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This poem hangs prominently in my home and is a reminder that while I am creating designs to praise God; Jesus continually works to reshape and form the woman, I call me, into a masterpiece designed by Him. Just thought I would share....
Our lives are but fine weavings That God and we prepare, Each life becomes a fabric planned And fashioned in His care. We may not always see just how The weavings intertwine, But we must trust the Master's hand And follow His design, For He can view the pattern Upon the upper side, While we must look from underneath And trust in Him to guide... Sometimes a strand of sorrow Is added to His plan, And though it's difficult for us, We still must understand That it's He who fills the shuttle, It's He who knows what's best, So we must weave in patience And leave to Him the rest... Not till the loom is silent And the shuttles cease to fly Shall God unroll the canvas And explain the reason why --- The dark threads are as needed In the Weaver's skillful hand As the threads of gold and silver In the pattern He has planned. ---Author Unknown  As a young girl, my mom seemed to always be yelling, "Lisa, be still, stop fiddling, etc!" But how do you stay still, when your mind is moving at light speed and you need something to do with your hands? What do you do for attention deficit issues? How do keep yourself still, focused, etc?
Looming!!!!!! I find that looming helps me to focus and enables me to later convey all that I heard and/or garnered from church sermons and bible studies. This is especially necessary when you are a person who needs to have something to occupy their hands; and you do not want to be an irritating distraction. Looming is also my answer to machine-knitting, when one can not take the machine with you. My first knitting loom was purchased a Knitting Board, which I purchased online, with a travel bag and other accessories. I did a lot of start and stopping until I got the hang of it. However, I could not take this loom with me on trips wherein you needed to pass through security lines---the metal pegs. AAAhhh, was my reaction and I vowed to find a set that I could travel with. My second set of looms were purchased on the local market, JoAnn's I think, while living in Spokane, WA. They were an answer to pray. These became constant companions on any excursion, wherein there would be sitting that lasts longer than 10-15 minutes. I took them to doctor's, dentist, and optometrist appointments, to school functions (mine and the grandkids, which are drastically boring), church and bible study, and of course, while traveling in the passenger seat. Looming has also become a welcome part of movie watching at home. As time passed, more sets have been purchased, as replacements and to teach "Cro-Knit Classes" at my church. I like the Knifty Knitter brand the best, then Darice. Today, I own round, long, flower, sock, and spool looms, as well as tons of accompanying accessories. By the way, to get around the metal on the loom hook, I switch to a bamboo crochet hook and wa-la!! I also loom quite a bit while watching movies at night with the family. At night I sometimes loom while listening to bible studies on mp3 from teachings presented by Pastor Bob at North Country Chapel in Post Falls, ID. This practice relaxes me tremendously and my mind is filled with God's word and not the problems of the day when I pass into sleep. Each loom-knit pattern designed is inspired by situations in my everyday life, desires, and needs, as well as more economical ways to extend gifts and expressions of thanks to others. I pray that you enjoy these patterns and return to them often. To access my free downloadable loom-knit patterns, you may click here, or from the drop-down menu above.  I became interested in machine knitting, when I figured out that it was wonderful and doable alternative to my clumsiness and inability to get manual knitting down to an art. It was in the year of 1996, that I purchased my first Bond Ultimate Sweater Machine (USM) and began my adventure in machine-knitting. Today I own two Bond USMs and a Singer/Studio SK560.
I remember well the hours of frustration from dropped stitches, yarn snags, missteps in reading a chart or following a pattern, etc. You know, those...AAAAAhhhhh, I want to throw the machine into the wall, while stomping my feet and morphing into a growling bear with a sore tooth...those this is not a good time to talk to me moments!!! Yet, all those hours were and still are well worth it, as in the end I have been blessed to experience many moments of exhilaration when a stitch, pattern, or piece finally comes together. These are the moments when I praise God, "do a little dance", and want to shout from the rooftops my joy of accomplishment. God is good and His mercies endure forever! His tender promptings are also pretty "Right-On"! What do I mean? Well, while stationed in Holland with the USAF, I continually felt the urge to frequent the yarn shops and to purchase a number of magazines and booklets. The downside, or so I thought at the time, is that all of them are written in Dutch, so reading them was impossible. But I've never thrown any of them away, tore pages and all. They are a treasure trove filled with various types of crochet and knit patterns. Therefore, since reading them was and still is beyond my language abilities, I became adapt at following the schematics and charts. It is a blessing that these are on large poster size pages that fold out. This makes it easier to enlarge a specific section on the printer. Then once I have deciphered the stitch count, I can more easily translate it to machine knitting. Plus, the multitude of pictures included are great reference guides. {It is amazing how much you can learn without speaking a language.} Besides creating my own personal designs, it is also my goal to translate some of those patterns into English; and to provide modifications for machine knitting using the Bond USM, and/or the Singer/Studio SK560. The machine-knit patterns, which make up the offerings found on this website are the results of continuing forward and overcoming. I hope you enjoy them and find a favorite! You can access them by clicking here, or from the drop-down menu above.  Crocheting was the first yarn craft that I attempted to learn when I was the ripe-old age of 9. My grandmother did a lot of quilting, and embroidery, but it was when she was crocheting doilies that I became her shadow. When she moved to live with my aunt due to health reasons, my mom took me to the neighborhood grocery store to find a book on crocheting basics.
Although Mom offered to purchase it for me, I stubbornly wanted to buy it for myself. So returning later in week with me toting my long-saved coins, I proudly became the owner of "Coats & Clark's: Learn How Book" , yarn, and my first crochet hook. My total cost was less than $2.00. {Boy, are those prices ever gone bye-bye!!} Today, I own several set and types of crochet hooks, and a multitude of crochet books, magazines, and booklets covering a wide range of crochet items. My first crocheted item was a dishcloth, then I progressed to a purse, blanket, and doll clothes for Barbie for my sisters and me. By the time I graduated from high school, crocheting had become my stress reduction tool and an offset to my avid love of reading. However, it was not until I was stationed in Holland that I experienced an explosive expansion of my personal crocheting skills and desires to design. The crafts and yarn industry supplied a wide selection of crocheting books and magazines that could be found in the local grocery stores, newsstands, major department stores, etc. I spent a great deal of time in the yarn sections and shops of found in the Noord Brabant, Zuid Holland, Gelderland, Utrecht, and Noord Holland provinces and the town of Zwolle. I learned how to read their patterns, especially those for filet crocheting and received help in calculations from various neighbors and friends. It was a great up-close and personal learning experience!! The crochet patterns, which make up the offerings found on this website are an expression of those times, as well as of myself. Some are simple, some are complex, and some are creations that arose from my refusal to pay the high prices attached to just about everything. You may access them by clicking here or from the drop-down menu tab above. My son is a huge Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan. When he was between the ages of 2-4yrs old, I would sing the theme song to him at bedtime. Growing up he had just about every TMNT item I could afford to get him. So when he was getting ready to graduate from high school and head off to college, I wanted to get him a really nice TMNT rug. However, since I was a full-time student at the time and money was extremely tight, I decided to make him one. I took a photo, scanned it into a graph making program; chose the size and colors desired and printed it out. I, then went on a frugal shopper's hunt to find all the thread colors for the least amount of expense. Once all that was needed to make the rug was gathered, I began latching at the beginning of August 2008. It took me until May 24, 2009 to finish it, with less than a week until his graduation. There were many long nights and days given over to its creation; and my fingers felt numb and raw for months after its completion. But it was well worth it and my baby boy, who is now 25yrs old, still has that rug. He has never used it as a carpet, as I had intended. Rather, it has hung on the wall of his bedroom in each place he has been since leaving home. {I sprayed it down with Scotchguard until it was soaking wet, one day after its completion. To the day, it has not suffered any stains.} Here is a photo of the completed rug, which I hold as one of my greatest yarn accomplishments!  To all who choose to comment or share their thoughts, please give heed to the following:
You are welcome to peruse and choose those that tickle your fancy. Download them and crochet, machine-knit or loom-knit away. Share your thoughts and comments. I welcome all tastefully given critiques; however, I do ask that all comments be submitted free of any inappropriate language. Those having such language will be deleted as I wish to maintain a high level of integrity on the website. Thank you and may God bless. Today, I begin a new chapter in TigrisLu Creations' ongoing, evolving life. For the past five years, I have mainly used Ravelry and Facebook to share my self-created patterns. A number of months ago, I uploaded them to my Pinterest account, and today, I am officially opening them on my new webpage!!! YAAAY!! You can also see many of the projects that I've completed over the years on my Ravelry projects page.
Both my Ravelry and Facebook pages will be undergoing changes as I transition more so to this webpage. For all those who have downloaded these patterns from Ravelry, I thank you tremendously for supporting my designs and hope that your patronage will continue. Thanks be to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for His blessings and encouragement! |
AuthorA gracefully aging, dreamer, passionate about creating patterns that reflect my perspectives and honor the Lord Jesus Christ. Archives
February 2017
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