A Tatting Demonstration

I honestly can say that Tatting requires a special gifted person with attention to detail. I tried it once and found it hard. Barb has such a skill and she is good at it. She brought a nice collection of threads that were handed down to her by a family member and plans to put them to use. She demonstrated for us Tatting with a shuttle.

Jean believes this Tatting sampler was made in the early 1900's. She inherited it from her stepfather's grandmother.

You can read interesting facts about Tatting by going to this link. I learned that there are actually two other techniques called Needle Tatting and Cro-Tatting.

The scarves to benefit the Men's Homeless shelter have been pouring in. Here's a sample of some that have been collected.

Gourmet M & Ms were enjoyed by those present.

Crocheting and Knitting in the Company of Good Food and Friends

What could be better than sweet and savory refreshments, a new project and the wonderful company friends. Barb found just that at the last meeting. The Pudding Cookie Whip is a favorite and Shelia's recipe.

Barb found the pattern for a crochet cross bookmark and she was trying to make up her mind which one to make for her Secret Sister at church.

Rita finished working on her sock monkeys. She named the one wearing the overalls Socrates. It will accompany her on her storytelling events. The smaller sock monkey does not have a name yet. The knitted cap and shorts were also made by Rita.

The blanket Anna is holding was made using the technique called Tunisian crochet, also known as Afghan crochet. Doing some research I found out that Tunisian crochet dates back to the mid to late 1800. Tunisian crochet results in a woven fabric which is perfect for a warm blanket. Anna loves this blanket and she plans to keep it.

Watch this video and see if you might want to try it.

Janet who was using yarn from Herrschners commented not really liking this yarn but she only paid $10.00 for 8 skeins. She is making a baby blanket and will donate it to the Monroe Woman's Shelter. Nancy on the other hand loved the Love It yarn she purchased at the Cottage Yarn porch 40% sale. She is knitting the Tampa vest for a relative.

Some of the ladies are participating in the current service project by making scarves to be donated to the Men's Homeless Shelter. The specifications state the scarves which can be knitted or crocheted should measure 5 inches wide by 4 feet long in masculine colors with not fringe or trim. The yarn used should be worsted or bulky, sport weight yarns can be doubled. Helmet liners and scarves for our service men and women are still being collected. Shelia has been in contact with the Little Flower Retirement Center to get a list of hand made items the residents would like to receive for the holidays.

Market Bags for Sale During the Friends of the Library Book Sale

This year's Friends of the Library book sale featured hand knit and crochet bags made by our Mint Hill Stitch In ladies.

Fifteen bags sold for a total of $120.00. A special thanks to all the ladies who contributed by donating their creations.

The Friends collected $3,373.83 during this book sale that drew people from surrounding counties. The sale continued the following two weeks with borrowers naming the price of the books sold. Some very generous borrowers offered more than what our books normally sell for.

The bags were cleverly displayed on the bulletin's wall

Shelia's original Cookie Monster and Elmo bags brought smiles and were among the sold.

The Popularity of Lacy Knits and Crochet

Claire enjoyed working on the Tiramisu Crochet Baby blanket she will give away this September. She was amazed at how fast she got it done. "It's a great pattern and so easy", she said. She began working on her second one for another baby due this year.

Click on the word Tiramisu to access the pattern.





The pattern used by Jan consists of knit 2 together and yarn overs creates lacy a pattern. The large needle she uses also contributes to the lacy effect.

Once Pat discovered the drop stitch technique, she too has been making lacy shawls.

Rita found the original Sock Monkey pattern by Fox River Mills Inc. at the Biltmore Arcade. The kit which costs $10.00 comes with everything needed to assemble one. She will use the sock monkey during the story telling events in which she participates. I had the intention of making a sock monkey following the instructions in a book but did not finish mine. I used a man's sock and the stuffing took a long time. I had better luck designing an amigurumi sock monkey.

Rita always has more than one project going on and she is a very creative seamstress. She designed a lady's and man's apron.

The man's apron was made using a large shirt.

Detail of Rita's Man Apron is a clever design. This would make a great Father's Day gift.

Barb checked out the book Reversible Knits by Iris Schreier and found very rewarding learning how to double knit.

Click on the following link to see Susan B. Anderson demonstrating this technique.

Double Knitting

Shrugs, Eco Friendly Bags and More....

Rita finished the shrug and was excited to model it. She used Lion Brand Jiffy yarn which she bought on sale at Hancocks Fabrics. This shrug was worked using size 11 knitting needles so it knits up very fast. The pattern is available at the Cottage Yarn in Mint Hill. Now that it's finished she can go ahead and make more bags.



Delores finished the sweater she was working on a couple of weeks ago and assured me she would bring it next week.

I fell in love with the Peek-a-Boo crochet blanket Janet has almost finished. This one will be donated to the Home for Battered women in Monroe. Babies love to poke their fingers through the holes so this one will bring hours of enjoyment.

Janet's Peek-a-Boo Blanket

The bags which will be sold during the May 16 Book Sale at Mint Hill continue to come in. They are beautiful and worked in an array of bright colors. At least a couple have already been claimed.

Shelia models Nancy's knitted bag.

Pat's Crochet Market Bag

Another project which is in the finishing stage is Julie's baby girl lacy bottom cardigan. She is giving this one as a gift for a friend's baby.

Barb is also almost done with her market bag. She used fine cotton thread and size D crochet hook and as result the bag is much smaller. This bag can be rolled and stored in a pocket. It's a very clever design. She likes it so much, she will make one for herself.

Barb's almost completed crochet bag

Barb's bag features a pocket in which she can keep it for easy storage.

Spring Time Colors

Spring time colors are all around us and are also seen in the yarn colors being used. Jill’s pretty manicured hands even matched the scarf she is working on. She found this fluffy yarn at Hobby Lobby on special for $1.99 a skein.

The crocheted and knitted bags which will be sold during our upcoming book sale have started coming in. Phyllis shared how she kept running out of yarn, so she used three different colors in this one she is modeling. She found this pattern in the Knit Simple magazine.

Nancy's crocheted bag is also very colorful and with lots of room.

Nancy found a large skein of Sugan 'N Cream cotton yarn which she has been using to make another bag. She wants to make sure she won't run out of yarn.

Pat's shawl for her daughter turned out very pretty. She said her daughter thought it was too lacy and delicate. She made another one for her to suit her style. I'm sure someone else will love this one.

The stripes appear on this beautiful sweater as Delores knits. This yarn was pricey she reports, over $12.00 a skein so the completed sweater will cost around $50.00.

This bunny cake made by Shelia was enjoyed by all those present. He matches all the pretty colors I saw during this meeting.

It Feels so Good to Complete a Project

Barb's quilt to is almost finished and she is happy with the result. The technique used to create this beautiful scene is called Interpolated technique. She said the fabric has a 24 inch repeat and was found at a Walmart. If you look carefully, it appears that the fish are moving, a visual effect created by this technique.

If you'd like to read more about the Interpolated technique, check out this blog.





Some projects are quick, some like Julie's cross stitch for her friend Jan can take a couple of years. She started in 2007 and it's finally been completed. She used swarovsky heart crystals to embellish this cross stitch creation. Gold thread was also used to outline parts of the design.

Jacky, a first time attendee has a passion for charity and plans to use yarn left over from other projects to make blankets for dogs. She will be donating her crochet blankets to the Animal Rescue Mission.

Phyllis has been crocheting market/book bags which will be sold at the upcoming book sale at the Mint Hill Library. The book sale is scheduled for May 16 starting at 10:00 a.m. Shelia shared some patterns with the ladies which are very quick to make.

This is the bottom of Julie's knitted bag.

Rita is donating to the book sale her very own bag creation which she named Supermarket Commando Bag. It is quite large, sturdy and padded.

Iola continues to have fun making dishcloths and I especially like the lady bug cloth.