Comments on:

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:02:25 +0000

Thank you for hosting this contest. My daughter and I would really enjoy winning the DVD.

By: Bethany

Bethany — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:08:01 +0000

The most challenging part for me is not having some one that can show me how it is done. Reading directions from a book just never works.
Thank you for the chance to win the dvd!

By: Tonie M.

Tonie M. — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:20:39 +0000

I learned to crochet as a little girl, but have forgotten everything but how to make a chain. My girls love to make chains too but there is so much more to it. This would be a great tool to have!! I have 4 girls and they are getting old enough to appreciate these things. I want them to learn to be frugal and crafty so they can support their own household one day. It is cool to add to the income with something that can keep you at home as well.

I am adding a link to my website.

Thanks for this opportunity.

By: Bethany B

Bethany B — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:01:07 +0000

My brother was just saying this week that he’d like to learn to crochet. I’d love to win this DVD for him.

I posted a link on my blog.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:48:11 +0000

Oh… and I posted info about the giveaway on my blog as well. Thanks again!

By: Sandy

Sandy — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:29:46 +0000

Time… that’s probably the biggest challenge at this point in my life. When I do have the time, I learn much better when someone is walking me though whatever it is I’m trying to learn. I would love for all my girls to learn more skills to do with their hands. Mom’s not likely to teach them how to crochet, so a DVD would be such a blessing! Thanks for the giveaway!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:25:40 +0000

What I find most challenging especially with crocheting is finding someone who is left-handed to teach me. I think that even watching someone who is left-handed would be helpful….maybe the fact that I can’t find anyone who is could be an indication that left handedness might not lend itself to crocheting. I hope not!

Maybe a great DVD would be just the answer!

Lisa

By: Ilissa H.

Ilissa H. — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:47:55 +0000

In the past I have tried to learn to crochet and have found it very difficult. I find it most difficult learning handiwork on my own from a book. I find it easiest if someone tries to teach me one-on-one. Thanks!

By: Karla

Karla — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:36:38 +0000

Hello, I think a dvd on crocheting is a good idea. I have a hard time just looking at pictures in a book on the very subject and it tends to not turn out very well.

Thanks for giving us a chance to enter.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:23:55 +0000

What I find most challenging about handiwork is finding the time to do it. There are always rooms to be cleaned, laundry to be done, school to be taught, errands to be done… when it’s all said and done, I find it hardest to find time to do it.

By: Rosy

Rosy — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:54:47 +0000

I am a highly visual person when it comes to learning something new and so if I don’t have someone to show me, I am lost! The other thing is having time to perfect the newly learned skill so that it sticks in my brain until next time!

By: Rebekah

Rebekah — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:48:01 +0000

Handiwork really impressed me in its importance when I was working as a nurse in a retirement home during my college years. There are many elderly people who think they are no longer of any use to anyone. When they were younger they could accomplish so much, and they measured their value as a person by the amount they produced in a day. Then they had a stroke, or fell and broke their hip, or a heart attack, or just became more feeble as they aged. Suddenly they couldn’t do so much,others had to help them do even the smallest tasks such as combing their hair or buttoning their shirt. Many of these precious people who had so much to offer in the way of wisdom or wise counsel felt they were a waste of others’ time and not worth it. They had never learned that God loves us not for what we do, but because of what and who we are – His creation. I saw my place as one of encouraging them, but this wasn’t easy day after day. Then one day a man arrived who was a Veitnam vet. He was very young compaired to all the other residents. He had one good hand and a stub on the other side, and was confined to a wheelchair because his legs ended at mid thigh on both sides. The first day he was there he asked me to unpack a suitcase for him, and set up his hook set. Then, in the common area he sat there for hours doing this latch and hook thing. He made about two projects per week, and was always talking about who he would give this one to, or send this to, or what it would be useful for. He was the brightest, happiest person who lived in the place. At first his enthusiasm irritated the others, but three months later, nearly every other resident in his hallway began to learn the same skill. They soon founded a club. Then, friends and relatives started to take their projects and sell them and give the proceeds to charity. Those who were paralized on one side from stroke found they could still do many things with their good side to help. I made it my goal to find a point of interest for every one of those residents. As more and more became industrious in working with their hands the morale increased and the whole air of the place changed dramatically. One man who didn’t have use of his upper body began to paint with his feet. Those who were not able to use any limbs found joy in the accomplishments of others, would offer suggestions, or would just bask in the comradarie of it all. Anyway, when I left that facility to return to my home town it was an upbeat place. Recently I visited that place while on vacation. It was a new group of people. All of them just sat around feeling sorry that they were alive. It was a pitifully dreary place. I wished I could stay and help them find something to do with their hands. I whole heartedly recommend handiwork in some genre and thank God for giving us His example, saying that His handiwork was ‘very good.’ Thanks for the reminder!

By: Courtney Wagner

Courtney Wagner — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:26:30 +0000

What a great giveaway! The hardest part of learning new handiwork skills for us, is not having someone with experience available to teach us. We have learned knitting from library books and was it ever hard to figure it out from pictures! We learned out of sheer force of will I think! ;o) Your DVD sounds lovely.

Blessings,
Courtney

By: V.R.B.

V.R.B. — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:55:42 +0000

My biggest chanllenge with learning handiwork is the lack of teachers or someone who could give you pointers. Learning from a book is okay, but seeing someone in person do it makes the craft easier to learn.

By: Mae

Mae — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:44:16 +0000

I’ve had trouble learning to sew and crochet. I think it’s because I’ve been trying to learn from books, and I need to see the movement (over and over and over, lol). I’m afraid that patience is also a bit of an obstacle (or the lack thereof).

By: Tina

Tina — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:42:09 +0000

The most challenging thing about learning handiwork is that I learn visually. I will learn something better if I see it. I need someone to show me the steps and then I can remember them and do it. I see all these codes in books on the different stitches and they mean nothing to me. If someone shows me, I’m good. The only problem with that is that I don’t remember the name of the stitch and then a pattern is almost impossible to follow.

By: Emily Darling

Emily Darling — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:16:49 +0000

Like many people, I learn best by seeing an action performed step by step with a helper beside me. My daughter and I have tried learning to crochet together but we got stuck just using the pictures and directions in an instruction book. It would be nice if all of our grandmas would pass their skills on, but this is not always the case. We hope to learn knitting from my mother, but for most things, we’re on our own.

By: Angie

Angie — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:31:24 +0000

What I find most challenging is finding time to sit down and learn!

By: Belinda

Belinda — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:43:27 +0000

It looks like everyone else struggles with the same issues that I immediately thought of, finding the time, and the issue of trying to learn it all on our own. There just aren’t other people around doing these things to learn from, which would have to help. And even though I don’t ‘work’ I don’t find it easy to make the time it takes to try to figure out new skills on my own. I’ve run into a lot of people lately who assume I have nothing to do, so it seems odd to being saying there’s not enough time to do it all… but its true.
I do more hand work (embroidery, etc) than I do using the sewing machine. I admire you ladies who remember how to do things involving machinery each time you come back to it; it seems like I have to reteach myself each time and I’m never very confident I’m doing it right. Come to think of it I’m the same way with knitting and crochet… I’ve discovered knitting hoops and like the way they aren’t hard to figure out and I can tell where I left off on a project. Does anyone else here knit stocking caps on a hoop?
Thanks for a neat site, btw, and for creating your very helpful materials. Belinda, in IL, sahw & hsing mom of 4dc

By: Penny Raine

Penny Raine — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:16:10 +0000

Enter me please! And you don’t mind is I tell a couple hundred folks about your drawing do you?
blessings, Penny Raine
http://www.pennyraine.com/blog

By: Dianna from Ft. Campbell

Dianna from Ft. Campbell — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:41:26 +0000

My challenge of doing handiwork is having the patience to teach my four daughters. If I have a visual/step by step of the process then I can learn anything. I tried for over a year to teach myself how to knit. No one in my family knew how. I finally learned how to knit from this online tutorial http://www.knittinghelp.com/

In the loving hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Dianna

By: Edie

Edie — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:08:12 +0000

The most challenging thing about learning handiwork is forcing myself to make time to practice it until it becomes very easy. I usually view this as an “extra” which gets placed way down on my priority list – even though I know how very refreshing and satisfying it is to work with my hands. By God’s grace, my children do not have this problem, though!

By: Jeanette

Jeanette — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:53:28 +0000

I have always wanted to learn different skills (like sewing, cooking from scratch – not cans and boxes , ect). However, I never really had anyone willing or able to teach me as I was growoing up. Now I have 4 little boys 6 and under and I just can’t seem to find the time or space to learn. I also require step by step instruction. My heart still longs to learn these things because hopefully one day the Lord will bless me with a little girl to pass these skills down to. AND even if I remain a mother to boys, I would still love to be able to bless a young lady that might be in search of someone to guide her along. I guess I see these skills as not only a way to bless others with the fruit of the labor, but also the fruit of the knowledge.

By: Cyndi Lewis

Cyndi Lewis — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:51:08 +0000

Enter me! Enter me! I love trying all sorts of handiwork but I’m not always very talented at it. I have terrible hand/eye coordination and lack common sense. Learning practical skills comes hard for me. Give me a book and ask me to learn names and dates… easy!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:50:44 +0000

I learned to crochet as a young girl by sitting with my grandma and mom…they crocheted beautiful things while I created really long chains. Once I could make a nice consistant chain, they taught me to make a scarf, purse, and vest — just like they were doing. What I find to be my biggest challange today is that my vision tends to blur if I’m staring at my work for too long. In addition, I’ve developed carpel tunnel which kicks in if I knit or crochet too long. I guess another challange is simply having time to sit, relax, and do my handwork. My youngest is helping remedy that these days (she’s seven). She is eager to learn and enjoys making things to enter into the county fair as well as to give away.

By: Rhonda H.

Rhonda H. — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:23:06 +0000

I agree with Jennifer. I also wish I had learned at my Grannie’s and Mom’s knee, but they are both now with the Lord. My 11 year old daughter wants to learn to do everything that falls under the catagory of sewing or crafts. I can do stamped and counted cross stitch, and most types of embroidery, but that’s about it. I have a really nice sewing machine and don’t use it (blush!),but my girl has a real desire to learn. Does anyone have any suggestions for books we can use in our homeschool. Daughter and I will be learning together.

By: Julie M.

Julie M. — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:21:51 +0000

I remember watching my mom as she would crochet, knit, sew and work on other needlework projects. She even taught me how to crochet at one time. But it seems so long ago now. I have wonderful memories of making my wedding dress with my mom. Now, I would like to be able to create some of those same memories with my daughter. I believe that one of the hardest things about learning a new skill is making the time to learn it correctly and then continuing to devote time to maintain the learned skills. I am so encouraged by your website and that I can get your instructional dvd’s to relearn the things my mom taught me years ago and then be able to teach them to my daughter. Thank you for providing these products and helping us to be Proverbs 31 women.
God’s Blessings,
Julie

By: Marci

Marci — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:07:38 +0000

The hardest things for me, as well as so many others, is time and instruction. I have bought several “how to” books on crocheting and I remember thinking – how come my grandma taught me this so easily when I was a kid but it looks impossible to figure out from this book! I think videos is the way to go with me!

By: Jessica

Jessica — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:32:43 +0000

I love learning handiwork, but the most challenging thing I find is lack of teachers. Most books and the Internet can teach you the basics, but to move beyond that to get “really” good at a craft, it’s next to impossible to find someone to help.

Jess

By: Kerri

Kerri — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:31:50 +0000

I am struggling to become creative and crafty. It is so challenging for me. I think the thing that is most challenging is the directions. It seems I read into them too much and come to the conclusion they are telling me something different than they really are! I haven’t given up yet though, and I am getting better at “just doing what the directions say” !! Time is always a challenge too. Living on a farm and homeschooling four children is very time consuming. I do enjoy handmade things in my home and to give and get as gifts. I am struggling at this, but look at it this way… I am learning with my daughter, and even though I can’t teach her certain handiwork skills at this time, I will at a later time. Thanks!