Wool of the Lamb Prayer Beads

I stumbled across the prayers of the Chaplet of St. Michael when I was going through some challenging times several years ago. Being a creative type, I quickly strung beads together making this bead strand. I found so much comfort in this little string of beads that I searched for more chaplets and began sharing them with those around me. Little did I know that this was the start of something new.

I come from a family of knitters, so wool, yarns, knitting needles and current projects have been a great part of my life. The vast array of textures and colours of wool have always caught my attention. Something in me was moved to mesh the beads and the wool together. I began creating little sculptured ends for my Rosaries and Chaplets, replacing the familiar saint medal or plastic/metal crucifix. I was intrigued with the process of felting wool and began to felt my woolen designs. I began crocheting as well, allowing me the freedom to create even more designs.

All my Rosaries and Chaplets are hand strung using colourful glass beads matched with my original felted wool designs. What emerges is a fun and new approach to traditional Catholic prayer beads but also a new approach to prayers we may already know. Holding the felted wool piece in your hand while you pray offers a comfort that is very soft and soothing to touch. It is the “Wool of the Lamb”.

I also offer Wool of the Lamb Prayer Bead Workshops for children, teens and adults. I supply the prayer bead kits and all the necessary tools to make the prayer bead strand. With my instruction, each person creates their own bead strand following my original design. At the end of the workshop, each person will have their own completed chaplet or rosary, prayer page and storage bag. As a group, we together pray the chaplet to complete the workshop. The cost of each prayer bead kit covers only the cost of supplies as I consider these workshops as missionary work, encouraging people to pray.

My workshops are great for Catholic elementary and high school students, church parishes, and Catholic groups. My Rosary Workshop is a nice addition to Grade 2 First Communion students, Chaplet of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit pairs nicely with Grade 7 Confirmation students and Chaplet of the Eight Evangelical Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary provides a thoughtful sendoff to Grade 8 students moving on to high school. In addition, teens and adults can benefit from my other workshops, Chaplet of the Ten Evangelical Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Chaplet of St. Francis as well as Hail Mary Decade Chaplet. I am always open to new chaplets and workshops to share our faith as they are a great way to deepen prayer life and gain a better relationship with God.

Felted Wool

Felted necklaces were a natural progression from the prayer beads. They allow me to try new techniques and designs, pairing unexpected colour combinations and beads together. They too are fun. I not only enjoy the process of creating them, I love to see how they turn out. Each necklace is unique and my original design.

Pastel Paintings

I let my pastel paintings speak for themselves. I find peace in landscapes and the natural world, so it is there that I find most of my inspiration.

I have also begun Stained Glass Pastels. Inspired by church stained glass windows, I created a technique using ink and colourful pastel colours together to mimic the look of stunning glass windows. I have so far created a trio using Christian symbols (the cross, the Holy Spirit dove, and a Marian fleur-de-lis)—the first in a series of hopefully many more.

Wool Paintings

Painting with wool is a natural progression for me. I hand knit, felt and piece together original pieces of fibre art. As a member of FASM (Fine Art Society of Milton), we as a group constructed a collage as a permanent art installation for the Velodrome in Milton, Ontario. My first landscape fashioned in this way is featured in this art piece, top row, third one in.

Greeting Cards

My greeting cards are all one of a kind pieces of original art.

Using a plain pair of scissors, I cut Japanese papers, then hand stitch and bead a picture together. No two are exactly alike. They are carefree and fun and will make you smile. I use acid-free paper, so they are great to frame.

I also create cards that feature crocheted crosses and tiny beaded rosaries, as well as mini pastel paintings