Saturday, April 21, 2012

Little Lady doll pattern



Head

ch 2
R1: 6 sc in the second chain from the hook
R2: inc in each stitch around
R3: *inc, 1 sc* around
R4: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R5: sc around
R6: sc around
R7: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R8: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R9: sc around
R10: sc around
R11: *dec, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R12: *dec, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R13: *dec, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R14: *dec, 1 sc* around

This would be a good time to sew on the face and stuff with poly-fil.

Body

R15: sc around (I changed colors at this point)
R16: *inc, 1 sc* around
R17: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R18: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R19-26: sc around
R27: *dec, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R28: *dec, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R29: *inc,  1 sc, 1 sc* around
R30: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R 31: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R32: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R33: sc around
R34: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R35: sc around
R36: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R37: sc around
R38: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R39-45: sc around

tie off, leaving a long tail

Arms (make 2)

ch 11
R1 (work in the back loop): sc across, ch 1
R2 (work in the front loop): sc across, ch 1
R3 (work in the back loop): sc across, ch 1
R4 (work in the front loop): sc across
tie off, leaving a long tail to sew the top and bottom together, creating a long cylinder.  After it's sew together, use the remanding tail to attach the arm to the body of the doll.

Base

ch 2
R1: 6 sc in the second chain from the hook
R2: inc around
R3: *inc, 1 sc* around
R4: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R5: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R6: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around
R7: *inc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc* around

Stuff the body and then sew the base onto the bottom of the doll.  Attach the hair and style.  And that's it!  If you have any questions, please leave a comment! 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Creation and New Creation: Outside Wednesday Eucharist

Processional Cross

My seminary is very good about integrating all of the different years and different degree programs together to create a tight-knit community.  One way that the school accomplishes this is by having "I-Groups."  Each I-Group meets every Wednesday after chapel, which is a Eucharist service.  And because this is a seminary, each I-Group is in charge of one week of worship for the seminary community.

We are in the second week of Easter and my fiance, Russ (who is also in seminary) and his I-Group is in charge of worship.  Earlier this year, he saw an old picture of the community hosting an outside Eucharist in the dormitory courtyard so he asked his adviser, "can we do this?"    So after countless hours of preparation and planning, our school had an outside Eucharist and it was beautiful.

The courtyard

The table in front of the breeze-way and the bell tower

The elements (with a butterfly!) and offering plates

The Eucharist table


Today was also the creek clean up (after the worship service), so the sermon focused on God's creation and caring for that creation.  I believe that this message was reinforced by the fact that we were outside, where we could hear the birds singing and feel the sun on our faces.


For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies,
for the love which from our birth over and around us lies:
Christ, our God, to thee we raise this our sacrifice of praise.
-For the Beauty of the Earth
ELW 879

Saturday, April 14, 2012

The Internship Process

A park near my school.
 All year I've been thinking about starting a blog once I started internship.  I wanted a place to post pictures and reflect on new experiences and keep friends and family up-to-date.  But I didn't want to start until internship actually started.  However, as the internship process has suddenly and unexpectedly started over for me, I realized that I might need to reflect on that too, and be able to keep everyone up-to-date.

The normal process for my seminary is (in a nutshell):
  • January: the contextual education office finds out what sites the school is assigned.
  • February: the supervisors of the internship sites all visit the same week and interview with the students.  Both the supervisors and students reflect on how the interview went and turn in the reflections to the contextual education office.  
  • March:  The contextual education office assigns each student to a supervisor and a site.  Once the board approves these matches, the students and supervisors are told.  Once the supervisor has contacted the student and both the student and supervisor signs off on the internship, a public announcement may be made.
  • August: internship starts.  
This process went fairly smoothly for me...at first.  I interviewed with nine different supervisors, seven of which I thought I would work really well with.  The week before Easter, my class gathered together to learn of our sites together and I was assigned a wonderful church and supervisor.  I was really excited and looked forward to talking to my new supervisor and making a public announcement.  After a week of waiting for my supervisor to contact me, I finally called the church myself to reintroduce myself.  Instead of reaching the pastor, the church council president talked to me and broke the news to me: they couldn't take an intern next year.  I want to be really clear here: the internship wasn't terminated because they couldn't financially support an intern and it has nothing to do with my person, and it wasn't anyone's fault.  Someday they will be able to have an intern - and both the pastor and congregation will be great assets to that lucky intern.  But that is all I'm going to say on it.  I wish them nothing but the best and they will remain in my prayers for the next couple of months. 

Because I now no longer have a site for next year, and all of the sites that my school was assigned have been filled, I have to start the interview process over again.  The director of the contextual education office has sent out an e-mail to the other Lutheran seminaries to inquire after open sites.  So far, I know of one (which I'm REALLY excited about).  I have a meeting with the director on Monday morning to discuss this site and any other that she has found since I've last spoken to her. 

The day that I found out that my internship site had been terminated for next year was a really long, fear-filled day.  But it's the Easter season and I am surrounded by a wonderful, Christian community who has continued to support me as I restart this process. 

Be not afraid, sing out for joy! Christ is risen, alleluia!
Be not afraid, sing out for joy! Christ is risen, alleluia!
ELW 388