5 Reasons Why I Like The FIFA World Cup

I know... The first thing you're thinking is what does this have to do with crocheting and helping children and adults with life threatening illnesses, you'll see:

1) Gives me a chance to sit and crochet uninterrupted

Honestly,  one of the biggest challenges I have is time. I am a college student and work full time to help make money not only for bills but to pay for materials. Any chance I can to sit, I crochet or work on something for Kitten's Needle Work.  And the World Cup gives me 2 hrs of crochet time!

2) It's Exciting

I know it's not as high scoring as the other sports going on but guess what? When those players do get a goal, they are the most excited people I have ever seen. The passion spurs me on and I love celebrating with them! Plus I can look down at what I'm doing and not get too distracted until a goal happens.

3) Great Energy

The excitement of the fans is amazing! Great for me and I can feed off that as I work on these items. I love being able to have good energy around me as I work. I try to pour love into the items.

4) I'm cheering for USA!

USA has a young team which for some reason makes people think they aren't contenders. I love cheering for the underdog in general and I love it when they prove people wrong! I want the US to prove that we are a force to be reckoned with and not to count us out!

5) The stories behind the teams are inspiring

I love hearing about the teams and how hard they had to work to get where they are. I love seeing their triumphs ( even though US is gonna win *cough cough*). That is something I need to see to have hope for these kids and to keep hope alive as I work. God is a big source of that but positivity helps too.

I know there's a lot of controversy around the games and it's location but there is some good in it. And in a negative world sometimes you need to focus on the good!

Plus I was able to make these coasters to try to raise funds for more materials! They're 10 for $12 or 10 for $10  if you subscribe to this blog! If you would like them, send a comment to me saying yes and I will message you!

Inspiration: What and Who Sparked Kitten's Needle Work

I believe that breakthroughs only come after a breakdown and hitting rock bottom. Rock bottom doesn’t mean necessarily being poor or on the street with nothing. It could mean that a dream you’ve had your entire life doesn’t pan out and you have to start over. And it doesn’t even mean you’re a failure. Just that there’s a new beginning waiting for you in the form of a breakthrough.

My breakthrough came in the form of and angel named Spencer.

My whole life, I dreamed of being in the medical field. First, my dream was to become a doctor. Then, it was to become a nurse. And then, I bumped it up to nurse practitioner. I finished high school and went straight to college to become a nurse. I got into the program, sailed through the first semester and started the second. The second semester turned into the nightmare that started my breakdown.

I went in fully excited. Ready to take it on in stride. I was nauseous and sick most of the semester and needless to say I failed clinical and barely passed lecture. I fought and got to take a second semester and at the start hand an endoscopy and colonoscopy and found out I was diagnosed with IBS, irritable bowel syndrome. I stilled trucked on through trying to go along with my dream but I failed again. I couldn’t retake it again, unless I started back on the waiting list for nursing school and started all over again. I was too sick to go on. I even lost my job during that time as a cashier due to my illness and having to call out.

Then, I learned about Spencer.

Now, I should start by saying I never met him in person. I only knew him as a friend of a friend. My friend Mike heard my situation and added me to a group of people who are praying for each other during rough times called, There’s Always Someone To Catch You When You Fall. It is a great group on Facebook that I just followed and only read and prayed for people. I never really posted but I did watch in my pity. And then I remembered Mike sharing a post about Spencer and how he was dying from cystic fibrosis at age 22 and needed a new pair of lungs. To me that was too young being 21 myself at the time. I started sharing the posts too and reading his wife’s updates about him. He was sick yet praying for children and others who were sick. He wasn’t laying there wallowing in self-pity, he was being kind to others and praying for them. He couldn’t leave his bed closer to the end but he would check their Facebook pages and pray for them!

Who was I, in fact, how dare I lay there in self-pity! He didn’t say it to me, but it convicted me to get out of myself. And the best thing I could do with my illness is show kindness to others who do have illnesses that are chronic and life threatening. Irritable bowel syndrome is chronic but not deadly. I could have a normal life. And I could live a life that helped bring a smile to the faces of others who had life threatening illnesses and chronic illnesses.

Spencer died from his illness. But those last days stay in my mind to this day, him still praying for others, him still wanting his wife to read to him and tell him about those who he had watched for so long. To me, he was an angel. He was meant to bless and touched the lives of those who came in contact with him. He touched the lives of many. The posts of those who followed him until the end spoke of story about how deeply his kindness impacted lives. He brought them out of dark times with his prayers and his love for people who were sometimes strangers. And he left a legacy. He started a spark that shouldn’t be ignored for me.

Paying it forward......

So I started following those kids, which lead me to more. And then I wanted to make something for them. And I remembered that I knew how to knit and crochet. And the rest is history. But it was all sparked by Spencer. It all came from me losing what I thought mattered, and gaining something so much more beautiful to me. And as I make the items and pray over them, I remember Spencer and his love and prayers for others.

By Alisha Louicius

Contact me: kittensneedlework@gmail.com

Welcome! Three Things To Know About Kitten's Needle Work!

Just wanted to say Welcome to Kitten's Needle Work! We are here to make a difference in the world of children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. We want to put a smile on all of their faces. We have a lot planned in store for Kitten's Needle Work. This is the beginning of something new here at Kitten's Needle Work. So to start things off here are a few things to learn about Kitten's:

1.     The items we make are by hand.

The items, which include hats, blankets. and scarves, are either crocheted or knitted by hand. The items are made by Kitten's Needle Work itself. They are made with yarn and then sent out to the children waiting for items. 

2.     ​The idea of Kitten's Needle Work came from the founder's nickname.

Alisha has a love for kittens and a few of her friends like to call her Kitten. And since Kitten is the one making the items, we called it Kitten's Needle Work!

3.     It started in memory of someone who passed away that touched Kitten's Heart.

In another blog entry we will talk about it in detail, but there's someone who touched Kitten's heart so deeply with the way he cared about other's despite his own life-threatening illness and felt the call to honor that memory.

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