Bertie's Blanket - Number 2

Thank you soo much for all the help to make these hospice blankets. We have now completed blanket #2 - the Aran weight sampler in shades of the sea.



It's hard to believe that it has been 2 years since Dad was diagnosed, and passed from brain cancer. I started this effort one year ago... my thought was to channel some of my feelings and energy into something good; something that would help bring a small comfort to those who also have need for hospice care. What began out of sadness, started to turn into joy when you kindly helped with words of support and generous donations of squares. And here we are with 1 blanket delivered to Trinity hospice already and this 2nd one to go in the mail this week.

My sincere and heartfelt thanks go to you for your kind help and support of this project. 

With much love and gratitude,
Sam xxx

Bertie's Blanket - Number 1

This is the first of the Bertie's Blankets to be completed:
Yeaaaaaah!!

 

In addition to the 3 blankets that I've been seeking your help with here, Mum was also pulling a blanket together back in the UK. This is a lovely Aran weight blanket with contributions from friends and family back home.

It turned out lovely, didn't it! I really like the pops of navy, red and fuschia in with the cream.

Now, I need to get my bum in gear and finish seaming the 'seaside aran' that you all helped me with.  I'm halfway there and hope to have pictures to share soon.  :o))

Love,
Sam
xxx

Some more log cabins

One of the lovely ladies at Quilt Guild brought these log cabin squares to me the other week.  I'm hugely thankful for the support.



Thank you Michelle!

I am also still plugging away on sewing up the Aran blanket and looking forward to sharing that with you soon.

Thanks again, and hope you are having a lovely weekend,
Sam xxx

Teaser Shot

I've been playing around with the layout of the Coastal Aran Blanket:



This is just a little teaser shot. Next up, some seaming and a crochet border.
Thanks again for all your kind contributions - this is a beauty!
Hugs, Sam xxx

Success: We have enough squares for the Coastal Aran Blanket

Friends,
I received a package in the mail yesterday from Jennie (ColoradoMom on Ravelry) - she'd kindly sent 6 aran squares for the coastal afghan. That brings us to the 45 needed to complete this blanket! 


I can't tell you how ridiculously happy I am right now, knowing that we have enough squares to complete the first Bertie's Blanket.  I'll be doing some seaming over the next few weeks, and posting completed pictures here before I send to Trinity Hospice.



Thank you soo much Jennie.  I was only expecting a couple of squares in the mail, but knew as soon as my daughter turned the mailbox key that we'd hit the jackpot with your parcel!  Not only did you provide 6 squares (wowza, thank you), but they are soo beautiful, and I'm loving the floral knit bow that you wrapped them with :)  I'll be using that in the blanket as an embellishment, it is soo very pretty.

What a great feeling, thank you all.
Much love,
Sam
xxx

PS - If anyone has aran squares in progress, we can still use them.  Bertie's Blankets will be an ongoing effort, and so I'll be starting a new aran blanket using the same general size/yarn guidelines.  This next one will be using Cath Kidston inspired colours - so we can use blues, greens, creams and add new pops of red and pink.

More sock yarn squares

Thank you Kim:



This brings us 60 sock squares completed, or 2/3 of the way there.
31 squares to go on this blanket.
I think this is going to be beautiful when done.

FYI, here's a couple more that I worked on earlier this month, but hadn't yet posted.



xxx Sam

Wonky Log Cabin Squares

Look at these beauties:



I was at the Denver Quilt Guild meeting last week when Terrie presented me with these lovely wonky log cabin squares for Bertie's Blanket #3. Terrie has a Midas touch when it comes to her crafts - everything is so beautifully created. These squares are no exception. Thank you soo much :)

The other advantage about sharing them at the Quilt Guild meeting is that I was able to pull off a shameless plug for Bertie's Blankets. Not typically my style (and I may have turned the colour of a beetroot when I asked), but it's for a worthwhile cause. A couple of the ladies were interested and I was extremely thankful for this.

I've actually been doing quite a bit of quilting myself recently (I must update my regular blog). All this sewing activity has piqued the interest of Naomi, who asked if she could make a square. Oh yes! I love that she has an interest in crafts. She picked out a bunch of scraps that she liked from my scrap baskets, and we got to work.



The wonky log cabin is a perfect beginners pattern because anything goes.  Naomi certainly had fun with this. Here's the end result, another pretty square:



In fact, the little miss was soo pleased that she did a happy dance with the final square :o))

 

Hope you are having a lovely weekend,
Sam xxx

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing you all the very best on this Mother's day.

Today my Sister and Nephew dressed up as super heroes and ran a 10K in aid of Trinity Hospice (where Dad was cared for).  It seemed fitting that my sis was dressed as Wonder Woman - a role that all mother's play :)  Super heroes also seemed such a great tribute to all the wonderful people that work, and volunteer, at hospices everywhere.

Wonder Woman and Iron Man

Since it's the beginning of a new month, I wanted to provide a quick update on Bertie's Blankets for Trinity Hospice:

Blanket 1:  Aran blanket in soothing shades of the sea

• 45 9"x9" squares needed
• 39 squares received to date
• Sooooo very close to the finish line :)

Blanket 2:  Sock yarn blanket in bright, happy colours of the rainbow

• 91 6"x6" squares needed
• 56 squares received to date
• We are past the half way mark

Blanket 3:  Wonky log cabin quilt

• 45 9"x9" squares needed
• 7 squares received to date
• Out of the starting gate...

Wishing you all the very best.
Love,
Sam xxx

Coming together

A couple extra aran squares arrived in the mail this week:  Thank you Monica :)



And I was able to make a few extra sock yarn squares:

 

We have quite the bundle of squares now and so I thought it would be fun to start playing around with potential layouts. I thought you'd like to see what we have so far. First the sock yarn squares... look at this pile of goodies:

 

I really enjoyed sorting these into piles of similar colours and then laying them out in different arrangements. Check out what we have so far:

 

I am really excited about this one. I love all the different colours, and how they come together soo nicely. Thank you friends.

49 sock yarn squares so far. Still need more to make this a good size blanket for a single bed. But ooh it's good to see this great progress!

And of course the aran blanket in the coastal colours... we have a good pile of squares for this one too:

 

I had fun trying to figure out a good layout for this one too - mixing up the colours and the patterns:

 

32 squares so far. This one is really close now.

I hadn't previously set a date for completing these blankets.
But as we start entering summer, I start thinking about when Dad was admitted to hospice, and how it would be nice to have at least one of the blankets completed and shipped to recognize that. That target date is July. I think that is doable, would you agree?

Thank you again for all the support.
Love,
Sam xxx

You made my week, thank you

It has been a tough week, or so.  Over on my regular blog I'd posted that I had gone back to the UK to spend time with my Grandma who was battling stage 4 breast cancer.  Well, my dear sweet Grandma passed recently and it has been hard being soo far away from 'home' and family, but I am thankful that I was able to get back earlier to spend some good quality time together.  She was an amazing lady and I miss her dearly. 

Grandma was receiving hospice care at a palliative care nursing home.  It impressed upon me again how close to my heart this project is, and how extremely thankful I am for your support.  And good grief did this project receive your support this week - there have been a number of packages in the mail!  It truly lifted my spirits.  There's good friends locally who are helping out, but also people that I've never met before, or don't know me from Adam.  And yet are kind enough to find the time, materials and love to particpate.  I have to pinch myself sometimes just to believe it.

So onto the good stuff - here are the wonderful squares that arrived this week.  My heartfelt thanks to you all.

From the very sweet Misun:



And to coin a phrase... 'But wait, there's more:"

 

Good grief I thought I'd hit the jackpot with this package :) Thank you Misun.

Stacey had another sock square for me:



The lovely Luna sent these all the way from Australia!  (Not to mention she has recently upped and moved house and still found time to whip these out and get them in the mail.  Wowza, thank you.)

 

Another lovely square from Marsha:

 

And a couple more sock squares from Amina (pretty, pretty colours)

 

Even Naomi was giddy about the number of packages that came in this week. She celebrated her 3rd birthday at the end of Feb and now thinks any package that arrives in the mail is intended for her. I was happy to go along with this as she was tickled pink: Mommy, mommy, look at all these pretty squares. That's right sweetie, they are very pretty, and there are good, kind people out there.

Grandma was soo happy that we were doing this. She was an extremely talented knitter, and a generous soul. It broke her heart to see her son, my Dad, in hospice. I like to think that she and Dad are looking down and cheering us all on.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
Sam xxx

March 1 Progress

"A pinch and a punch for the first of the month, white rabbits!"

You are probably thinking this is an odd way to start a blog post.  :)  Well, it's this quirky little saying that my family use in the UK.  It is said on the first day of every month, and should be the first words uttered when you wake.  The idea is that it brings you good luck for the rest of the month.  So, although these aren't the first words that left my lips this morning, they are the first on this blog post.  I hope it counts :)
(And be thankful you aren't here to get the little pinch and playful punch that goes with it...  I remember mornings as a kid when that's how Mum would wake us up, and if she didn't get me first I have a couple of siblings who were more than willing :o)))
I babble :)

But there is something special about the beginning of anything... a new year, a new month, or even a new day.  There's a promise of good things that could be in store for us, or the chance to start afresh and make new goals.  I hope March brings many wonderful things to you and your families.

February certainly brought many wonderful squares to Bertie's Blankets - we are making excellent progress, thanks to your support.

1. The Coastal Aran blanket is now halfway there, with 22 squares received and notes form many of you that more are on the way.  45 squares needed to complete this one.

2. The Sock Yarn blanket has also made great progress with 37 squares received (again notes that additional squares are in progress or on their way :).  91 squares needed to complete this one.

3. There's also the Wonky Log Cabin with 6 squares received so far.  45 needed to complete this one.

There's still plenty of time to contribute, if you'd like to participate.  I'm going to keep plugging away on these until we have enough squares to complete these blankets.
-->  Guidelines for the blankets are here.

Here are pictures of squares that I received recently:

5 lovely knit and crochet squares from Andi:



That's right, if you want to crochet a square, instead of knit one, they are gladly received :)
Thanks so much Andi they are lovely xxx

Marsha has also made this pretty aran square out of the Martha Stewart yarn. This is sooo soft, and I love this serene colour. It is super sophisticated, just like Marsha :) Thank you Marsha xxx



I am trying to keep pace with your kind contributions... here's a couple more that I was able to make, using the Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn:

 

For the sock blanket, I received this pretty square from Amina.  Amina you are a sweetheart and I m thankful for your support xxx:

 

And of course, a couple that I was able to work on (I probably mentioned this before:  These are fun, and portable, little squares to work on... and I get a sense of satisfaction knowing that my leftover bits of sock yarn are being put to such good use):

 

I need to get cracking and make a couple of the wonky log cabin squares too. Anyone want to join me?

Thanks again for all your kind support.
Wishing you all good things for the month ahead.
Love,
Sam xxx

Out of Africa

These bright and happy squares:



Were contributed by these lovely ladies:



With a little help from some friends:



Stacey and Marsha recently returned from a medical mission trip to Rwanda, where they spent time at an orphanage. Yes, they really are some of the loveliest people you will meet. :)

There are soo many things about this that bring me joy, aside from the obvious 'good people doing good things':

• Bertie's Blankets is reaching far and wide with contributions from: America, Europe, Australia and now Africa... how cool is this! 
• The 'stories' that a blanket like this could tell.  (These particular squares have even been on safari!)
• That folks from all walks of life, despite their own difficult situations, are contributing to this effort
• That this also brings joy to those taking part... case in point with the next photo:

Oh, yes, and not least that my dear friends were willing to humor my request to take Bertie's Blanket square pictures while they were on such an important trip.  Thank you for taking these, and for letting me share them here  :) 

I'll leave you with a couple more pictures that captured my heart:















Thank you ladies xxx

Feb 1 Progress

We are making a great start on the 3 hospice blankets, thank you!

I've been trying to figure out how many squares we'll need for each of the 3 blankets to get a sense of the progress we've made so far.  It looks like a single blanket size in the UK is approximately 39" x 76". 

For the Coastal Aran Blanket, we'd need 45 of the 9" squares to make a blanket this size. As of 1 Feb, we've created 12 beautiful squares, leaving us 33 more to go. I've heard from a number of you that additional squares are on the way.  Thank you :)

For the Scrappy Sock Blanket we'll need 91 of the 6" squares. As of 1 Feb we've created 31 fabulous squares leaving us 60 more to go.

Most recently I received these lovely 5 squares from Judy at Fiber Experiences.  Thanks soo much Judy, I love these colours and that you were able to contribute so many.



The sock squares are my favourite to work on - I find them quite addicting and love being able to use up leftover odds and ends of sock yarn.  I've also been able to complete a few more since the last post:






And last but not least is the wonky log cabin quilt.  We'll need 45 of the 9" squares. I've received 6 so far, leaving 39 to create.   Most recently I received these 3 beauties from Sharon, all the way from Australia!  How cool is that!  (And touched my heart).



As a reminder, here are the guidelines for the 3 blankets we are working on.

Thanks for your continued support of this project.
Much love,
Sam
xxx

Additional thanks to...

I was happy to be able to meet up with some of my local knitter friends today, and was happier still when they started handing over squares that they had knit for Bertie's Blankets:

My heartfelt thanks to you all:

Kim at Knitter in Progress kindly gifted 4 sock yarn squares.  I know, 4! I felt like I had hit the jackpot :)  The shades of green were selected by Kim's daughter, who is obviously in the know as I recently read (I think it was a Vogue knitting email) that emerald green is the pantone colour of the year :)



Terrie at Starspry knit up 3 squares for the coastal afghan.  I think the one with the heart might be my favourite because it visually communicates the love that is put into each of these.  It is such a sweet touch that I'm tempted to do something similar for one of the sock yarn squares, so that each of the blankets we donate has a little heart in the bottom corner of each blanket.



Jennifer shared a couple in this great basket weave pattern.  This is a super stitch pattern and I am really fond of this deeper shade of blue; it is going to provide a lovely contrast to some of the lighter shades that we have collected so far.



Cynthia at Virtue of Patience provided this lovely moss stitch square in self-striping shades of lavender, blue and greys.  Cyn, if you read this I'd love to know what yarn you use - it is so pretty and I'd love to make a couple more.



I'm trying to keep pace with all the kind contributions and have also made a couple more for the sock yarn blanket.



Thank you.  Your friendship and kind support of this project is dearly appreciated.
Hugs,
Sam
xxx