Thursday, November 21, 2013

Hobby Hoedown Features Jane Lebak's Knitting Projects and Giveaway

Yee haw, it's Hobby Hoedown time with author Jane Lebak. Jane is offering a digital copy of her book, The Boys Upstairs, as a giveaway
Please leave a comment to be eligible to win the random drawing. Thank you.

With this post, we draw Hobby Hoedown to an end. It's been a wonderful experience for me. I hope you, Dear Readers, have learned more about your favorite authors 
and discovered more authors and good reads!




Knitting is Much More Than a Hobby by Jane Lebak

I never really knitted until I was grieving.

My grandmother crocheted all her life, even as young as 4th grade coming home from school to crochet hats so her family could sell them. She taught me too, but I never completed anything.

When my own son was eight, he wanted to learn to knit, so I got a book and pestered my knitting friend until I could knit a straight line and crochet a granny square. About five months later, I'd made exactly three granny squares and finished knitting my first-ever scarf. Not very interesting. And then one December, I lost someone I loved.

My knitting friend posted a very simple crochet scarf pattern on her blog, something you could make with next to no skill (that was me) and any yarn around (we had something). And I discovered it was soothing. It helped. I could pray while crocheting. I could put the pain into the motion and the rhythm, and at the end it became something. In the middle of something lost, something had been made.

And I just kept going. I made another one of those scarves, donated them both, and then began knitting. I bought fluffy, soft yarn, and I knitted on big needles, and as soon as the scarves appeared, away they went to a charity. Not only did it soothe the pain, but now someone else would be warm. I branched out into hats.


In three and a half months, I made seven scarves and two hats, and I started a baby blanket.

I really felt a connection to the recipients when I knitted for the homeless or for the food pantry clients. Knowing that something I made could maybe make a difference in how well a person survived was important, but even more important to me was the thought that maybe after they received the knitted hat or the knitted scarf, they'd feel loved. God, please let the recipient be one warm hat away from turning it around. Several of the characters in my book The Boys Upstairs are homeless children, and the priest in that book runs a food pantry, so I've tried to shine some light on the difficult situations good people can find themselves in.




 Feel loved enough to maybe have hope, and maybe hope could help a homeless person turn it around. In fact, sometimes that was my prayer; nowadays I still donate to the homeless ministries. 

Knitted gifts also make great "swag" gifts for giveaways, like the pair of fingerless gloves I made for an ebook giveaway last month. (Who wants to take their gloves off to read an ereader in the cold?)

Fingerless gloves
Bagged fingerless gloves
with bookmark.



And now, even though I'm no longer knitting because I feel sad, the same benefits still apply: knitting is time to think, time to plan, time to be useful, time to pray, time to help someone else be warm.

# # # # 

Take a peek at Jane's e-book, 
The Boys Upstairs, the perfect read for the upcoming Christmas season. 

Three homeless children. Two estranged brothers. One last chance.
Kevin Farrell is a jaded police officer who’s trying to save three homeless children, but it’s three nights before Christmas, and the only one he can ask for help is his brother Jay, a disabled priest. The catch? He and his brother have been estranged for years, and Kevin wants nothing to do with Jay. Only now, to save these homeless kids, with temperatures below zero and falling, Kevin knows it’s going to take both him and his brother working together, if only they can mend the breach between them.

BUY LINKS

Kindle Link: 
MuseItUp link
Goodreads Link

About Jane

Jane Lebak is the author of The Wrong Enemy and The Boys Upstairs. She has four kids, three cats, two books in print, and one husband. She lives in the Swamp and spends her time either writing books or swatting mosquitos. 

At Seven Angels, Four Kids, One Family, she blogs about what happens when a distracted daydreamer and a gamer geek attempt to raise four kids.

Connect Online with Jane

Blog
Goodreads
Twitter


And a link to my knitting projects on Ravelry.


16 comments:

J.Q. Rose said...

Welcome, Jane, to Hobby Hoedown. Knitting is something I always meant to learn how to do, but so far, I haven't. I admire your handi-work and your thoughtful gift of sharing your projects with those who need some love and caring.

Unknown said...

What a wonderful way to ease your grief by helping others. I've never knitted, but I've recieved beautiful gifts from those who do.
The pictures of the hats are pretty. Thanks for sharing.

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Lorrie, the hats are cute, but a little too warm for FL at the moment. Maybe in January? Hmmm...thanks for stopping in.

Gina Gao said...

This sounds like a really great hobby to have!

www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

Miss Mae said...

I used to crochet. Made several cute things; a shawl, a pocketbook, dress and bonnet for my daughter, oodles of doilies. I tried to knit, but dealing with two needles was more than a little complicated for this simple gal. :)

I love the idea that you gave your projects away. That would mean so much to receive a soft, warm, cozy article like that and to think of the time spent creating it. That's a precious gift and generous of you.

Love the cover of your book and the blurb sounds wonderful. Nice to meet you, and I wish you many sales. :)

k8e said...

I love yarn work - it is indeed very soothing.

Leona~Author said...

What a wonderful way to help people and help yourself at the same time.

Your book sounds very interesting.

Best wishes and lots of luck with sales.

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Gina, thanks for stopping in.

Miss Mae--I never tried to crochet either. I am needle challenged, I think.

J.Q. Rose said...

hi k8e--Maybe I should try this. I know a lady who doesn't go anywhere without her knitting...even knits during church!

Leona--Thanks for stopping in today. I know you're busy with your new book.

Combs365 said...

Wow... now I want to try to knit something again! I knit some pants for my 5 year old when he was one... they should fit my one year old now ;) I really want to try th fingerless gloves you show here!

Helena Fairfax said...

Hi Jane and JQ, lovely hats, and the fingerless gloves are just what I need! I find knitting therapeutic,too - and writing. Best wishes

Jane Lebak said...

Helena, if you win, would you like fingerless gloves instead of the book? Because I could totally do that. :-)

--
Thanks everyone for the comments and for stopping by! I'd have commented sooner, but I'm doing my Christmas knitting. <>

Unknown said...

What a lovely story! Jane, thank you for sharing something so personal. My grandmother taught me to crochet, but I've unfortunately gotten out of the habit.
Now 90, Gram is still crocheting up a storm!

Elle said...

Have to agree. Knitting really helps all sorts of ways.
Elle

J.Q. Rose said...

Combs and Helena, I had never heard of fingerless gloves, but they sure make sense especially for texting and reading ebooks!

Heather B--I am amazed your grandma is still crocheting at 90! Keeping her young, eh?

Elle--It sounds like you are a knitter too.

Thanks so much for stopping in to support Jane.

Marsha said...

Hey, JQ. Jane, what a lovely post. Nice that so much good came out of the bad. Love the blurb for your book. Sounds like it's good for adults as well as kids. Good luck with your writing.

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