Knit, knitting away ... January projects

My first dish cloth
Originally uploaded by Suzie Rozie.

Tahoe was a week of knitting for me, and I enjoyed it to the hilt! I joined my first-ever KAL (knit-along) group just before we left, and this was my first project - a dish cloth!!! This group makes two dishcloths a month. I'm anxiously waiting for the next one which begins this coming Tuesday. This particular dishcloth, and many I've seen in the group's past projects, are simply knit and purl stitches which, when combined in a certain way, create pictures. These are great small projects for travel or for wait time when in a doctor's office or something! I've really never been interested in making dish cloths - we use them a few times and then toss them! They become so gray and ugly, I even bury them below other garbage when I throw them out! I'm sure I'll never use these as intended, but I surely love making them!

But this was just part of what I did. I also knit two pairs of fingerless gloves - a pair for Lauren and a pair for me, and a cap. I posted all the pictures on Flickr, and to see the new things, just click the dishcloth. The link will take you to my Flickr account. Then scroll down the right side of the screen and find the Needlework collection. The Knitting set is inside the Needlework collection.

The best picture I have today, though, is a picture of Carol's display which she had set up at church this morning. I was delighted to get a full-size picture (just click it and it will enlarge) because this display always feels so warm and welcoming to me.

Making quilts for Martha Circle, for the military, is truly a group experience, full of wonderful womanly camaraderie that's thoughtful, quiet, and peaceful.

Notice that Carol has written New Mail on either side of the paper she has taped to the top of the board. That paper is a thank you from the recipients of some of our quilts. Notice, too, that there are sacks and bags there with people's names - Yo, Ruth, and Lucie - women who will pick up packages to take home to work on. The basket contains packets of 20 squares for anyone to pick up and piece together into a quilt. If the table is out when I bring in the few that I make, I just leave my few on the table and Carol will find them. The table itself is almost a perfect picture of the group - it's a wonderful table that communicates the efforts of this community of women.

There are a number of reasons I attend Mt Olive, and the most important one is that it's Lauren's church and I show my support for him by attending with him. But the women there have drawn me back over and over again, from the very first. They have always been, and I'm sure always will be, very special.