the family helps.

The Block Party is a family affair! The whole family helps!!!

Dad

Mom

Me (13)

This is the ONLY picture I have of me working on blankets! :)

Anna (9)

Isaac (7)

Rebekah (5)

Elijah (4)

Rachel (2)

Jonathan (1) 

He doesn't try and help, but he is very good at climbing over laid out blankets and messing them up! As well as being all over the top of the blankets when taking pictures of the finished ones! :)

Caught on tape attacking his big sister (who is smaller than him!)!

I love my family! :) And I couldn't do the Block Party each year without them!

Block Party 2012 Report #4 - Final Tallies and Video!

It's official! As of a week or so ago, the blankets are DONE and shipped! :) God truly turned a little work (or a lot!) from many of people into some GREAT for His GLORY!! Here are this year's totals!

(I apologize if these numbers do not match up with the video or what I announced in church. The numbers came out a little different each time. I believe what I have below is correct, not the video.)

1864 BLOCKS!!!!

Which made:
12 baby blankets including 6 other ones not made with blocks
11 lap blankets
4 medium blankets including 1 not made with blocks
11 big blankets (twin bed size)

Total of 38 blankets!!!

16 preemie/baby hats
5 older kid hats
3 pairs of baby booties
11 scarves
4 toys
1 baby sweater

Total of 1911 items collected to bless and bring hope to the hopeless in Ukraine!!! 

Plus a bunch of clothes, baby sleepers, and other things!!

If that isn't amazing to you, listen to read this! We figured out the time spent on this last night for something else, and we estimated there was a total of 1275 HOURS spent on this project by everyone!! And that is on the LOW side! If you're too lazy to do that math (like usually am!), that's over 53 FULL 24 HOUR days!!! Absolutely NUTS!!! 

That shows you just how much work everyone has put into this, to bless people they have never even met. To me, that is absolutely amazing so many people sacrificed in this way for God's kingdom!

All the GLORY to GOD!!!!

Here is a video I put together with pictures of the Block Party(s), finished blankets, and those who everything we collected will bless! Please take some time to watch it!

I just want to say one last THANK YOU to EVERYONE who helped!!!!!

And a big THANK YOU to God who blessed this project sooo abundantly!!!

I can't wait to see what next year brings!!!

Help with Borders! :)

Sorry for the lack of blogging, been busy finishing up the blankets! And the border on the last one is being finished as I speak! YAY! We put a border of 3 rows of single crochet on every blanket, which helps hold it together and give it more stability. Unfortunately, the big ones tend to take quite awhile! :)

We had a little help with the borders from Mr. Gary! :) I was working on a border, and he insisted he help, so I  showed him how.... he picked up amazingly fast, faster then anyone I ever remember teaching. Made me wonder if he's a closet crocheter! ;)

And not only did he pick up fast, he did an amazing job! Rachel (my friend, not my 2 yo sister) couldn't tell his stitches from mine! :)

Thanks for your help Gary!! Love ya!

Ultimate Scrubbie - Free Crochet Pattern

Ultimate Scrubbie - Free Crochet Pattern

I recently got an order for some scrubbies, and like always, I couldn't find a good pattern I liked so I made one up! This pattern is SUPER easy and SUPER fast!!!

Important Notes:
*You are welcome to sell items made from this pattern, but please do not sell this pattern. I would love it if you linked back here though!
*If you think any corrections should be made to this pattern, please let me know!
*All abbreviations used in patterns are explained here.

Finished Size:
About 3 inches in diameter, and 1 inch tall.

Materials:

-J hook

-Stitch marker
-Nylon Netting cut in 3 inch strips (tutorial coming soon!)

Pattern:

Pattern Notes:
*Place st marker in last st, and move it to last st of every round as you go through the pattern
*Starting on Row 2, pattern is worked in back loops only.

Pattern:
ch 2
Round 1: 6 sc in second ch from hook. (6 sc)
Round 2: 2 sc in ea st around. (12 sc)
Round 3: *2 sc in first/next st, 1 sc in next st, repeat from * around. (18 sc)
Round 4: *2 sc in first/next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts, repeat from * around. (24 sc)
Round 5: *2 sc in first/next st, 1 sc in next 3 sts, repeat from * around. (30 sc)
Round 6: 1 sc in each around. (30 sc)
Round 7: *sc dec in first/next st, sc in next 3 sts, repeat from * around. (24 sc)
Round 8: *sc dec in first/next st, sc in next 2 sts, repeat from * around. (18 sc)
After you finish round 8, the hole should be at a good size to lightly stuff the scrubbie with netting scraps if desired. I always do if I remember. :)
Round 9: *sc dec in first/next st, sc in next st, repeat from * around. (12 sc)
Round 10: sc dec in each st around. (6 sc)
Round 11: sc dec as many times as you can, fasten off.

Pull end through middle and into scrubbie. And you're done!