Celtic Knot Trivets (Canning Jar Sealer Ring Hot Mats)

 

I'm not totally sure where I picked up the hot mat/trivet in the picture above. I'm quite sure it was a freebie from somewhere and I brought it home, thinking it was a cool idea and I intended to attempt to replicate it. The circles are crocheted around those old red rubber canning jar rings. And I was able to purchase some of the rings as well. But I've had this since before my marriage ended and life kind of got in the way since. However, now that I'm retired, I decided to give it a try. 
By the way those rubber rings are still available at Canadian Tire and Home Hardware, and maybe other places as well. I'm not sure if people still do their canning using these, but someone must be using them for something since they're still being sold. And since they're still around, I'll share with you how I made mine. 
The original one in the picture appears to be made from Phentex, which is a synthetic yarn. I would be concerned about the yarn melting if the item placed on it was overly hot. I opted instead for a cotton yarn, Bernat Handicrafter Cotton. I do have quite a large stash of it, so I wouldn't have to make any purchases. And I used the hook suggested on the yarn label: 5.00 mm (US H/8).
I did an internet search to see if I could find the pattern, but nothing I found initially was exactly the same. So that meant I had to count stitches. The hot mat requires 6 rubber rings as the seventh ring in the centre, which joins them all, does not have a rubber ring and is done as a band of double crochet, which is woven through the rings and then joined end to end. I counted 49 double crochet in one ring, but I opted for 50 because I wanted to make sure it was full enough. And I think it's easier to remember a round number. 

The challenging part was the first stitch. Yes, I suppose I could have just done a slip stitch through the ring and chained 3 to make the first double crochet. But somehow I don't think that would look right and maybe would make the stitch taller than it should be because the chain 3 would be on top of the rubber ring, whereas the rest of the double crochet stitches would be around the rubber ring. Anyway, I opted to just start with the slip knot on the hook, loop around the hook, put the hook through the ring and draw up the third loop, and then finish the double crochet - a standing double crochet, I guess. The challenging part was keeping everything from getting too loose and sloppy for this first stitch.But I managed it. And then I could proceed with the other 49 double crochet. Joined with a slip stitch to the top of the first double crochet, and the first ring was done, aside from working in the ends. 

Since it's just double crochet, the rings work up pretty quickly. Don't ask me how much yarn I used. As I said, I'm just using leftovers in my stash. As the original was done in two colours, I opted for two different colourways as well. But it could be done in all one colour, or each ring done in a different colour, or whatever makes you happy, or you have available. 
Work in all the ends before proceeding to the next step. 
I shared this project with my sisters that crochet. And my oldest sister wanted to know how to assemble it and found this video: 

It's worth a watch as it is often easier to see an actual demonstration of techniques rather than just pictures and descriptions. But I do not recommend using plastic pop can rings or synthetic yarn because rubber or silicone rings and cotton yarn are more heat proof. Nor is her stitch count right to work with rubber rings. I counted 55 stitches in the joining ring on my sample project. I chained 57 and worked a double crochet into the third stitch from the hook, and double crocheted to the end of the chain, counting 55 stitches. Somehow I ended up with an extra chain, so maybe you should only chain 56? Anyway, I worked it in when I joined the ends. Leave a long tail when you fasten off the end to use in stitching the ends together.

Now for the really challenging part - weaving the band through the rings. You might follow what she does in the video. It might make more sense than the mess I have in the picture above. She does hers in a row and then bends it around to form a circle. You just have to make sure that you overlap the two end circles correctly and weave in the right direction. Please don't join the ends as she does in the video. Leave a long tail when you fasten off the last stitch and use a yarn needle and stitch the ends together. Then work the ends in. You should never just tie a knot. 
You've basically just made a Celtic knot. 

Finally finish the edge of the hot mat with single crochet in the back loops of 17 double crochet on the outside edge of each of the 6 circles. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet, finish off and work ends in. 
Admittedly, using variegated yarn makes it look messier than using solid yarn because you can't see as readily where the loops are going. But it's still pretty. 
Since I had 6 more rings in the box, I decided to make another one, only this time I decided to make the 7th ring/joining band more of a circle instead of just a flat band. In other words, wider on the outside edge than on the inside edge. Here's how I did it:

• Ch 51, not including slip knot (52 stitches including slip knot)
• In 3rd chain from hook, dc 
• 1 dc in each of next 7 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch
  
• 1 dc in each of next 9 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch - repeat to end of row

Basically, you should increase one every 10 stitches. There should now be 55 stitches, but don't blame me if it doesn't work because I'm not a crochet pattern designer. 
I liked this technique better, but care must be taken when weaving the band through the rings as it tends to stretch. And this is true using either technique for making the band. I suppose I could reduce the number of stitches (50 maybe instead of 55?), but I would be concerned if I should ever wash it and the yarn shrank. And it's just not that significant to keep experimenting. 
And this second time, I decided to try lining the rings up in a row to weave in the joining band, like in the video. For me, that was a bad mistake. I ended up making a couple of mistakes and had already stitched the band together before I realized it. I was able to snip it apart, realign the trivet correctly, and stitch the band back together again. Hopefully, it won't unravel sometime down the road. And I also ended up with the rings overlapping in a counterclockwise direction, and I think it looks neater in a clockwise direction, like the first one, and my sample one. 

Regardless, it's done, I've finally completed a project that's been waiting for years, I've used up some of my yarn stash, and they both look pretty. And I will likely put these in my camping equipment, as I don't think I have any trivets in there. I'm hoping to go camping with my daughter and grandson soon, if the rain ever stops long enough. 
If you have any questions about my techniques, please just message me using the contact form in the right sidebar. Or comment on this post. 

That Didn't Last Long

It's only what? the second or third post? and I'm already bored with daily blog posts, so I don't think this is going to be an ongoing thing. It's kind of like keeping a very public diary, or journal. I'd rather be crafting than blogging anyway, so maybe I'll try and blog weekly??? We'll see.
It was craft day at the Lutheran church today. I had recently tried a dish scrubber made with Red Heart Scrubby Sparkle and I really liked it. It's great for the things like non-stick pans that you shouldn't use a more aggressive scrubber on. It doesn't fall apart readily like those plastic mesh dish scrubbers do. And it can be thrown in the laundry. So I brought along some very yellow Scrubby Sparkle yarn and made another one. 

I hadn't brought a yarn needle with me, so I still need to work the ends in. 
After that, I started working on a current quilt project. I seem to be making a lot of mistakes lately, but more when I'm at the church. Of course, I'm used to working at home by myself, so have few distractions. But at the church, I have lots of people to chat with, view their work and share mine. A great bunch and I enjoy going there, so if it costs me a few more mistakes, that's the price I pay for the socialization. 

I managed to sew the third row on upside down. After rectifying that. I began to assemble the fourth row, only to put two of the blocks together incorrectly. By that time, it was time to pack up and head home, so I will deal with that next week. I've already ripped out the stitches between the two offending blocks. And honestly, the colours in this quilt are much prettier in person. It's more aqua/teal and navy than grey and black. I wish my cell phone camera would exhibit more accurate colours. Sometimes I try to adjust the colours in the photo editor, but I can never seem to get it to what I see in real life. And sometimes, my editing just makes it worse. 
Went out for lunch today with a bunch of friends from my former work. It was a planned event, so I called the restaurant a couple of days ago to request a vegan meal. They gave me a handful of sautéed vegetables and a salad consisting of just leaf lettuce (plus there was one raisin in the bottom of the salad bowl, which I assume was a mistake) drenched in a very sweet balsamic dressing. And when I say "drenched", I mean it. I think there was about a tablespoon of dressing left in the bottom of the bowl when I finished my salad. I said to the friend sitting beside me that I understood why she had asked for her dressing on the side. I was kind of surprised and disappointed. And hungry! The previous time I was there, they gave me rice and some cooked veggies in a tomato sauce of some sort. I don't remember if it was a curry, but it was very tasty and much more substantial than what I had today. Maybe they've got a new cook. I don't feel that they overcharged me for my meal today, however. And I'm not going to stop going to that restaurant. The only time I go there is for these get-togethers and it's probably the best option in town for a crowd that size. And I'm not going to stop getting together with these friends. Maybe I'll sneak in a veggie burger next time. 😂
Now, it's supper time. If I do any crafting this evening, it will be a yarn project that I can work on in my living room. I'm tired and I don't feel I have the brain power to work on the travel bag.

Sophie's Universe

 

It's done! I can hardly believe that I have finally finished Sophie's Universe, but I have. And the feeling is less jubilant and more relief. It's been a long haul and I'm good and tired of this afghan. I believe I started it in 2015 and it stalled several times since then, but it's no longer on my UFO list. It's been frustrating at times because I don't believe that I should have to change hook sizes or block my afghan to make it lie flat, as the instructions say. I think I did change from a 5.0 to a 5.5 sometime during the process and might have blocked it once or twice. But around round 87, I'd had enough and started adding stitches to keep it lying flat without blocking. And it worked. I added the final round of Betty's Beautiful Border (modified treble bobble, which I think should be called bent treble cluster) as my edging round, as I didn't like it with just the back post double crochet as the final round. Back post double crochet doesn't really lie flat on its own.

The afghan finished at approximately 76" square and weighs 5 lb. 9.1 oz. Yes, it's heavy! And I used a total of 14 different yarns in it. So it's the biggest, heaviest and most yarns used of any afghan I made to date. I think I'll put it on my queen-sized bed, so it can be viewed in all its glory. Especially since I don't currently have a quilt finished for that bed. 

And yes, you can see my tallest step ladder in the top picture. Grass may not make the smoothest surface on which to take a picture of an afghan, but I don't think I really have the floor space to spread it out inside, nor the ceiling height to get high enough to fit the whole afghan in the picture. 

I was planning on doing the Warm Up America Knit and Crochet Afghan next. It's going to be a gift for my daughter and I was hoping to finish it for her birthday next month. However, after ripping out the same block about 3 times, I decided to do something that my mental health can manage. Did you know that your mental health can affect your cognition (your thinking ability)? Well, it can. I'm still struggling with depression and anxiety and I know that my cognition is not as sharp as it should be. So, I've moved all of the yarn (13 different yarns) for the Variegated Moss Stitch afghan into my Rubbermaid yarn organizer and that will be my next project. 

Haven't seen my Rubbermaid yarn organizer yet? Well, here it is: 

It's just a Rubbermaid container that I've drilled holes into the lid. It's fantastic for projects that use multiple different yarns. Here's a picture of the label so you know which container I used. 

Really simple and really efficient!

More Shawls

 Some time ago, I purchased this book for my Kindle. 

 However long ago that was, I've had it on my Kindle and basically ignored it since then. When I decided to start making shawls, I perused this book and discovered that it is actually a book of shawl patterns that you can find free online. And it provides a link to the patterns. Hmm, so why did I need the book? 

One of the ones I started from this book is the Summer Morning Shawl.

My goal is to create a small stash of prayer shawls so that I'll have them ready when I need them. This is the first one to go in the stash. It's made with a labelless knitting worsted and I used a 5.0 mm hook. It took 251g or 8.85oz of yarn, and measures approximately 58" across and 26" long.

It's an attractive stitch with a 4-row repeat. 

The pattern comes with a crochet diagram that you can use to follow once you get past the initial 13 rows. 

Lost in Time has already found a home and so has the Goddess Shawl. 

This one is much lacier than Lost in Time, so will provide more beauty than warmth. I used Red Heart Comfort Sparkle, a 6.0 mm hook and it took 322 g or 11.35 oz of yarn. I forgot to measure the final size, but my size 11 feet are in the picture for reference. 😆 Here's a close up so you can see the sparkle.

The pattern states that it was based on a doily pattern. I think I might have some doily patterns somewhere that might come in handy, especially since I seldom use the same pattern twice. I just don't understand the crafters who decide to make 2 (or more) of the same pattern. There are so many beautiful patterns out there and life is too short to keep making the same one, in my not-so-humble opinion. 

There is a bit of a story before I finally got to the Goddess Shawl, made from the sparkley purple yarn. The person I made this for loves bright colours, but, like me, purple is her favourite. I know that I have a skein of this purple yarn somewhere, but could I find it when I wanted it? Certainly, my search for this yarn highlighted for me just how much yarn I have and that I really need to be using it up before I buy any more. But back to my story: I next opted to try bright yarn and pulled out some Red Heart Super Saver in blacklight. I don't remember exactly what order or even how many different patterns I tried. I know I tried the Sapphire Satin Sparkle Shawl and didn't like the way it looked at all. I was going to try the Sweet November Scarf/Shawl. Tell me if these instructions make sense to you:
ch 4, 1 dc in 1st ch, ch 3, turn (This forms beginning loop)
1 dc in loop, ch 1, 1 dc, ch 3, turn

When I looked at those instructions and looked at the shawl and thought that it looked rather boring, I decided against that one as well. I started the Lattice Lace Wrap and realized that was going to be too boring - just chains and single crochet. I looked at a couple of other patterns and they didn't appeal to me either. I also tried the Broomstick Lace Shawl. More instructions that don't make sense: After being told to turn at the end of row 2, here's row 3,
Ch 2, turn, sc in second ch from hook; working in front loops only, sc in each sc across, turn—5 sc.
Why do I chain 2 and then turn again??? And then it doesn't tell me to turn again, so where am I to continue the rest of the stitches for this row? Yeah, that pattern wasn't working out either. After that, I decided to try my own broomstick lace from what I remembered how to do it. I wasn't particularly enjoying that and thought I might continue by making a sampler stitch shawl, so I pulled this book 

 out of my library. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that that probably wouldn't look great either. So, I decided to try a stitch I liked from this book and do the whole shawl in it. I picked #46 Bravado. It is a really pretty stitch, but the instructions weren't correct and I ended up with a puckered mess. I went online to look for an errata for this book. Nothing. Fortunately, I'm an experienced enough crocheter, and the picture of the stitches is clear enough that I was able to figure it out. For future reference, in case you ever decide to try this stitch, here are my corrections:

Row 1: Sc in 8th ch from hook (first 7 chs count as first hdc, ch-3 and sk next ch), *[ch 3, sk next 2 ch, sc in next ch] twice** ch 4, sk 3 ch, sc in next ch, rep from * across, ending last rep at **, ch 2, hdc in last ch, turn.

Rows 2 and 3 - same as in the book.

Row 4: in the second line, where it says, "sc in next ch-3 sp", this should read "sc in next ch-5 sp".

Rows 5 and 6 - same as in the book.

Row 7: on the last line, after it says "ch 2," the next stitch should be "hdc" not "dc". 

Pretty as this pattern was, I just was not liking it. And I realized it was the yarn. While the variegated yarn that I used for the Summer Morning Shawl worked fine, the blacklight was too loud with too much contrast. It might work in the afghan that I actually purchased it for, but I did not like it as a shawl. So I set this shawl idea aside until I happened to be in Walmart and they had the Red Heart Comfort in the purple sparkle (I still haven't figured out where my skein is at home), and I purchased one skein and made the Goddess Shawl. I'm very happy with it and I also now know a few patterns that I won't bother trying again. Nor will I, unless someone specifically asks me for a very loud shawl, try another one in blacklight. 

Prayer Shawls

 

When I first heard about prayer shawls, I assumed they were to wrap up in while praying. Having wrapped myself up in a blanket on chilly mornings during my prayer time, that made sense to me. Although, my blanket covered more of me than a shawl would. However, while it is certainly appropriate to pray while wearing a prayer shawl, that is not the intent. No, prayer shawls were meant for people who are facing a challenge, a hardship - whatever that may be - and the maker is to pray for the recipient while they are making the shawl. It's intended to be a reminder that someone is praying for you, and God loves you. 
Several years ago, one of my co-workers told me about a group making prayer shawls at her church. While I never did get the opportunity to join the group, I have kept the idea on "the back burner." I even bought a prayer shawl book. 

So, recently, I decided it was time to make a prayer shawl. I rummaged in my yarn stash to find a large skein of rose-coloured worsted weight (4) yarn. I weighed it on my kitchen scale and found it weighed 14 oz. This would give me an idea of what patterns I could use. Next, I had to find a pattern. I pulled out my prayer shawl book and was disappointed. Out of 11 patterns, one was for a shrug (prayer shrug?) and 5 were for infant (0-24 months) ponchos. I don't know about you, but I think that a poncho is a rather ridiculous garment for a tiny infant. And, while they may work for toddlers, this age is still too young to understand the concept behind a prayer shawl, or prayer poncho, as the case may be. I assume they're meant to be a reminder to the parents of the maker's prayers, and the love of God behind the gift. But I think that an afghan or quilt would be a more practical gift for an infant or toddler and still accomplish the same purpose. Maybe that's just me, but don't expect me to start producing prayer ponchos in the near future. But back to the book: that left only 5 actual shawl patterns, only 2 of which called for worsted weight yarn. The remaining three used 5-weight yarn. And none of them were what I really wanted. 

I decided that I wanted a triangular shawl, and searched the internet. Unfortunately, a lot of them seemed to be the same stitch, row after row. Boring. As I was going to be making it in a solid colour, I wanted something with some stitch/textural interest. 

And then I found Lost in Time. Wow, yes! 

Definitely stitch and textural interest!

The unfortunate thing is that the designer did the original in a lighter weight yarn than what I had to use. But, as she points out, you can use whatever yarn you want, just adjusting the hook size.

As I crocheted, I was not only praying for the recipient, but I was also praying that I would have enough yarn to make it the size I wanted. Since the pattern wasn't made for knitting worsted, I had no idea how much yarn I would need. Another thing about this pattern is that it is a 12-row repeat. You crochet rows 1 through 26, and then repeat rows 15 through 26 to get to the size you want. That's a pretty big repeat - what if I get to row 20, for example, and the shawl is as big as I want it? I could either frog back to the previous row 26, and end up with a shawl that's smaller than I want, or continue on to the next row 26 and end up with one bigger than I want. My final complaint, if indeed it is a complaint, is that printing out the pattern is a horrible waste of paper. There is a lot of unnecessary white space resulting in 15 pages of printout! I think that if the pages had been set up differently, the number of pages could have been reduced by a third or more. Nevertheless, I am still thrilled with this beautiful pattern.

I was weighing my yarn and project during the time I was making it, and determined that I might not have quite enough of the rose yarn to complete. So, I decided to add some cream-coloured yarn, if needed. How much and where I would add it was yet to be determined. I figured that I would do the border in cream, but wanted to finish the main body of the shawl with the last row in rose. When I got to the last 3 rows, I weighed my yarn before and after row 24. As the last three rows are very similar, I wanted to know how much yarn to complete one of these rows. At the end of round 24, I knew that I did not have enough of the rose to complete both rows 25 and 26, and switched to the cream for round 25. I switched back to the rose for row 26, but after completing one side, I weighed the yarn again and knew that I could not complete the row in that yarn. Frogging back, I carried the cream through the rose stitches to complete the popcorns in this row in cream, with the main part of the row in rose (that wasn't easy, by the way). Once I completed row 26, the shawl measured 62" across the long side and I decided not to add the border, as it was plenty wide enough. 

I'm going to share my data for anyone that might like to do this pattern in knitting worsted:

• Hook used - 5.00 mm/G
• Type of yarn - knitting worsted/4 (sorry, no brand as label was removed)
• Amount of yarn - 431 g/15.2 oz. (remember this amount includes the cream that was carried through row 26, but no border)
• Finished size - 62" across and 30" deep

I seldom use the same pattern twice, but don't be surprised if I use this one again as it is just so pretty. Especially since I now know how much yarn I can expect to use. Meanwhile, in my searching for patterns, I realized that I have a book of shawl patterns on my Kindle. Most (if not all) of them can also be found online. From this book, my next project is the Summer Morning Shawl. 

It reminds me of the virus shawl, which I completed in 2016. (You can see a picture of my virus shawl in the post here). I wasn't planning on starting another shawl, but I tried this yarn to see if it could work as the accent colour in the Lost in Time shawl instead of the cream and ended up with a pile of yarn vomit. I didn't want to put it back in the stash like that, so decided to just start a new project with it. Only 10 oz of this yarn, but the pattern is pretty lacy, so hopefully will have enough to make it as big as I want it. Again, this pattern is not done in knitting worsted, so I will just have to try it and see. 

Now, I need to get back to work on some of my quilting WIPs. 

I finally started Forever in My Heart, a quilt that I designed and is long overdue. 

Gathering My Tribe of Makers

Most gifts I give are either wholly or partly handmade. They are labours of love and, for me, I would rather give the work of my own hands than something store-bought. Yes, there is a time and place for store-bought gifts, but I prefer to gift something that I've made myself as much as possible.

This year, there were hot pot holders, 

dishcloth bouquets, 

more dishcloths,

Easter baskets, 

a bowl cozy, 

a mug rug, 

a quilted postcard, 

more bowl cozies, 

a Christmas tree skirt, 

a quilted wallhanging to post the date and the weather, 

and a gift basket with hot pot holders and dishcloths. 

And that was, of course, in addition to the quilts that I give away.

I can't afford to give everything away, and this year I decided to see if I could sell some quilts. While considering this, I consulted with some maker friends: Lorilee of Ruff's Fashion, who makes dog bandanas, bowl cozies, masks, etc.; Alina of Design by Nature Pottery; and Barb of Purple Peony Emporium, who makes soap and other personal care products. In October, I decided to try selling some quilts and other projects at The Gallery in Holden, AB. (Lorilee and Barb also sell there).

So far, I haven't sold a thing. 😞  Alina said that she tried selling there, and didn't sell anything, but she thought maybe it was because she had her products there at the wrong time of year. I, on the other hand, had mine there in the run up to Christmas and still never sold anything. I added a couple more quilts, including a Christmas quilt, and a Christmas table runner with 6 matching placemats. I'll see how it goes. Barb told me that it took her about a year before her products started to really sell there, but I don't have the time and money to keep my products there on an ongoing basis if they're not going to sell. If nothing has sold by the time my introductory period has expired (January 24th), I will likely just bring all of my products home. I wasn't too keen on selling on Etsy because I'd have to be able to take better pictures with truer colours, and have to worry about shipping, insurance, etc. But I might have to give that a try. 

I have been exploring some other projects and made this for my hairstylist. 

It's a crocheted soap bag with a bar of Purple Peony Emporium soap in it. I was wondering what exactly a soap bag is used for, so I googled. You can put your bar of soap inside and use it to scrub with and then hang it up afterwards. Because your soap isn't sitting in a dish, it will last longer and will not be as much of a breeding ground for bacteria because the air can circulate around it. Made of cotton, it's also more environmentally friendly than a plastic bath pouf. I personally have not tried one yet, but I also gave one to my daughter and one to my grandson for Christmas (including more Purple Peony Emporium products as well).

Another gift I gave to my daughter was a yarn bowl. She asked if it was made by my friend that made the soap dish that I gave her on another occasion (Alina of Design by Nature Pottery). Unfortunately, Alina was not the creator, but I did pick it up at The Gallery. My daughter was wearing a shawl (which she made) when she came to my place for Christmas dinner and said that she would like to get a shawl pin to hold it closed. So then I mentioned that I have another friend (Carolyn of 2 Good Claymates) that makes things out of polymer clay and likely had some shawl pins for sale. I have to admit that I found it rather amusing that I had yet another maker friend that could provide something my daughter wanted. And then I got to thinking that I also have a friend that is an artist and a weaver, and another that is an artist. Well, ultimately we makers are all artists, but I'm using that term in the more commonly held, restrictive sense referring to painters, and not house painters. 😁 And that's in addition to all of the quilters and sewists that I know. 

Ultimately, what I'd like to say is: support your local craftspeople, artisans and artists. Their products may be more expensive than what you can buy at the big box stores, but you'll be buying quality, locally made goods and supporting your neighbours. 

Before I close, I want to share a few other "spa" projects that I tried that will make nice gifts or additions to gifts:

(clockwise from top left) Rosebud Scrubby, Floral Facecloth, Bath Mitt, scrubby mitt, exfoliator/scrubber, and washcloth.

And finally, the Christmas hand towels I made for some of my friends at work. 

Happy crafting to all my maker friends. 

Ranfurly Fair Entries

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

1 Corinthians 9:24,25

Three months later, I finally realized that I hadn't blogged anything about the Ranfurly Fair back on August 8. It had been 5 years, I think, since the last time I had entered any of my craft projects in the local fairs. Last year, I considered it, but then we ended up with the Corona virus pandemic interfering with everything. This year, while I may not have agreed with the decision, the premier of Alberta decided that we were "open for the summer." Some events proceeded and others did not, and I determined to enter some items in the Ranfurly Fair. I also considered entering some in the Innisfree Fair, but then decided to take my daughter and grandson on a quick trip to Drumheller, and we set out on the day of the Innisfree Fair.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have probably commented before that I find the small local fairs quite generous with their ribbons, and often they will award more than one first, second or third place ribbon in each category. I wanted to explain that when I say that I won either a first or second place ribbon on each item I entered. 

In the Quilting Class, in the Table Runner category, I was awarded a 1st for On Guard For Thee, 

another first for Work Zone in the Baby Quilt category, 

a second for Fiesta in the Lap Quilt category, 

a first for Audacious in the large quilt category, 

and a second for Celtic Ballad in the wallhanging category. 

In the Knitting class, I won a first for Lavender Rhapsody in the afghan category. 

In the Crocheting class, I won a second for Mistletoe and Lace in the afghan category (Because I consider this a rather non-descript afghan, I was actually trying to finish the Circles Throw to enter it, but didn't quite make it. It will likely be entered next year). 

I won a first for the Daffodil dishcloth 

and a second for this bowl cozy in the Other Crocheted Item category. 

Finally, in the Christmas section, Christmas Tree Skirt class, I won a first for Blue Christmas, 

and another first for Country Christmas in the Table Runner class. (This is the centre runner of a set of three, so I can still enter one of the side runners in next year's fair, since they are not identical). 

An interesting note is that On Guard for Thee, Fiesta and Audacious have each been entered in other contests, without placing at all. And that's the difficulty of most contests - there is usually only one grand prize, one gold medal, one first place...

But that's not true in the game of life. While my quilts may never be good enough to even be entered in Quilt Canada's Juried Quilt Show, and I certainly will never be an Olympic athlete, everyone of us can strive for the "incorruptible prize" mentioned by the Apostle Paul in the Bible text at the beginning of this post. That prize is eternal life, and it's already been won for you and me by our Lord Jesus Christ. 

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

John 3:16

You may never win a prize in a fair, contest or challenge, but none of us needs to be a loser in the game of life.