Major Knitter

Blanket Donations Delivered

This week was my first trip home since you all donated so many wonderful blankets and hats for the Jackson Recovery Center's Women and Children's Center (JRC WCC) Auxiliary.  I took a huge duffel bag filled with your donations home to Iowa with me.  It was perfect timing, because we had the JRC WCC's annual auxiliary luncheon

I delivered the blankets and everyone was in awe of the kindness of knitters, sewers and crafters.  I told them that most of the blankets were donated by readers of my blog.  They were truly touched and in awe of your generosity. My SIL Priscilla saw the huge duffel bag and thought it was a hockey bag (it was that big!) While I didn't get a good picture of the blankets being delivered, I did snap a lovely photos of this year's Executive Board for the Auxiliary.

These lovely ladies do so much for the women and children in Siouxland.  In fact, our guest speaker Michelle gave a very moving testimony of her story from addiction to sobriety to success.  She is now learning to be a mother to her children, she's been sober for two years, and is going to school and getting straight As.  Guess what she's studying?  She is studying to be an addiction counselor so she can give back and help others like she was helped.  I really can't relay in my words the touching heartfelt story she shared with us.  But trust me, we need to make one of these success stories every single day.

I can't thank you enough for all your generosity with your blanket and hat donations for the infants, babies, toddlers, children and even teens who come to treatment with their mothers.  The whole family gets healthy together.

Thank you!

And That Makes Forty Nine

Nine years is a long time to have a work in progress.  In fact, I'm so thrilled that the end is in sight.  When I revisited my swatch blankets in January, I hoped to have them all done quickly.  And I did manage to finish five blankets rather quickly.  It helped that most of them were children's sized blankets and only required 25 swatches.  But when I picked up the black and white swatches, they simply didn't see appropriate for a children's blanket so I kept knitting and knitting and knitting.

And as of last night, I can happily announce that I have completed all 49 swatches.  Whew!  That's a relief.  Now I just have to join them together and I will have a FO after nine years.  That's a nice finale, if I do say so myself.

So Many Wonderful Donations

I can't believe how many readers sent along baby blankets and hats for my March Knitting Contest.  The latest batch comes from Beth in Michigan who sent along three large baby blankets, two preemie baby blankets and numerous newborn baby hats.  What a treasure!  I am so thrilled with your generosity Beth.

This circular baby blanket is adorable.  I've only seen circular blankets online, so I was thrilled to see one in person.

And I am particularly fond of this square striped blanket knit from the center outwards.  I'll have to inquire about the pattern.

One diagonal dish rag blanket with a periwinkle stripe.

These preemie baby blankets and ten newborn baby hats are the frosting on the cake.

Thanks Beth.  I really can't thank you enough!  The children at the Jackson Recovery Center Women and Children's Center will truly appreciate it.

 

 

More Hugs from Marienne

I received some more donations from my wonderful knitting friends.  I'm going to show them to you one-by-one.  

 These are some adorable baby hats (sorry, I can't get the picture to turn right side up!) - normal size and preemie size from Kathy B - Irish Eyes Knitters

Debora S sent me two fleece blankets with a lovely crocheted edging; 5 hats and 5 swatches.  This was such a wonderfully large shipment that I am speechless!

Rani C sent this amazingly soft and beautiful crocheted blanket.  You can't really tell from this picture, but there are several yarns crocheted together to make this soft and comfy.

So all in all, I am so thrilled and overwhelmed by the generosity of knitters.  So many of you have been my virtual friends for so long and I can't tell you how touched I am by your willingness to help others.  I'll be hand delivering these blankets to the Jackson Recovery Centers, Women and Children's Center on my next trip to Iowa.  I know the children who receive these blankets will be thrilled as well.

Thank you!

P.S.  If you still want to help, please read about the opportunity HERE.

 

 

 

Another Donation Arrives

Danielle lives nearby and found out about my blanket donation drive.  She contacted me and sent me a beautiful blanket for the Jackson Recovery Centers - Women and Children's Center.

It's so soft and cheery!  I know it will make some child very happy to receive this hug.

Thanks Danielle!

There's still a whole month to knit up an entire blanket (25 swatches or your own design like Danielle did) and be eligible for the prizes.  You can read the details about the prizes HERE.  It looks like I'll have to go in search of some more prizes as everyone has been so very generous!  

"Squirrel !"

I'm having a "Squirrel!" moment.  It happens to me... a lot.  I'm so overly focused on the one thing that I'm doing and then all of a sudden, "Squirrel!" - and I completely change direction and focus onto the next bright shiny object.  

So this half of my latest Squirrel Project arrived in the mail.  Unfortunately, it's useless without the second half which isn't scheduled to arrive until late this week or early next week.  Sigh.  I so want to get started on my newest project.

Oh.  You don't know what a Squirrel Moment is?  Let me enlighten you.

 

I just love this movie Up.  It's got a Scout, a wholesome story, a bit of a tearjerker and happy ending all rolled into one.

Squirrel!

Secundogeniture Strikes Again

I'm finishing another Hug from Marienne blanket.  This time I'm using up the final black and white swatches for the very first blanket I started in 2004.  I began by assembling the swatches for a child's blanket (5x5 swatches) but felt the dark colors simply weren't very child friendly.  I decided to knit this one for a teen but the more swatches I knit and added to the mix, the more I was determined that it needed to be a full size blanket (7x7 swatches).  Thus I've been knitting lots of gray, black and white swatches to go from a blanket of 25 to 49 swatches.  I laid them all out on the pool table and brought Secundogeniture down for his expert opinion - which he quickly gave.

"Mom - It's wrong."

"Why?"

"Because you've got them out of order."

"What do you mean?"

"See how these white swatches in the lower left hand corner are all criss cross?  But you skipped a row on the upper right and put a row of black swatches in their place instead of the white ones?"

Sure enough.  I've put things out of order.  And we can't have that.  So I'll be knitting some more white swatches.  I have 39 swatches completed - but still need to knit ten more.  Hi Ho!  Hi Ho!  It's off to knit I go.

What would I do without Secundogeniture to set me straight?  He seems to have an eye for these things.

 

 

 

 

This Thing Called Love

Just in time for Valentine's Day, I present the finished Hug from Marienne blanket in red and pink hearts.  

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connections

Last night I picked up the latest Hug from Marienne Blanket that had been pieced together some weeks ago and was sitting on the pool table just waiting for further attention.

First I took a picture of the layout.  Then I carefully picked up the swatches in order.  Then I got out my Clover Locking Stitch Markers  to pin together the pieces following the photograph of the layout snapped earlier.  Finally I began crocheting the swatches together horizontally between rows.  Upon completion of the horizontal rows, I ended up with a blanket that is somewhat artistic in nature.

 I just love how it looks before the vertical connections are crocheted.  Today I'll do that, plus weave in the loose ends.  I'll probably leave the outer crochet edge for tomorrow.  I'll need something to do in the big blizzard of 2013!

Generosity

I am truly humbled by the lovely donations I have received today for the Jackson Recovery Centers.

The first one came from Carolyn in NC.  It's a beautiful lilac baby blanket done in the basic dishrag pattern.  She also included a white garter stitch swatch.  Just what I needed since I have a lot of black and white swatches and need some more to complete an entire blanket.

Next came Cathy B's selection of seven different stitches in lovely purple.  You know I love making pink and purple blankets so these are absolutely delightful!

Finally, Lucy S emailed me and asked if I could accept one of her flannel rag time quilts.  Of course!  I can't believe how wonderfully soft and fluffly this blanket is.  There are going to be some very happy children at the Jackson Recovery Centers' Women and Children's Center!

Thank you everyone.  You're amazing!