My knitting has new jewelry!

After seeing this post and then visiting this site, I just had to dig out the jewelry stuff and play around. The set on the right is for me and the set on the right is destined for a certain classy lady who is having a birthday in early March. I'm not good at jewelry making but it was fun to play at something a little different. And I only bled twice.

I'm busily turning the heels on the Elfine socks and have also started a birthday gift for DD#2 from this book. I picked this book up at the library but it is one that I'm seriously considering adding to my library. It has some adorable patterns for children. I allowed my Girlygirl to pick out her own gift and she didn't surprise me at all. She is anxiously watching the progress on her birthday present. I'm having to really drag out the knitting process, since her birthday is at the end of March and it I get it done too soon, she'd be so bummed having to wait to get it until her actual birthday (yes, I can be that mean). So I only work on it once a week or so, since it is a pretty fast knit. If I complete the knitting too early, I'll just leave it unseamed until the momentous occasion.

I've re-blocked the sleeves for Samus, measuring carefully this time. I'm going to baste them up and try them on to see how they fit before sewing them in, then decide their fate. I am going to be heartless. If they don't work, they will be annihilated and replaced! This sweater WILL fit!

It seems strange around here. No black and white kitty, no hockey tournament this weekend and everyone getting sick and grumpy from all the stress of the past few weeks. It's been a real roller coaster of emotion for everyone but I have to say that I am so thankful for one constant in my life - Jesus. He is a lifeline in times of trouble and trials.

I am also thankful for my fiber arts. They are something I can turn to when everything else is out of control. There is something so soothing and calming about the repetitive nature of knitting. It causes me to slow down and breathe for a little while. It is very centering. Some of my favorite verses in the Bible are in Proverbs 31, when it talks about the ideal wife and her love of the fiber arts. I know exactly what it means to select wool and flax and to work with eager hands. The passion for fiber is God-ordained and it brings me great comfort to know that when things are all cock-eyed around me, God provided this blessed gift of knitting to bring peace and order to one small part of my world. And what is more, after reading blogs of many other women in crisis, I know that I am not alone in feeling this way. And that is the greatest blessing of all - knowing that I am not alone!