Giving Thanks

It's been a busy couple of weeks here:  We celebrated Thanksgiving 'the real one' with one of Joe's brothers, and then did a re-run last week with my brother and sister-in-law.  Why twice?  I learned this year that Thanksgiving isn't the last Thursday in November, but the 4th Thursday in November... by the time I had this figured out, my brother had already bought his tickets for the end of the month.  Oops!  Although, it was a great excuse to celebrate for a full 2 weeks. :)

I love the Thanksgiving holiday - friends, family, good food and the opportunity to reflect upon all that I am thankful for.  I wanted to let you know that you've all been in my thoughts:  I can't tell you how thankful I am for your friendship and generous support in this endeavour.  I feel truly blessed.  Thank you.

Here are some of the Bertie's Blankets contributions that are in progress.  I am so excited that this dream is becoming a reality; that we can pull together and create some handmade blankets that will bring comfort to those in need. 

• Laluuu:  Such a warm, rich colour, and loving the ridge squares
• My Sister's Knitter:  Look how delicate and pretty these squares are
• SavannahChik: These are some beautiful blues, I feel the coast calling
• SweetPurls:  I feel serene just looking at these sophisticated squares
• Wendy World:  I can't wait to see the wonky log cabin squares and appreciate the help in thinking through the type of squares and colour scheme

Andi of 'My Sister's Knitter' had asked if we can crochet squares.  Oh yes please!  :)

I've been able to knit up a couple extra squares too.  A couple more for the coastal blanket:



And a couple more for the sock yarn blanket:


Thank you again my lovely friends
xxx Sam xxx

Have you cast on?

I've heard from a bunch of you that you have cast on for some squares already - Thank you! I can't wait to see the colours and stitch patterns that you have chosen. :) I've also started: I have 2 blue squares for the coastal aran weight afghan. Both are moss/seed stitch. I want to do some cable squares next.

I've also got a few sock yarn squares completed too - these are portable and simple. Good on-the-go projects!

Mum has also been busy cranking out squares and drumming up volunteers in the UK - this will be Bertie's Blanket #4.  If anyone in the UK wants to get involved, her squares are 9"x9" in an aran weight yarn and the predominant colour is cream.  My sister in law has whipped one out already, Mum has 4 completed and my sis has one on the go.  Maybe this will be the first blanket to be completed!


Thanks again for the interest and support.
Hugs,
Sam
xxx

Berties Blanket #1: Coastal Afghan

This Veteran's Day weekend I picked up some Lion Brand Wool-Ease and Vanna's Choice for the Afghan blanket - Bertie's Blanket #1!

• Wool-ease worsted in natural heather
• Wool-ease worsted in grey heather
• Wool-ease worsted in sea spray
• Vanna’s Choice in silver blue

I found some of the softer shades of blues, grey and cream that I had in mind for 'coastal colours'.  I still need to find some stronger bluey greens to help make this pop a little!  But I have started... :)

A little Veteran's/Remembrance Day side note:  Did I mention that Dad was a Royal Marine?  He joined up at a ridiculously young age - 14 years old young!  He was able to join at such a young age because he was a bandsman and they like the extra time to train them to Royal Marine Band standards.  He was an extremely talented musician.  Later on he also volunteered all the time at our local Sea Cadets unit - he was one of the leads for the Marine Cadets.  The boys just thought he was the bee's knees to the point that a couple seemingly adopted him :)  Anyhoo, this weekend brought back fond memories of Remembrance Day services at the local Cenotaph, with the cadets, my Dad and all my family, paying respects to those who have served. 

Here's a picture of Dad when he joined - I still can't get over how young they all are, and in particular my Dad was quite the babyface! :)))

It felt good to start this effort on Veteran's weekend/Remembrance Day.  Thanks again for the positive response - I am overjoyed with your genorosity. 

Hugs,
Sam xxx

PS - we now have a ravelry group:  Bertie's Blankets

Guidelines: Blankets 1, 2 and 3

Hello my dear crafty Friends,

I received the following article from my mum this morning:  Trinity hospice is in need of blankets to bring comfort and warmth to the folks that they are caring for.  This is where my Dad was looked after in his final days, and I can tell you wholeheartedly that these blankets do make a difference and are thoroughly appreciated.  The only requirement is that the blankets need to be machine washable. 

I would like to put together 3 blankets for Trinity Hospice.  Would you be willing to contribute a square, or 2, to this very worthwhile cause?

I've suggested patterns and colours below for folks looking for guidance.  But I'll take any square that you would be willing to donate.  Thank you.

Option 1:  Afghan Sampler Blanket

• Knit using afghan/worsted weight yarn
• US8 needles
• Final square to measure 9" x 9"
• Use a stitch pattern of your choosing, or if you'd like to follow a published pattern, please check out this Lion Brand sampler blanket pattern L0563 (you can login to the site for free)
• A great way to use those 40-60% off vouchers at the big box yarn stores... and looking at the pattern it looks like you can get 2 squares out of one skein of a lion brand ball of yarn
• Since Trinity Hospice is located in a coastal town, lets use the colours of the sea on this one (throw in some white for the 'surf' and this would be a really soothing colour scheme of shades of blue and white):

Image courtesey of design seeds:  http://design-seeds.com/index.php/home/entry/crashing-tones1

Option 2:  Scrappy Sock Yarn Blanket

• Do you have lots of leftover scraps of sock yarn.  A lot of this stuff is machine washable!  Let's put it to good use with this really simple pattern: Kraft-Tanken-Patches (free Ravelry download)
• The squares are 15cm x 15 cm (6" x 6") and are a simple knit on the diagonal
• The pattern recommends a US1-3 needle, depending upon gauge
• As for colour scheme, anything goes - let's send a bright happy rainbow of colours with this one :)

Option 3:  Wonky log cabin Quilt

• There are some wonderful wonky log cabin quilts out in blogland.  Another great way to put your leftover bits and pieces of fabric to good use. 
• I'll be making squares that are 9" by 9" out of my fabric scraps
• My thoughts are to use brights or pastels that are complimented with soothing neutrals like beige and cream
• Here's a great tutorial for the type of wonky log cabin block that I was thinking about:  http://www.quiltdad.com/2009/09/quilt-along-3-wonky-log-cabin-block.html
• The colours are also similar to what I had in mind, with brights + pastels + some cream/neutral
• (I'll be adding a cream border to each of the wonky squares that you send me, so that this will help tie them altogether into one coordinated blanket)

I can't tell you how much this means to me.  I've been thinking about doing something like this since the day Dad was admitted.  Could this be the beginning of Bertie's Blankets?  :)  I'm glad that this article gave me the push, and the wonderful response I got from my fb knitter friends spurred me on.  Thank you.

I'll collect the squares and assemble them, and then ship to Trinity.

Much love and big hugs,
Sam xxx

Bringing comfort and warmth

A year ago my Dad passed away.  He was one of those people that never got sick - a good, strong, healthy man.  And yet in June last year he just 'didn't feel right'.  He wasn't: He had an aggressive form of brain cancer.  

In a matter of weeks this disease started to take away his ability to do the most basic things:  He could no longer walk, stand, or even keep himself propped upright in bed.  My Mum had done an amazing job of taking loving care of him at home, but when it reached the point that it was no longer possible to provide the care he needed at home they both agreed that he move to the local hospice to be lovingly cared for there.

Dad with Naomi, less than a year before his diagnosis

I cannot express enough thanks for the care, attention and love that my Dad (and our family and friends) received at Trinity Hospice.  There is comfort and warmth everywhere you turn.

One of the seemingly small details that added comfort and warmth to his stay was the cosy blankets and throws that were used there.  There were a couple of quilts and lap blankets that had been generously donated to bring a little comfort to those at the hospice.  On my Dad's bed there was a beautifully hand crafted quilt, in soothing, uplifting colours.  As most crafters know, there is something very special about an item that you know someone has spent time and effort creating.  

So, for the last year I've had this idea rattling around my head to create and donate blankets to local hospices.  Quilted, knit, crocheted, it doesn't matter.  Just as long as they are machine washable.  I figured if I started to put my thoughts to 'paper' that this might actually turn into something real (and not just an idea that rattles around my brain, keeping me awake in the middle of the night!).

My Dad's nickname was 'Bertie', and my first thought was to label the blankets as 'Bertie's Blankets' to honour his memory.  (I even have an image in my mind of what the label would look like... I'm just lacking the graphic design skills to make it a reality!)

I could start small with my own efforts.  But then started thinking about the power of the Internet to help bring awareness and interest in contributing to this worthy cause.  More to come on that topic.

For now it is bed time.  As my husband is telling me, I'll be a wreck at work tomorrow if I don't get some sleep :o)))

Night, night,

Sam xxx