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

Thank you xxx

Big thanks to Monica at s w e e t p u r l s, for these beautiful squares for the Coastal aran-weight hospice blanket:



Aren't they pretty! They are made from Martha Stewart's Extra Soft Wool Blend, and are true to the description - so wonderfully soft. Such a lovely shade of blue too. Now, as if this wasn't kind enough, Monica also sent some lovely stitch markers too. You really are super sweet, thank you so much.



A couple of days later I received a package from Wendy at WendyWorld containing these gorgeous wonky log cabin squares for the hospice quilt. These were exactly the types of colours I had envisioned when thinking about a quilted blanket. Thank you so much Wendy, they are beautiful. Naomi thanks you for the candy canes too :)

 

This morning I received an email from Wendy's Mum... she has also created a couple of wonky log cabin squares for Bertie's Blankets. I can't tell you how touched I was. Of course I immediately emailed my Mum to share the wonderful news and she had the same response I did - tears. Happy, happy tears in response to such kind words and deeds.

 

Thank you so much.

I've also been working on squares for the coastal aran blanket and the sock yarn blanket. They are starting to come together, and thanks to your help I am super excited about getting a couple of blankets to Trinity Hospice early this year.

 

With all these squares rolling in, they needed a temporary home while we accumulate enough to make a blanket. My friend Stacey already had this covered and gifted this awesome bag for the blanket squares. Yes, I might have had a weepy moment then too ;)



I am thankful for all your help and support.
Much love,
Sam xxx

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