Charity Shops

Charity shops. Don’t you just love ’em? Well actually I don’t frequent them often but now and again I pop into our local one in search of yarn.

Yesterday I hit jackpot:

Ten cones of yarn for under £10! There were a few more cones that I left in the shop as I couldn’t carry any more so there may be a return visit. I already have ideas for most of it but some will be going to my next ravelry swap partner as the current swap is a ‘charity’ one.

 

Etsy Twitter Team Shop of the Week

I’ve had computer problems so haven’t been able to upload shops of the week recently but here is the latest one:

Angel Kisses Jewelry are a mother, daughter, daughter team and their creations are beautiful. Below are a couple of my favorites:

 

All sales made this week will help the Good Samaritan Organization in their work with HIV positive women in Ethiopia.

You can find out more on the Etsy Twitter Team blog – please check out the last few Twitter Team shops of the week too.

 

Charity Auction for Sands in Memory of Abigail

Back at the beginning of this month I wrote about Erin. Earlier this year I met a fellow crafter who had suffered a similar loss last November. Today she has launched two charity auctions of her fantastic nappy and wool soaker outfits with 100% going to the charity SANDS. Clair says on her blog:

‘As some of you may know my daughter Abigail Scarlett was stillborn on 21st November 2007. We were devastated but help was there from the charity SANDS. I have been running a series of auctions on the 21st of each month to raise money for SANDS. Some auction lots have been kindly donated by my friends, others I have made myself. To celebrate what would have been Abigail’s 1st birthday I am running 2 very special auctions.  I have made 2 nappy and wool soaker outfits, one with a pink snails theme and one with a daisies theme.’

Now if I’ve done it correctly you should be able to click on the pictures above and be taken directly to the auction on eBay – if not go to Clair’s blog (in fact go there anyway) as she has the links there.

 

In memory of Erin

Another sad post I’m afraid. On 4th November 2007, about 9.30pm, I received a text from one of my best friends who was expecting a baby ‘at any moment’.

‘… got terrible news. We’ve lost the baby. Going into hospital now to give birth …’

Understandably my friend had sent that message to her entire mobile phone list and then switched her phone off. I was devastated for her and spent the night praying that her experience of being induced was better than mine.

They called their little girl Erin, she looked perfect in every way and had been fine at her last check up on the 1st.

Since then my friend has been fundraising for the Transitional Care Baby Unit at the hospital where she was cared for. It is the same hospital where my son was born and if the unit had been up and running then we would probably have used it (he was jaundiced and struggling to feed).

For the month of November I’ll be donating 10% of all sales in my Etsy shop to the unit – in memory of Erin.

 

Musing

I’ve been going through the yarn sent via the Yarn Box Charity De-stash trying to decide what to make. One of the balls is 100% Soy Silk. It’s made by a company called South West Trading Company and is totally and utterly gorgeous. There isn’t really enough to make anything with but I think I’m in love.

You can see it on the bottom left of the picture. Unfortunately it seems that it isn’t available in the UK – there are some SWTC yarns but none are pure Soy – there seem to be a few sock versions that are 70% wool and 30% Soy. It knits up slightly too chunkily to be a preemie item and there isn’t enough for a scarf.  So for now I will keep fondling it and musing on what I can make whilst I knit up the rest for various charity projects. If anyone knows of a stockist please let me know!

 

Dear Dorothy

I’m dedicating today’s post to my dear grandma who died 6 years ago this week, though it only feels like yesterday. One of my biggest regrets was that I didn’t see her before she died – on the day I was travelling up from the South to see her she’d had her breakfast in the care home where she’d stayed for the previous 2 weeks (after a fall at home had ended up in a prolonged stay in hospital and the admission that she couldn’t manage on her own) and literally ‘fell asleep’ in a chair.

I was working full time at a publishers back then and was making the drive up north straight from work and planning to visit her the next morning. For some reason my sister rang several times during the day and I suspected that she was after a lift ‘home’ as she lived in London at the time – I even rang my mum to try to find out what my sister was getting at. So I didn’t find out about my grandmother’s death until late that night – my sister was already there having caught a train earlier in the day. Because my sister had been told she’d been able to arrange things with work and take a week off to help mum organise things. As I hadn’t been told I needed to go back to work to arrange some time off and sort out my projects, plus I wasn’t needed as my sister was there.  My anger at being ‘left out’ really affected my ability to grieve my grandma but it was just my mum’s way of coping – she didn’t want me to drive whilst upset (though driving home on the Sunday I was upset and angry).

My other regret is that she didn’t meet my son as he didn’t come along until 2 years after she died. She would have adored him and I think the feeling would have been mutual.

She was cantankerous (sp?), indiscreet, flirtatious, stubborn and she drove my mum mad. She totally indulged my sister, my cousin and me.

She also taught me how to knit. As kids we had hat and scarf sets to wear from both of my grandmothers, and cardigans and jumpers (in fact my surviving paternal grandmother had a much better skill until arthritis took the use of her hands but she didn’t have the patience with us kids).  She let me play about with wool to my hearts content and heaped praise on wonky scarves and granny squares. As my skill improved she helped me to knit outfits for my dolls. When I needed to learn how to darn a sock for my Brownie ‘Homemaker’ badge she was happy to teach me – and then let me ‘practice’ on my grandad’s socks at every subsequent visit!  She used to churn these out by the bag load.

She was a terrible cook – when we went for tea mum warned us to eat the sausage rolls and scones that were offered as the same ones would be brought out the following week, and the next, and the next until they were eaten up.  She used to smoke when she was looking after us – and warn us not to tell our mum.

As I’ve become reacquainted with knitting over the last year it has brought back some happy memories of sitting round the electric fire at grandma’s – she’s missed by us all.

 

A Big Thank You ….

to Yarn Box and their customers.

They are currently running a de-stash programme – where their customers can send in any yarn that they no longer need and receive a 20% off voucher to spend in the Yarn Box shop. The de-stash yarn is then sent out to those that contacted Yarn Box with details of the charity that they knit for.

I received this parcel this morning and the contents will help replenish my stocks for the knitting I do for Loving Hands.

A big, big thank you …

 

Retail therapy

Feeling a bit down in the dumps today. With limited resources with which to cheer myself up I thought I’d take a tip from Mrs. B. and visit my local charity shop in search of bargains.

I got a bit worried when I walked in – it was packed! – and I over heard a conversation about how they couldn’t take less than £40 for a book of pictures of cats. I headed to the crowd at the back of the shop and found a small stash of wool where I picked up 8 balls for £2.25! I can already see hats, scarves and mittens in this lovely grey, with cables and moss stitch ….

I’ll plan my next visit for after schools go back I think.

 

 

 

 

Feed the Children

The Feed the Children Charity have released a new knitting book for their supporters.

‘This 12 page, full colour booklet includes original designs from Anna Garde, Rita Gulliver, Val Pierce, Kim Tame and Carol Warrington. By popular demand, Heather Cawte’s practical jumper for a boy, and Mary-Louise Quick’s feminine girl’s top have once again been included. Rita Gulliver’s ingenious design for a school jumper can be knit in 4-ply or DK from the same pattern.  Or try one of the fun fundraising ideas; Anna Garde’s chunky bedsocks, Val Pierce’s cute elephant, Kim Tame’s egg hats or Carol Warrington’s crocheted bookmark.  There are ideas for our army of blanket knitters, too!’

You can find out more about knitting for Feed the Children and order the new pattern booklet here.

 

Loving Hands – New Winter Challenges

Loving Hands have new Winter Challenges – Lou, the founder, has made a miraculous recovery from her accident in the Summer and is back on board with the following challenges:

Here you go then – you have all been ever so patient waiting to hear about the new challenges – this challenge will run from now right through to New Year so it is definitely Winter Knitting :0)

While I was ill we had loads of emails and two of them gave me the inspiration for two of our challenges.

The first one came from Alice a student at Bristol University. She is a member of the Kenyan Orphans society charity group and is going over with a large group of fellow students to help out. She requested 300 teddies with their bags to take with them to give to the orphans as a way of ‘breaking the ice’ and helping the kids to trust them. I thought this was a lovely idea – we have 10 bears to start this challenge off already so just 290 bears and 300 bags to go!

The other email was from a church group who are helping a community in Zambia – they are looking for blankets of all sizes for an Aids Hospice, School and Orphanage – apparently there is a great shortage of bedding and the temperatures can drop so low at nights. It would be great to be able to send them 200 blankets to help out their charitable quest :0)

We have also decided to help out the Sailor’s Society again this year and are looking for 300 hats to send them to help the sailors keep warm – as we are now almost 300 in number this should be simple :0)

Specially for our stitchers we have a challenge just for you – we are looking for 100 pairs of pyjamas or nightdresses for Linda McDonald’s orphans – I believe Suzanne will still have some of the packs of fabric and patterns available for this challenge as we didn’t get any made last time round. Thought you would like a special challenge for yourselves this time. Obviously we will still need the teddy bags as well if you want something quick and easy to do :0)

Needless to say if none of these challenges appeal we still need all our usual things so feel free to continue with warm clothing for all ages for Blythswood or Linda McDonald or if you like fiddly things then toys for the orphanages or knitted boobs might fit the bill.

Hope you are happy with these challenges – keep up the great work team – you are all stars :0)

If you’d like to join the group – either as a knitter, crocheter or a stitcher – drop by to the website http://www.lovinghands.org.uk and send Lou your details. There’s a lively forum of other members to keep you motivated too.