Thursday, April 19, 2012

Going Green

I've been at a loss of things to blog about now that the Block Party is over for this year. So I decided to post pictures of how I go green with all the yarn I use... introducing the newest fashion room decorating trend sweeping the nation that is so hot and so hip everybody has to have their own! Ok, not quite. More like my dorky room decorations that only a crafter would appreciate. :)
Yup, it's a chain made with yarn labels if you can't tell!

 I haven't made it all the way around my room yet, but hopefully I will soon!

I know it's not really going green, as I'm not reusing it for anything useful and it will get thrown away eventually, but hey, better then throwing them all away now! :)

Home-spun! :)


So if you feel like making your own, you probably wanna know how to make it right? Simply take all your yarn labels, either cut the tape the joins them or gently rip the glue, cut the wider ones in half the long way (experiment to get the look you like, I cut all the homespun ones and ones wider than that, and left the rest). Then link them together but stapling each one (usually only once will hold) making a chain. And for the record... all Red Heart labels are junk, and rip easy and hold no "weight". Then what we did was put a small nail in the wall, take the clippy things in the pic above (what are they called??) and clip them onto a label, and then hook them on a nail (or in the pic above, the vent). Then get to too hang down as far as you would like and do it again. Very easy! :)

Monday, March 19, 2012

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!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

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!!!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

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!