End of February's Stashbusting

Time for something a bit different. I have built up an overflowing jar of ends of yarn cut off knitting and crochet projects. Someone on Loving Hands had said that she kept a knitted boob handy and stuffed it with yarn ends - so I decided to knit one and fill mine the same way. I didn't have quite enough to stuff it completely and had to use a little conventional stuffing, but it did most of the job!

82g

The knitted boobs are used by midwives and breastfeeding counsellors to teach breastfeeding - apparently brightly coloured ones are great ice breakers!

 

Stash Busting Progress:

Yarn at start of year: 31,034g

Yarn gained: 450g
Yarn busted: Jan: 1049g, Feb: 1157g  Total: 2206g
Yarn given away: 100g
Yarn in stash: 29,178g

Give me sunshine!

What a glorious day today has been in Shetland. After Zumba (at which someone volunteered to start sewing up the knitted squares I was given yesterday! ) Kirsty came with me to walk the dogs at Muckle Roe and check on my geocache Muckle Ayre Mill which had been reported missing (it was too!). Geocache replacement and a picnic at the old water mill were the order of the day before heading home to clean the floors!

The old water mill, and the site of my geocache, you can see the millstone lying on the floor. (Flat and round with a hole in it!)

Muckle Ayre beach 

 

Kirsty and Jake

No stashbusting of any kind today - yet! I have a bus trip to town to come tonight though so will take my crochet with me!

Stashbusting - a different stash this time!

I have a shed with a stash of willow in it. I have done several basketry courses over the years and love making them, with willow and recycled/ found materials. Today I have been making cribs from my willow stash for the charity Cuddles who provide them to maternity hospitals for parents to say their goodbyes to the wee angels who don't make it into this world, along with blankets and clothes. Loving Hands members make cribs in a variety of ways, most do knitted, sewn or crocheted ones, sadly they are needed from 6 inches in length to ones that will fit a full term baby.

Crib 1, 28.5cm x 13.5cm:

Crib 2, 39.5cm x 19cm:

Today one of my neighbours dropped off some squares for our appeal - she had been given them by a lady whose step mum made them but towards the end couldn't sew them up but she wanted them to go to a good home, now they are at my house and another black bag full still to come! Someone will be warmer because of this lady, I've started sewing them up tonight. There are 346 of them so far!

Squares and Hats for Refugees

The staff and pupils at the tiny school I work in (13 pupils) have been busy knitting and crocheting tonight at After School Club. The children are very keen to monitor the progress of the collection for the Syrian refugees so I have taken all that I have so far there for them to see. They have organised it into hats and squares and are keeping count. I have had several phone calls in the past couple of days from people wanting to help, which is fantastic.

A couple of links for you:
The LILY blog, including the latest news of items that have been sent to the refugees and a couple of the latest photos from the LILY facebook page:

These are the organised donations at school:

Including the latest batch of squares and hats made by me (stash busting away!)

 

431g

300g

Stash Busting Progress:

Yarn at start of year: 31,034g

Yarn gained: 450g
Yarn busted: Jan: 1049g, Feb: 1075g, Total: 2124g
Yarn given away: 100g
Yarn in stash: 29,260g

Catch them young!

This is Aimee, daughter of a friend and a pupil at the school I work in. Her mum took this photo tonight, she is knitting a square for our blanket square collection for Syrian refugees, she started straight after her homework!  Pupils at school, after being told about the project, have agreed to help knit squares - and some want me to teach them to crochet! (YIKES!)

Three local businesses - Tagon Stores, Voe; Central Garage, Brae and Shetland Fudge, Lerwick as well as Ollaberry School are acting as collection points. I have put posters around the area and the local care centre is going to ask their day care clients to help too. Hopefully there will be a piece in the Shetland Times on Friday too.

Squares for Syrian refugees

I've started making 8" blanket squares to be made up into blankets for Syrian refugees in Turkey. These people have very little and are living in tents - if they are lucky. Dianne Jones lives in Turkey and is co-coordinating the making of blankets from the squares and also collecting hats, gloves, socks and scarves. Here are a couple of photos taken from her Facebook page  , her blog is here: LILY

No shoes for one boy, just plastic bags!

Imagine giving birth to triplets as a refugee in these conditions!

Love In the Language of Yarn indeed!

My first squares for LILY (205g):

A drop in the ocean of what is needed, but I am encouraging friends and family to join me and the school I work in is going to get involved too.

The address to send squares to is:
LILY C/O Dianne Jones
Turkmen Mahlesi
Ünlü Sokak No 10 D 4
Kuşadasi
Aydin
Turkey

Yarn at start of year: 31,034g
Yarn gained: 450g
Yarn busted: 1769g
Yarn given away: 100g
Yarn in stash: 29,615g

Finished blanket - 400g

My Granny Stripe blanket for Greenfields Africa's Mama Bag Project is finished. It has used up lots of odds and ends to a total of 400g in all. I ave really enjoyed making this and will definitely do another - maybe a bigger one for snuggling into in Lucy colours - once I have cleared enough stash to make room for some more! ;-)

Next stashbusting endeavour - making 8" squares to be made into blankets for Syrian refugees in Turkey. More details here: Love In the Language of Yarn


Yarn at start of year: 31,034g
Yarn gained: 450g
Yarn busted: 1564g
Yarn given away: 100g
Yarn in stash: 29,820g

Granny Stripes blanket

I've started my first granny stripes blanket following a pattern by the amazing Lucy at Attic 24 . I am using it as a stash buster and the resulting blanket will go to Greenfields Africa to wrap a new baby. With only two rows of each colour at a time I can use up lots of odds and ends. I cast on 132 ch to start.

I have also made a hat (95g) and a pair of baby bootees (20g) (photo below, fab easy pattern here ) to get this month's stash busting on the go.

Yarn at start of year: 31,034g
Yarn gained: 450g
Yarn busted: 1164g
Yarn given away: 100g
Yarn in stash: 30,220g