Doll Can Create

100 Mile Life/Grandma Core

Sitting & Spinning: Thoughts on Canadian Wool and the Beauty of Slow Making — February 21, 2026

Sitting & Spinning: Thoughts on Canadian Wool and the Beauty of Slow Making

Hi friends,

Today I thought I’d sit with you for a few quiet minutes. I want to simply share what has been on my heart and in my hands. This isn’t a tutorial or a how-to — just a gentle check-in from my spinning corner.

Sometimes the most meaningful conversations happen when we slow down enough to listen. Scroll down for the video.

Thinking About Canadian Wool

Lately, I’ve been thinking a great deal about wool in Canada. I wonder where it comes from and who raises it. I also consider how we support the shepherds and farms that care for these beautiful animals.

Living close to home has become increasingly important to me. The idea of using fibre grown within our own communities feels both practical and deeply meaningful. It connects us to land, season, and stewardship in a way that mass-produced materials simply cannot.

I find myself wondering:

Can we support local wool more intentionally?
What would it look like to build a resilient fibre future right here at home?
How might our crafting choices bless our local economies and environment?

These are gentle questions, but they keep returning as I spin.

What’s on My Spindle

Right now, I’m working with wool from local farms in natural shades. These include soft creams, warm browns, and quiet greys. These colors seem to carry the landscape within them.

There is something deeply grounding about spinning natural colour fleece. The fibre drafts differently than commercially processed wool — a little more alive in the hands, a little more honest. It asks me to slow down and pay attention.

As the twist builds and the yarn forms, my breathing slows. The rhythm becomes prayerful.

Spinning, for me, is no longer just about making yarn.

It is about listening.

There are bumps. There are background noises and the occasional interruption. I’ve come to see these moments as part of the authenticity of home life. Creativity does not happen in perfect silence. It happens in the midst of living.

And perhaps that’s exactly where it belongs.

On My Needles: Pink Cable Mittens

Alongside my spinning, I’ve been working on a pair of pink cable mittens. They are soft, cheerful, and full of texture — the project that feels comforting just to hold.

Progress has been steady rather than rushed. I’ve been enjoying the rhythm of the cables and the way the stitches create structure and beauty row by row.

There is joy in watching something useful and lovely take shape slowly.

The Gift of Slow Making

Spinning and knitting continue to teach me the value of unhurried creativity. In a world that moves quickly and demands productivity, fibre work invites me to move differently.

To pause.
To notice.
To create beauty with intention.

These small acts of making ground me spiritually and emotionally. They remind me that usefulness and beauty can coexist, and that simple work done with care carries deep meaning.

Looking Ahead

As I look toward the months ahead, my goals feel softer than they once did.

I want to continue exploring local fibre sources.
I want to experiment with Canadian wool for practical projects.
I want to deepen the connection between craft, faith, and daily rhythm.
And I want to keep making beauty in small, faithful ways.

Nothing loud. Nothing rushed. Just steady steps forward.

Come Sit With Me

If you’re creating something right now, I would love to hear about it. What is on your needles, your wheel, or your worktable? Have you explored local fibre sources in your area?

We build community by sharing what we make and why it matters to us.

Thank you for sitting with me today.

May your hands find peaceful work,
may your heart notice quiet beauty,
and may grace meet you in the ordinary moments.

With warmth and gratitude,
Grannie Doll

40 Days of Living Into Grace — February 18, 2026

40 Days of Living Into Grace

A gentle Lenten journey

Lent is not about perfection.
It is about presence.
Each small practice becomes a doorway where grace can enter.

From Giving Up → Making Space

Ash Wednesday invites us to loosen our grip — not to prove holiness, but to make room for grace.

Instead of:

  • What am I giving up?

Consider:

  • What is cluttering my spirit?
  • What am I carrying that I no longer need?
  • What would freedom feel like?

✨ Let’s reflect

Are we ready to move forward without this habit, this resentment, this comfort blanket?

  • Who would I be without it?
  • Would I feel lighter… or lost?
  • What might God place in the empty space?
  • What if letting go isn’t loss, but invitation?

🌾 Reframing Lent

From “Giving Up” to “Living Into”

Instead of giving something up for 40 days:

  • 40 days of gentleness
  • 40 days of noticing beauty
  • 40 days of forgiveness
  • 40 days of unclenching the heart
  • 40 days of breathing deeper
  • 40 days of choosing grace

Lent becomes less about absence and more about intentional presence.


💭 The Honest Fear

Would it even matter to anyone… or me?

Sometimes we hold onto things because they make us feel known, protected, or comforted.

Letting go can feel like disappearing.

But Lent whispers:
You are not what you cling to.
You are beloved dust, breathed into life.


🌑 Ash Wednesday Truth

Lent begins with ashes, honesty, and grace.

This year, I’m choosing 40 Days of Living Into Grace. These are small daily practices. They help us live more gently and more awake. They also help us become more rooted in God’s love.

Ashes remind us:

  • we are fragile
  • we are finite
  • we are forgiven
  • we are held

We release what weighs us down because life is too precious to live half awake.


🌼 What Might We Replace During Lent?

Instead of filling the space with another “should,” invite grace to fill it:

  • stillness
  • prayer
  • creativity
  • presence
  • kindness toward self
  • deeper listening
  • making beauty with our hands
  • noticing God in ordinary moments



Lent is not about becoming someone new.

It is about releasing what keeps us from being who we already are in God.


🌿 Week 1 — Making Space

Scripture: “Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

  1. Sit in silence for five minutes.
  2. Release one worry into prayer.
  3. Step outside and breathe deeply.
  4. Clear one small surface in your home.
  5. Turn off the noise and enjoy quiet.
  6. Notice something beautiful and linger.
  7. Rest without guilt.

Lent is not a test of discipline.
It is an invitation to live more gently, more awake, and more deeply rooted in grace.

Journal your thoughts. What comes to mind? What is the Spirit sharing with you during this Holy time?

Share in the comments if you are able.

Blessings,

Grannie Doll/Rev. Barb

Climbing Trees & Changing Lives: A Letter from Zacchaeus — April 6, 2025

Climbing Trees & Changing Lives: A Letter from Zacchaeus

A short work of fiction –

“I got a letter in the mail today—from my son, Zacchaeus. Yes, that Zacchaeus. He wrote:

“I heard Jesus was coming through Jericho. As chief tax collector, I knew people hated me—maybe for good reason. I’d built a life on their losses. But something stirred. I ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree like a child, just to see Him.”

Then Jesus stopped. Right under that tree.

“Zacchaeus, come down. I must stay at your house today.”

He knew my name. He didn’t rebuke me. He invited Himself in.

“It changed everything, Mom. I gave half of what I owned to the poor. I paid back four times what I stole. Jesus came to find the lost—and He found me.”

And then, his letter turned tender:

“Mom, maybe He’s calling your name too.””


Let’s take a few moments to reflect on this story.

Zacchaeus reminds us what Lent is really about: repentance, change, and grace. He felt unworthy, but Jesus called him by name. The crowds grumbled, but it didn’t matter—Jesus saw him.

We’ve all been Zacchaeus at some point—feeling small, hidden, maybe ashamed. But Jesus sees. Jesus calls. Jesus loves—more than He hates sin.

So as we near the end of Lent, maybe we ask ourselves:

  • What trees are we willing to climb to see Jesus?
  • Who needs our apology, our kindness, our open heart?
  • What can we give—not just in money, but in prayer, time, and love?

May we be generous. May we be kind. And may we remember: we are called by name.

Because the community—the bread we offer each other—isn’t just within the church walls. It’s out there, waiting to be fed.

Who are you feeding today?

Please share your thoughts. Has this story spoken to your heart or life today?

00:00 Opening Worship and Call to Worship

05:45 Sharing Good News and Community Updates

12:37 Interactive Scripture Reading with Children

21:37 A Life Transformed by Jesus

24:05 Reflections on Sin and Redemption

29:01 Living a Life of Repentance and Community

*picture found on Pinterest

Project for Lent — April 4, 2025

Project for Lent

This is not a transcript but some additional thoughts:

In this video I share a bit of a tutorial as I knit the 10 row blanket – adding in a new colour/section.

What does this project mean to me? While I knit, I meditate. I meditate on the day, the weekly scripture. I pray for my family, friends, and community.

With so much chaos in our world today a few moments of relaxation, stillness, and prayer is just what the Doctor would order – if I had a GP that is.

Watch the recording of Facebook live:

I think I chose a especially a modular one, because it’s only 10 stitches and it’s something I can work on every day.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ten-stitch-blanket (free on Ravelry)

While working on this blanket, I’m not finding specific emotions connected with it, possibly joy. It’s very calming to work on it. I don’t have stress or anxiety about needing to get it done or moving forward with it. It’s just coming together.

The colors I use are coming from bits and pieces that I have had spindle spun over the last few months that are in jars. And when I choose a color, the only thing I’m looking at is that it’s not the same as what is the row before. So it needs to be contrasting or complementary, but not the same. But I’m not creating a specific color pattern as I go.

Working on a modular design means I don’t have to worry about getting through, like, 200 stitches in a day or in an hour or whatever. Ten ten stitches and then 10 stitches back, so 20 stitches. It it isn’t very much. And I try to work on whatever little ball of yarn I have. I try to finish that color when I sit. But it’s not time it doesn’t hold me up whether or not I have enough time to do it. It’s the time I have intentionally decided to pick it up.

In the last week of working on this blanket, I realized that there is a message to be found here about diversity, about differences, and how things can all mesh together, that we’re all interwoven. So I believe there’s a sermon in there.

So do my colors reflect my personal journey? I don’t believe so. I’m drawn to purple, blues, pinks, but the bulk of the blanket are more neutral earth tones. So I’m not sure color plays into the emotion for me.

So the colors I choose might reflect my day. Or if I’m tired of working on neutral tones, maybe I want a splash of color in there to brighten things up. Or maybe the day’s dark because it’s raining and cloudy and foggy. And so I need something in purples or pinks, gold or yellow to lift my spirit.

I think the modular design connects with my personal journey in that small changes are helpful, that although it’s been a long road in life to get to where I am, there have been bits and pieces of my life that have come together in beautiful ways and helped me to move forward in much the same way as this blanket does, in much the same way as my faith does.

May you continue to find blessings as you walk through Lent to the celebration of Resurrection Day!

Pastor Barb aka Doll

Lenten Readings: Week One — March 6, 2025

Lenten Readings: Week One

I’ve created a devotional for Lent that can be used along with our KAL. May you find a blessing here. (Picture found on Pintrest)

Week 1: The Word Became Flesh

Day 1: John 1:1-5
Reflection: Jesus is the Word, the light that shines in the darkness. How is His light shining in your life?
Prayer: Lord, help me to see Your light and share it with others. Amen.

Day 2: John 1:14
Reflection: Jesus took on flesh and dwelled among us. How does this truth impact your relationship with Him?
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for coming to live among us. Teach me to abide in You. Amen.

Day 3: John 1:29-34
Reflection: John the Baptist recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God. Do you acknowledge Him daily as your Light and guide.
Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to see You clearly and follow You wholeheartedly. Amen.

Day 4: John 2:1-11
Reflection: Jesus’ first miracle at Cana shows His power to transform. How do you need His transformation today?
Prayer: Lord, change my heart and make me new in You. Amen.

Day 5: John 3:1-8
Reflection: Being born again is a spiritual renewal. Have you experienced the Holy Spirit’s work in your life?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, renew me daily and draw me closer to You. Amen.

Day 6: John 3:16-21
Reflection: God’s love is revealed in Jesus. Do you live in the freedom of His love?
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for Your everlasting love. Help me to walk in it. Amen.

Day 7: John 4:7-26
Reflection: Jesus offers living water. Are you thirsty for more of Him?
Prayer: Fill me, Jesus, with Your living water so I may never thirst again. Amen.

The Lenten Blanket: Embracing Imperfection and Seeking the Sacred — March 5, 2025

The Lenten Blanket: Embracing Imperfection and Seeking the Sacred

My Lenten Blanket as a Spiritual Practice

  • I started my Lenten project, a log cabin-style blanket, but quickly realized I didn’t like the pattern I had chosen. So, I changed it to something that felt more natural.
  • This blanket is made from my handspun, all Canadian wool—Shetland from Nova Scotia and a Bluefaced Leicester/Merino blend from Ontario.
  • Just like the season of Lent, this project is about creating a daily rhythm of prayer, meditation, and reflection as I knit.

Embracing Imperfection and Growth

  • As I knit, I notice how some stitches are uneven and messy, just like life. But both the perfect and the imperfect pieces come together to create something whole.
  • I considered ripping it out and starting over, but I decided to embrace the imperfections, knowing that growth happens in the process.
  • This reminds me of the Lenten journey—accepting where I am while also striving for transformation.

Feeding My Soul and Finding Gratitude

  • At Bible study this morning, we talked about the “bread of life” and how we nourish our souls—not just with food, but through prayer, community, and the things we take in daily.
  • I ask myself: How am I feeding my soul today? What am I doing to strengthen my relationship with the Divine?
  • Gratitude is a powerful practice. When I take a moment to notice the blessings around me, everything shifts.

As I continue knitting this blanket, stitch by stitch, I’m reminded that Lent is not about perfection—it’s about the journey. Each day, I’ll show up, knit a little, pray a little, and reflect on the ways I can grow. Some days will be smooth, and others will feel messy, but all of it is part of something bigger.

So, I invite you to join me in this rhythm. Take a moment to reflect, to pray, to create, and most of all, to notice the blessings around you. We are all works in progress, but together, we are being shaped into something whole. God bless. I look forward to sharing this journey with you.

You can find the 10 row blanket here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ten-stitch-blanket