So how do I make this easier for you to understand when ordering a blanket from me. On my website, my blankets are categorized by type of stitches. There are many pros and some cons to each stitch. Unless you talk to me before your purchase, choosing a stitch can be overwhelming. I hope to make this as clear as possible to aid you in your perfect blanket purchase.
**As always, I want to make it clear, you can ask me any questions you'd like before a purchase. You can reach me on any of my social media pages, or email me at blessofblankets@gmail.com
So let’s start here! I have a three part series to refer to when you are deciding on the type of stitch for any chunky blanket purchase.
Part 1 - Chunky Yarn Crochet Stitch!
Why start with this one? I decided to start with the crochet stitch because I feel it is the most obviously different from the three options. While I know several types of crochet stitches, I decided to keep it standard and not change it up for the basic colors. If you want something different, we can discuss more of a custom order option.
Crochet stitch looks like multiple knots strung along in a line. Much like the picture provided with this post. To make this stitch I use a giant hook. I also can provide an option of a slightly smaller large hook to make the knots tighter as I make the blanket. I have had people concerned that the blanket will not be warm enough for the receiver, and this is when I give this option.
This is my warmest stitch! So if you live in a cold area and are concerned if the blanket will be warm enough, this is the one for you! Oftentimes, I have customers concerned that a blanket will not be warm because it has ‘holes’ in it. However this stitch creates a heavier blanket and is very warm! If you are still concerned with the size of the knots, then request for me to make the blanket with the smaller hook! Trust me, it will be very cozy!
Are you looking for a pattern, or a style? This is one of my stitches that I can create basic multiple colored, or patterned blankets. Unique patterns are limited with the size of this yarn, but is still feasible to make multiple colors into one blanket.
Pros:
Cons:
-Most expensive Blanket
-Doesn’t stretch as well as other styles
-Weight of blanket
Since this blanket has more of a ‘knot’ style, it causes more yarn to be used when the blanket is created. More yarn means that the price has to go up to cover the cost of the yarn for the blanket and the time it takes to create. If the yarn is a specialty color, then that means that the price goes up even more. The other down side to this stitch is that it does not stretch as easily as my other two stitches. Meaning if you order a double person blanket, it won’t stretch to fit any larger than it already appears.
Notice that I put ‘weight’ in both the pros and cons category? The reason for that is it is a user preference. Me, I LOVE a bit of weight to a blanket. A little weight helps reduce anxiety, and to me feels like being held in an embracing hug which is a great amount of comfort to me. However, there are some people that would prefer a lighter blanket, and having it less thick. I would say typically men fall under this category.
What I like about making this stitch:
That's all for now! Please feel free to ask me questions or speak to me about this whenever! The picture provided is an example of a beautiful custom made crochet blanket!
St. Faustina, pray for us.
God bless each and every one of you!
]]>I love everything that a blanket has to offer! A blanket offers warmth, comfort, and support; it fits every situation.
B*B is the great explanation of my heart. I believe in intention and that life itself is a gift. This doesn't change how challenging life can be and I know that there are so many times in life that we or someone we know needs a reminder that we are worthy and have purpose.
We are all important elements to the mystical body of Christ, but I often find this concept hard to grasp. Sometimes, even the healthiest of minds, need to be reminded of their important role in the story of salvation. We are all a stitch in God's giant blanket, necessary to keep it whole, and important to keep the image of Him visible and sturdy.
It is the small, gentle reminders from loved ones that help me to remain confident in my purpose. I believe in love languages. I believe that something we lack in this world is the knowledge and remembrance of our worth and how we were each hand crafted with our own uniqueness. Adding the detail to His blanket of love and support.
I promise I won't get on my high horse, talking about the cheesiness of our beauty and dignity (although it is true), but I will explain why I love my blankets. I believe a blanket can touch every love language:
-Physical Touch - Wrapping yourself in the warmth of the blanket or being wrapped under a blanket with your loved ones.
-Receiving Gifts - Getting a blanket!
-Acts of Service - Having a blanket made that is exactly what you love or being covered in the coziest blanket when we fall asleep on the couch.
-Affirmation - Wow that blanket really brings this room to life! -or- That blanket is totally your personality!
-Quality Time - Lets snuggle. Let's chat. Let's drink wine, spill the tea and share this gorgeous blanket!
So how does this play into my mission? I want to bring back the intention of a gift. Why? Because YOU are worth it.
I am using the tool that I know best, the gift the Lord gave me, and the drive that I've asked for to create something that is both useful and meaningful in your life.
"Strive to be faithful to that which God has called you. Do not lose heart, even if you should discover you lack qualities necessary for the work to which you are called. He who called you will not desert you, but the moment you are in need he will stretch out his saving hand." - St. Angela Merici
YOU are a gift.
YOU have purpose.
YOU are loved.
YOU are necessary.
YOU can do this!
I hope that if you order or receive a blanket from me you are reminded not only of the gift given to you, but that ultimately this blanket was made FOR YOU as He made YOU for Him.
God bless!
]]>This quote was said to me by a friend at the start of a L O N G journey of suffering. And how true it really is...
Happiness is a feeling. Feelings can come and go. Joy is much deeper. It is rooted in something much bigger than our minds can even comprehend.
Once our trust is placed in Him, then no ounce of suffering can be taken by the joy that Christ gives lovingly to our lives. Look at the saints. They express Christ's abundant love and joy until their very last breath and even beyond that in their many miracles.
So my friends, even when life gets tangled, twisted, and full of knots. Joy IS found.
While I thought I understood this when it was first told to me. It wasn't until recently that the Lord revealed that the joy He has created in my heart and my life cannot be robbed from me. For it is planted deep into my heart and its roots have expanded into my soul affecting every fiber of my being. To lose my joy would be a loss to my entire self.
So no matter what your story is. No matter what circumstance is occurring in your life. Remember that Christ is within you. And honestly, once that sentence truly hits you then the mark of Christ's overpowering love on your heart can never be denied.
You see, we are all an important image in the mystical body of Christ. Every face, past, present and future is essential. To me, it is an easy comparison to every stitch is essential to creating a blanket. If one stitch comes undone, then the blanket looses its foundation. I know that life can be messy.
Just know that great things can come from the messiness. Open your heart and trust that you are being guided. The joy that comes from that is worth fighting for, and fighting through.
"who for the JOY that was set before him endured the cross" Hebrews 12:2
]]>When it came to Blessing of Blankets, I didn't think it was necessary to ask a Saint for their intercession. Boy was I wrong... I would like to point out that this is not a good method when you are working so hard to achieve something you believe in! Much like we ask our friends and family to pray for us, we ask the Saints who have walked in our shoes and achieved heaven to do the same. I'm placing my prayers at the foot of the cross and begging Jesus to answer them.
With so many Saints out there...how do you choose just one?? Not to mention, how do I know that they are the right Saint to choose? The tug on my heart got heavier and heavier each time the thought crossed my mind. However, my stubbornness didn't allow my thoughts to process this and I ignored the discernment of a Patron Saint. Instead it gave me anxiety to think of trying to find the right Saint. So typical 'me" fashion I busied my mind with other things.
These are the moments when I envision Jesus chuckling at His naive, silly daughter and bluntly redirects me down the correct path.
I spent an entire day working on the website, and tried to take moments to allow the Holy Spirit to direct my work because, even though I can make beautiful blankets, technology does not come as easy to me. As I was working on a page, I was thinking through some of my past posts, conversation, and the direction I wanted B*B to go in.
"Jesus, I trust in You." I whispered to myself. Something I say to myself often when I feel stressed or anxious. Hoping to remove the anxiety and fill it with the gifts and virtues that I might need to push forward.
As I finished saying those impactful words, a vision of a memory crossed my mind. Last year, I was going through very intense suffering. I was forced into a very low point in my life and B*B was an outlet to die unto myself offering up my sufferings for the benefit of another.
My spiritual director gave me a passage from St. Faustina's diary because it reminded him of what I was describing when I would talk about this little business I started. Quickly, I found the post I had made a little over a year ago, on a very painful day.
And the passage went:
This morning after completing my spiritual exercises, I began at once to crochet. I sensed a stillness in my heart; I sensed that Jesus was resting in it.
That deep and sweet consciousness of God's presence prompted me to say to the Lord, "O Most Holy Trinity dwelling in my heart, I beg You: grant the grace of conversion to as many souls as the (number of) stitches that I will make today with this crochet hook."
Then I heard these words in my soul: My daughter, too great are your demands. "Jesus, You know that for You it is easier to grant much rather than a little." That is so, it is less difficult for Me to grant a soul much rather than a little, but every conversion of a sinful soul demands sacrifice.
"Well, Jesus, I offer You this whole-hearted work of mine; this offering does not seem to me to be too small for such a large number of souls; You know, Jesus, that for thirty years You were saving souls by just this kind of work. And since holy obedience forbids me to perform great penances and mortifications, therefore I ask You, Lord: accept these mere nothings stamped with the seal of obedience as great things."
Then I heard a voice in my soul: My daughter, I comply with your request.
Oh how much peace this passage from St. Faustina's diary brought to my heart the moment I pulled it up and re-read it. There is so much extra that I put into EVERY SINGLE blanket that I make. With each blanket I desire for healing, compassion, generosity, peace, safety and fruitfulness while also allowing homes to be filled with a little extra comfort and style!
This world is in need of more intention in what we do and what we surround ourselves with. Everything is so on demand and fast paced with very little added thought. What is it that we need? Is someone suffering and in need of me? How do we remind those we love that we are present? At what point do we slow down, and think about how something so little can actually be something so great!
This whole-hearted work of mine. This small skill I've acquired. This joy that I've naturally done for years. This mission given to me I have accepted with an open heart and no expectation only an attempt to live these words - "Jesus, I trust in YOU."
Therefore, my friends, St. Faustina is the official Patron Saint of Blessing of Blankets! May every stitch I make convert souls to the Heart of Jesus. May her intercession be ever present in every blanket, post, or interaction. St. Faustina please pray for every past, present and future customer of B*B. Please pray that the "Lord: accept these mere nothings stamped with the seal of obedience as great things."
]]>Hi Friends! I thought I should formally introduce myself!
My name is Kaaryn (you pronounce it CAR-in ), I like to explain it as you put your car - IN a garage. Strange I know but I say it to create a laugh and to lighten the awkwardness that the explanation of my name can create. Truth is, I love my name. It's unique, just like me. Plus, its spelling looks good in cursive! At least that's what my parents always told me...
Here are some fun facts about me!!
~ I'm a single mom to an incredible little boy; K-Man!
~ I'm the middle child - sandwiched between the best sister's a girl could ask for - as well as their amazing husbands who are incredible brother's to me!
~ My favorite food is rice! I think its perfect to add to any meal! Or just to have...because...why not!
~ I LOVE hats and any outfit that goes with a hat as well as any opportunity to wear one!
~ I am an INFJ - Introvert, Intuitive, Feeling and Judging (Meyers-Briggs).
~ Journaling is my favorite way to pray. I've been journaling for years, documenting my struggles and the many blessings that life has to offer! All of which I hope to share with you on here! I find it so beautiful to be able to go back and see how the Lord has guided and blessed my life.
~ I love to dance and I love being goofy! If there is a beat or music playing I can't sit still. I am not an incredible dancer, I just enjoy it. In college, I took a ballroom dancing class that created a love for Traditional Ballroom, Salsa, East Coast Swing Dancing, etc. I love Country Swing Dancing the most!
~ Roses are my FAVORITE flower. If I have to pick a color I would choose red roses, but ultimately I feel any rose is gorgeous. I love how elegant a rose looks, and how such beauty is guarded with its sharp thorns. A rose is durable, while also being fragile. If not handled gently, a scar on its petal appears but the petal doesn't fall off / break off. With loving sunlight it can open, spreading and showing more beauty. I believe in St. Therese of Lisieux's philosophy that we are all flower's in God's garden. When I pray about this, I see myself in all kinds of metaphors for a rose. (Might write a blog post about this someday!)
~ I used to be an Audiology Technician and before that a Newborn Hearing Screen coordinator. I LOVE working with pediatrics and that was my emphasis with my work, newborns specifically. I am a swaddle master and can put any baby to sleep! I find ears and hearing fascinating and can guarantee that I will bring it up in at least one conversation with me. My favorite bone is in the ear - its call the Stapes and its the smallest bone in the body and works the hardest...tiny but mighty, just like me!
~ I also am proficient in American Sign Language and love opportunities to use it.
~ I've been knitting and crocheting for YEARS! I first learned to knit when I was an early teenager. Mostly making scarves, to be completely honest. However, I've made hats and socks before. In college, I learned to crochet from my roommate. I spent most of my time in college using knitting and crocheting to focus in class, to study, or relax. I learned that if I was relaxed, I could process the information I was learning more easily. Not to mention it kept me alert during morning lectures. So I have my constant working hands to thank for graduating college a year early!
~ This habit that I began to relax or keep my mind sharp lead into a new outlet, I used to pray while making any project. It helped me remain engage while praying and being intentional and alert in who or what I was praying for.
~ Which leads me into my favorite question - What is my favorite thing to make!? Its easy, I built an entire business making it! BLANKETS! I just love how a blanket is the perfect gift for any situation! I love home decor and accent pieces, they can bring life to a room while also being functional. If I am going to give a gift for myself or someone else, I like when it is useful and beneficial for their life. Homemade blankets are just awesome in my opinion!
Wanna know more?? Feel free to ask! I want to know more about you too. I cannot wait to get to know you more with this website!
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