, and to know that they are cared for.  In years past I have made hats, dolls, and scarfs.  This year my 8 year old made plastic canvas crosses and hearts to put in each shoebox.

This year I chose to make a wash cloth for each shoebox and wanted to share a few of the patterns that I used.  Wash cloths are a great project for beginner knitter and crocheters since they are small and you get to that satisfying completion much quicker.  And I am currently eyeing an entrelac pattern since I have never done entrelac before and feel a little less intimidated by the smaller project size.  With wash cloths it is important to remember to use a cotton or other absorbent yarn.  Acrylic is definitely not your friend on projects like this!

The first was a neat corner to corner pattern, which I had never done when knitting before.  It is called the Diagonal Knit Dishcloth, which is only available as a Ravelry free PDF download.  (Don't worry, membership is free too!)  It was a neat little project which admittedly would have looked better in a solid color yarn, but this is what Mr. Sunflowers bought for me when he found a cone of it on sale.  The pattern was easy to follow and once I got the hang of it it worked up really quickly.  I like the contrast between the middle section and the rest of the cloth.

Tomorrow I will share with you my own design born from the need for a washcloth made from a limited supply of yarn....

Until next time,

Ginny

Tawashi Time

I'll be honest.  I had NO idea what a Tawashi was.  Never heard of them until I stumbled upon them on Ravelry on day.  My first thought was, "These would be great to put in OCC shoeboxes and to use up scrap yarn!"  So I whipped up a few to see if they actually looked nice and worked well.

My 5 year old princess stole claimed the first one as her own and has actually replaced her poof with it.  She loves it!  So, one point to appeal.  We have used it with both body wash and regular soap and discovered that it cleans even the dirtiest 5 year old with ease.  Another point.  And after a few weeks of use it still looks like new.  Home run!

So, what is a tawashi?  Tawashi literally means bundle.  In Japan they are used to scrub off dirt and the word is synonymous with sponge.  They can be used to replace a bath poof or to clean dishes with or whatever else you might use a sponge for.  The crochet version works up super quick (I made each one in less than an hour) and they don't use much yarn (about 40 yards of aran weight yarn).  For shoebox gifts they easily fill in the gaps and have multiple uses.

So how do you make one?  You can use ANY yarn and ANY hook, but here is how I did it.

Pounds of Love yarn
size H crochet hook

chain 27
sc in second chain from hook and each chain across.  ch 1, turn (26 sc)
(you will be working in the back loops only if you want yours to look like the one on the top and the left side of the picture above.  Work in both loops for the one on the bottom left.)
Skip first stitch and work 1 sc in each stitch until the last one.  Work 2 sc in it. ch 1, turn (26 sc)
Repeat the last row until you have 28 rows.  Fasten off leaving a long tail.
Join the last row and the first row to form a tube.  Then weave yarn around the opening on one side of the tube and pull tight to close the end.  Fasten off.  Repeat for the second side only before fastening off flatten the work so that one gathered end is above the other and run your needle through the middle a couple of times to secure them together.  That's it.

For a smaller tawashi use a smaller chain just work two rows more than the number of sc in the first row (ie first row has 24 sc so work 26 rows).  You can make it bigger by increasing your starting chain and the number of rows.

What are you going to do with your Tawashis?  Please consider make a few and packing them in a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child 
Until next time,

Crochet Bead Bracelet

For my first project I wanted something simple that was inexpensive and quick to make.  This is what I came up with.  A bracelet that is easy to personalize by simply changing the bead color or the yarn color.  Here is what you need to know to make it:

You will need:

size 3 crochet thread or size 10 thread doubled

50 size E (6/0) glass beads

size B crochet hook

fastener of your choice

Directions:

String 50 beads onto your thread.

leaving a 6 inch tail, chain 53

single crochet in the second chain from the hook.  

*single crochet in the next chain. slide a bead up.  single crochet in the next chain.  The bead will set on the back of your work.  Repeat from * until all beads have been used.  single crochet in last chain.  

Chain 1 and single crochet in each stitch down opposite side to the end.  

Chain 1 and continue around.  Fasten off leaving a 6 inch tail.

Use the tails to secure your bracelet fasteners to each end.

See?  Simple, easy and quick.  

Until next time,

Project OCC 2013

For the last couple of years I have been donating shoe boxes filled with toys and supplies to Samaritan's Purse for Operation Christmas Child.  This is a project that Samaritan's Purse has been doing since 1993 and they have distributed shoeboxes to over 100 million boys and girls.  Each shoebox opens a door to share the Gospel with a family and to show them that God loves them.  It is a project that has been very close to my heart.

This year I have decided to include more handmade items in my shoe boxes, and that is what this project is all about.  As I find cute, easy, handmade item that can be placed in a shoebox I will feature it both here and on my Pinterest board here.  If you have some suggestions I would love for you to leave them in the comments.  Be on the look out for them the rest of the year!

Find out more about Operation Christmas Child by clicking here and visiting Samaritan's Purse.




 Until next time,