Mission Statement

Operations for Bridge and Beyond will cease on Dec 31, 2021, last mailing date should be Dec 24th

GOAL FOR AFGHANS

Afghans
Goal: 30
Start: #24
Current: 26
0.8666%
START
END

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Sister Donating Help Homeless

Thank you Wendy H and Catherine W for your thoughtful donation and on going support of Ohio's Homeless.  The sisters have joined forces once again and crocheted and knitted hats, scarves, and cotton washcloths.  All times are needed and so very much appreciated.  Check out the cute hat with the ties and ear flaps!

Such nice team work ladies, keep up the good work.

2013 Donations:

Hats: 656+8=664
Scarves: 409+8=417
Socks: 251
Afghans: 44
Slippers: 189
Rain Ponchos: 208
Mittens: 98
Cotton Wash Clothes: 654+3=657
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts etc. : 16
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, hand-warmers, cowls/gators/neckwarners and all meal prep related items, Dolls, associated items, stuffed/crocheted/knitted toys... etc aren't tabulated.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

I'm NOT Lazy, I'm Homeless


A few days I posted some stats about the Vets who served our country who are homeless.  It's not the first time I've posted that type of information, nor will it be the last; but through posting that one of our contributors responded with a story so full of heart, I wanted to re-share it he in a post.

I mentioned some people think all homeless are lazy, undeserving of our help.  You've heard that as well, on tv, in the news, from some politicians even.  I know I often see on facebook people posting about how homeless and those on welfare are just people who don't care, who are lazy, who milk the system.  I disagree with that on a variety of levels. And from those statements comes this thoughtful, heart wrenching story............as you read this story think of the people in your life you know are struggling, think of the times in your life that you were struggling.  How far away from homeless are some people, and ......Boom, it's happened you are homeless.

Sandy, I know, like you, some people say that homeless are lazy, etc,, but this is not true!!! I want to share a personal story with you and the others in the group that truly hits home. About 20 years ago I was experiencing difficulties in my marriage. We were basically living paycheck-to-paycheck when my husband (at the time) decided that he wanted to go back home and live with his parents(we were living in Florida at the time and his parents were in Illinois). He left one morning for work and never returned. We had two small children at the time this was happening and I was working full time. He went to the bank and took out every cent that was in the account and also took money out of the ATM for the amount of the overdraft protection ($500). He did all of this while I thought he was at work that day. Needless to say by the next day I realized I was in serious trouble. I was kicked out of my apartment, all of my and my children's belongings were put on the curb of the apartment complex and I found myself homeless with two small children. I thank God every day that I had family members I was able to turn to for help, whereas most do not. I ask that people find compassion when it comes to the homeless because you never know what their situation is or was to have them in the current condition they find themselves. I pray one day this will no longer be an issue or problem anywhere.
Thanks for letting me share my story and may God bless us all. 

Thank you Florence H for sharing this story, and thank you for giving back by being part of this group.  I'm thrilled you were able to take care of your family, and pull out of that mess you found yourself in.  And now, you help others.  Bless you for all you do.

As a child, I often heard my Mother say, "But for the Grace of God, Go I".  I really didn't understand what she meant when I was young; but that is so very very true.  She also used to say no matter how bad you think you've got it, there is someone worse off then you.  Again wise words Mom.  There is always something we can do for others and I thank you all who do just that.

The photo was taken from my back yard about this time last year as the sun was setting, and the leaves had floating to the ground, making the view possible.  I found it inspiring and hope you do as well.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Brown Ripple Crocheted Afghan




A few days ago I posted this with Barbara F.'s donation instead of with Liz E's.  Sorry ladies, got my notes mixed up when I edited the pictures.

This is an awesome afghan, made beautifully and is in colors that are appropriate for anyone...male, female, or a family!  Perfect all the way around.

Thank you Liz and please keep up the good work.

2013 Donations:

Hats: 656
Scarves: 409
Socks: 251
Afghans: 43+1=44
Slippers: 189
Rain Ponchos: 208
Mittens: 98
Cotton Wash Clothes: 654
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts etc. : 16
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, hand-warmers, cowls/gators/neckwarners and all meal prep related items, Dolls, associated items, stuffed/crocheted/knitted toys... etc aren't tabulated.


All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Homeless Veterans

A friend posted this on facebook a few days ago and I thought it most appropriate to share here.  I've often talked about how many homeless men are veterans, but it's a subject that can't be talked about too much in my opinion.  When people talk about homeless as being lazy, low life's I find it upsetting.  Many of these homeless people have served our country and come back from that service broken, unable to get or hold down a job.  We do indeed owe them.

Many homeless are people who've had an illness that depleted their funds, no one chooses to get sick.

Many homeless are children who have no say in what happens.

Homeless need our help, please help.

2013 Donations:

Hats: 656
Scarves: 409
Socks: 251
Afghans: 44
Slippers: 189
Rain Ponchos: 208
Mittens: 98
Cotton Wash Clothes: 654
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts etc. : 16
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, hand-warmers, cowls/gators/neckwarners and all meal prep related items, Dolls, associated items, stuffed/crocheted/knitted toys... etc aren't tabulated.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Gearing up for Those in Need

Folks, it's time to gear up.  Get your knitting needles and crocheted hooks out of summer storage.  Fall and more is truly upon us.  We've actually had snow already......even before the kids go out trick or treating!  That's not a good sign.  I fear we're in for a colder winter then normal, seems we're starting way too early with the below normal temperatures and ........like I said we've already had snow.

Things that are important to remember as we gear up:

  • Remember items need to be warm, no holes, no open stitches.  Avoid stitches like v stitches with crochet.  How do you know if your stitches are too open?  If you can put your fingers through it...it's too open.  Select a smaller hook and or different stitch.  Holes and open stitches make the scarves, hats etc not as warm as they need to be.  Avoid stitches like granny stitches for scarves and hats and other similar stitches.
  • Remember pastels colors get dirty, people don't have the ease of a washing machine; so please avoid pastels, ivory, white and tan.
  • Please avoid wild strips, solids are truly best.  Homeless do not want to call attention to themselves.  Solids work for men, women, teen, and children; while fun stripes may only work for children.
  • Avoid all novelty yarn, suede, cotton, and wool (unless it's washable wool).
  • Please remember to add tags to ALL your hats, mittens, and slippers with the size you made. 
  • Please remember to add a note that includes your name, and your email ady.  Anonymous donations are not accepted.  You can be anonymous to the group/blog by leaving me a note with your donation; but being anonymous to me is not acceptable.
  • We do not collect items sized for babies.
  • PLEASE check the item tab so the item you make meets the requirements for color, size, and fiber.  These requirements are needed so that items made are truly what is needed.


All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Crocheted Donations from the Heart Warm those in Need


Barbara F has crocheted and donated hats, scarves and a mobius along with personal care items she collected on a recent trip.  Nice color and size variations on the hats Barbara, many thanks!

She's also included a re-useable swifter cover for me.  Wasn't that sweet!  I wanted to share it with you all.  Click to enlarge the picture, it's the pretty orange in the middle.  Also, you can see the photo of how it works.  Thought I'd share this idea with you all.  If you're busy making gifts for the upcoming holidays and need ideas.......this is a great one.  What a wonderful stocking stuffer it would be.  Need a couple items on hand for a last minute exchange.........why not whip up a couple of these and have them at the read.  Great idea Barbara, many thanks!  I love being environmental friendly so this surely beats buying those packages of cleaner pads to put on, use once and throw away.


2013 Donations:

Hats: 651+5=656
Scarves: 406+3=409
Socks: 251
Afghans: 43
Slippers: 189
Rain Ponchos: 208
Mittens: 98
Cotton Wash Clothes: 654
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts etc. : 16
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, hand-warmers, cowls/gators/neckwarners and all meal prep related items, Dolls, associated items, stuffed/crocheted/knitted toys... etc aren't tabulated.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Donations for Ohio's Homeless

 Awesome donation of crocheted goodies for our good friend, Liz E (some of you probably know her as minnisoda over in the Ville).  Thank you so much Liz for your thoughtful donation.  Matching hats and scarves..........and all the hats are nicely tagged with size.........truly I love it when folks do this.  She also knitted some cotton washcloths to include in her donation.  All these items are needed and will be so well received by those at the various shelters.
With weather turning nasty, not many flowers and birds migrating from Ohio to warmer places I wanted to share this pretty card.  I love little Hummingbirds anyway and just thought this card was too pretty not to share.  Liz included her note with the above donation.


2013 Donations:

Hats: 646+5=651
Scarves: 403+3=406
Socks: 251
Afghans: 44
Slippers: 189
Rain Ponchos: 208
Mittens: 98
Cotton Wash Clothes: 651+3=654
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts etc. : 16
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, hand-warmers, cowls/gators/neckwarners and all meal prep related items, Dolls, associated items, stuffed/crocheted/knitted toys... etc aren't tabulated.



All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Crocheting to Help Ohio's Homeless

Thank you Rose Marie for your thoughtful crocheted donation.  Rose Marie has been such a good supporter for a good long while.  She's crocheted a matching scarf and hat set, a couple of headbands and writst warmers/fingerless gloves (lower left corner in gold).  She's also included personal care items in her donation for Ohio's homeless.

Please keep up the good work Rose Marie, we surely do appreciate you and your efforts.

2013 Donations:

Hats: 645+1=646
Scarves: 402+1=403
Socks: 251
Afghans: 44
Slippers: 189
Rain Ponchos: 208
Mittens: 98
Cotton Wash Clothes: 651
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts etc. : 16
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, hand-warmers, cowls/gators/neckwarners and all meal prep related items, Dolls, associated items, stuffed/crocheted/knitted toys... etc aren't tabulated.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Hello My Name is

Ok some of you might have already seen this on facebook, but for those that didn't here's a little fun.  What is your knitting designer name?

Take the first letter of your first name...S  and Y for me = Sexy Yarnaholic............and there you have it folks.

Have fun and leave comments as your name.

I do hope everyone is busy knitting and crocheting; we've had more then a handful of nights with frost, leaves are turning color and dropping off trees...........fall is here, and fall for those living outside and or in temporary shelters is cold.

Remember we're highlighting mittens this month, something we never get enough of.  Currently we're well behind where we were last year on the number of mittens donated.

When I posted the stats a few days ago indicating where we are currently compared to where we were at this time last year.

Mittens
98
274
-176

 Currently we've donated 176 fewer mittens then we had at this time last year.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Monday, October 14, 2013

I LOVE YARN DAY


Spotted this the other day on Facebook so thought I'd share it.  Cute logo, but I wasn't aware there was only 1 day to LOVE yarn.  I know you agree....don't we all love it all the time.  Love to look at it, love to squeeze it, love to work with it!

Apparently The Yarn Council has deemed October 11th (which happens to be my hubby's birthday) as I Love Yarn Day.  Well, I officially missed it this year......not his birthday though.  But, I am actually noting that on the calendar so I'll be prepared come October 11th next year.  Suggest you do the same.

How does one celebrate that day...........Massive Yarn Shopping!  Seems to be the only logical answer to me.  How bout you?

If you missed my previous blog post on reflecting on donations, check it out HERE.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Reflecting on our Donations.

Things have been quiet here for some time on Bridge and Beyond. I've not had boxes to open, pictures to post or donations to tell you about.  This has me a bit concerned that folks aren't knitting or crocheting as much.....that they're not donating as much, or as often.  It's been a good long while since I've been able to make a daily blog post to help our SEO ratings etc.


Soooo, I decided to once again compare where we are to where we were.  I'm pleased and quite surprised that despite feeling like donations are down...because posts and comments are way down, our donations are actually in pretty good shape.  Take a look for yourselves.

The numbers reflect where we are based on the previous post and where we were at this time last year.  We're only behind with 2 items...mittens I'm sad to report we are way way off our mark of last year and rain poncho's though technically we are, it's not really noticeable.

This leads me to conclude that people mail less often, putting more in each box.......logical way to save on postage costs.

Thank you all for your continued hard work.

Item
This Year
Last Year
Plus/Minus
Hats
645
632
+13
Scarves
402
347
+55
Socks
251
169
+82
Afghans
44
32
+12
Slippers
189
138
+51
Rain Ponchos
208
209
-1
Mittens
98
274
-176
Cotton Cloths
651
404
+247








All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

A Bakers Dozen

I may be aging myself when I use the expression a Bakers Dozen...but, used to be when you ordered a dozen of something from your local bakery/baker he or she threw in an extra one...13 a bakers dozen.  Not a term you hear much these days...and I can't remember when any threw in an extra something for free.  But, I couldn't help but think of that when I counted the above donation from Karen S, fellow Ohioan.  She sent a bakers dozen of hats and cotton washcloths!  Thank you so much for your thoughtful donation Karen.  Both the crocheted hats and crocheted cotton wash cloths are a great donation; plus you've added 16 pairs of socks......nothing better then warm dry feet!

I love your hat styles with these nice brims...can to share your pattern?  EXTRA Thank You's for tagging all your hats with size, that always makes me smile.  Karen is our newest pair of helping hands.  Thrilled to have you join us Karen and look forward to seeing you here often on Bridge and Beyond.

Gear up your hooks and needles folks, it's time to knit and crochet and donate to help those less fortunate then you.

2013 Donations:

Hats: 632+13=645
Scarves: 402
Socks: 235+16=251
Afghans: 44
Slippers: 189
Rain Ponchos: 208
Mittens: 98
Cotton Wash Clothes: 638+13=651
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts etc. : 16
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, hand-warmers, cowls/gators/neckwarners and all meal prep related items, Dolls, associated items, stuffed/crocheted/knitted toys... etc aren't tabulated.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

It's truly Fall, it's October



WOW.

Where does time go?  Don't know about you all; but for me it seems time goes faster the older I get.  Today is October.  We've had frost and cool temperatures now off and on for a month.  Leaves are changing colors, flowers are gone...a time of year that makes me sigh.  I always hate to see summer come to an end.  It means we're soon to need hats, mittens, scarves and ...as much as I truly dislike winter.......I've got a roof over my head.  I even get to take a vacation to warmer climates.  Not so for our homeless folks.

My arthritis is more bothersome in winter, so I know they too must be hurting living out in the elements, or getting a night here and there in a shelter.  Even those in temporary housing often don't have adequate heat.  So please, if you're one who takes the summer off from knitting and crocheting...do gear up.

October is Mitten Month.  Mittens are something we never get enough of.  For many of us, it's not the easiest of things to make...not a favorite.  I understand the sentiment; but please ...if you're able think mittens, knit mittens, crochet mittens, mitten patterns.  Would love to add some mitten patterns to the mitten tab if you've got one that's quick, easy and WARM.

Thought you might enjoy some leaf play, tis the season; but for me......I just keep thinking about the less nice part of fall and what I know will soon follow.

OCTOBER IS MITTEN MONTH


All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Where are You and Your Yarn From?

I'm trying to identify where everyone is from, partially for fun. Take a look at the map. Also, believe it will aid me in cases where we have several people with the same name. Please look at the lists of bloggers and non bloggers and see if I have the state you hail from. If not, please leave a comment and let me know.

Additionally, we've had help from Scotland, England, Germany Puerto Rico, Canada, and France! They don't appear on the map, but their help is still greatly appreciated.

Where The People Who Donate Come From, is your state represented?