Arapaho Completed After Traveling Miles

 As I was laying out this completed afghan, it occurred to me it almost looked liked it belonged in this living room.  Side chair is blue...soooooooooooo

But, naturally it was not made with this in mind.  This afghan is assembled from strips donated by Katie J.  Over Christmas my Darling Daughter, Christine helped me with designing this and 7 other ghans, and then she managed to get about half the strips edge in light gray from my stash before she had to leave to return home.  I finished up the edging and joining.  The ghan has traveled through Ohio into West Virginia, North and South Carolina.  Got it finished several days after we arrived.  Will get it laundered and do some necessary blocking when we arrive home, so it can make it's final journey to Homeless Families Foundations.      What a nice team effort this afghan was.  This one is titled Arapaho.

**Please scroll back 2 posts to see our final numbers for donations for the year 2012.  AND scroll back 1 post to see the announcement about quilters....AND be sure and check back tomorrow when goals for 2013 will be posted.  With those goals will be some important changes/announcements**

EDITED TO CHANGE NAME FROM LYNN TO KATIE AS THE PERSON WHO MADE THE STRIPS.  SORRY, GOT CONFUSED BY NAME AND EMAIL ADDY FOLKS.

 2013 Donation Totals 
Hats:  22
Scarves: 38 (31 flannel and 7 quilted)
Socks: 6 
Afghans: 1

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

First Donation of 2013

Hats, and socks, and a quilted scarf...keep looking

More quilted scarves, and flannel scarves.....don't stop yet.

Thank you Lola for our first donation of 2013.  Like yesterday's post (if you missed it, please please scroll back and read it),  thought it was scheduled to post, but apparently it was still in draft form.  I can't give you the numbers here as this post was truly in draft form and not completed.  Will have to update with numbers on my return when I can check the note laying on my desk at home.  I can tell you there are 22 hats here and lots of scarves.

Lola is a quilter and wanted to try her hand at making quilted scarves to donate to our cause.  Please click to enlarge the picture so you can see her work.  The scarves are a wonderful size, big enough to wrap around which always makes things warmer.  The red, black and gray is flannel.  Stacks of double thickness flannel scarves.  There are a variety of sizes, many look like they'll work well for young children.  Flannel is soft and so I can these might work well for young children...even when they need to tie across their faces to keep warm.  I'll be checking with the various shelters, and schools to see how the flannel is received/used and let you all know what I learn.

Lola's friend Sue (I hope I'm remembering that right, as mentioned note in home on my desk.), has a sewing shop in Westerville and had all her students make 1 scarf before they made whatever item they had signed up to make. (that's where all the plaid flannel scarves came from.)  I'll edit this post with numbers and name if I remembered it wrong.

We've been a knitting and crochet group now for the past 4 years.  While I don't wish to change that focus, I think as we start our 5th year we'll open up the groups mission to include sewers/quilters.  Our focus has always been HOMEMADE.  It's my belief (and others too), that homemade conveys more hope/love then store bought.  With that in mind, I believe we'll reach out for additional helping hands to sewers/quilters.  I think quilts would make a nice addition to our homemade afghans for Project Welcome Home.  I like the idea of the quilted scarves as they are double thickness with batting.   I think we'll limit it to that for the time being, as I don't want to veer from the need of warmth, and  think most sewn items probably aren't as warm as we need them to be.  So, if you have friends who'd like to help but haven't because they don't knit or crochet....let them know they can assist with making quilts and quilted scarves.  Please remind them to check the scarf and afghan tabs for necessary information about size and colors.

**edited to add numbers**

2013 Donation Totals 
Hats:  22
Scarves: 38 (31 flannel and 7 quilted)
Socks: 6

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

Woot Woot 2012 Awesome End of the Year

Sorry folks had this post in que, or so I thought and it got marked as a draft instead of scheduled to post.  Here are our awesome numbers.  Each and everyone of  you should give yourselves a pat on the back.

Some of you are new to our group and some of you have been with us from the beginning; no matter when you found us and joined in on the important Mission of Helping Homeless, YOU ARE AWESOME.  Together we make a fantastic team.  Some of us knit, some of us loom, some of us crochet, some of us do a bit of all...........what matters is the coming together to help those who are in need.  A single hat or scarf donated can make all the difference in the world to the one person who receives it.

Please keep up the good work, and let's hope we're able to continue to grow.  The more helping hands we have, the more people in need we can reach.  We've been able to reach people in need at free clinics (women and children), people living under bridges (men and women),  people with disabilities who are homeless (women at Nancy's place), families at 3 local family shelters (men, women, and children at Faith Mission, Homeless Families Foundation, and The YWCA), we've helped school age children (Broad Street Elementary, Stiles Elementary, Darby Dale Elm, Highland Elementary, and Teays Valley Middle School), we've donated to men who are receiving a hot meal (Holy Family Soup Kitchen), AND we've been able to extend beyond the boundaries of Franklin County here in Central Ohio.  We've donated items to family shelters through St. Vincent dePaul in Vinton County in Southern Ohio's Appalachia area.

Recently we used donated squares and assembled a comfort afghan (Box of Crayons) for one of the Firemen's Families in Rochester New York.

Yes, we are a team that has reached many and will continue to do so with our collective hearts.

Please stay tuned, I will be announcing some changes as we reach out to reach our goals for the year 2013.

AND Now....drum roll folks here are our final numbers for donations for the year 2012.

Donations: 2012 

Hats 1052  (83 more hats then we donated last year)
Scarves: 666  (195 scarves over what we donated last year)
Slippers: 153 (25 over last year)
Sweaters, Ponchos, Shawls, vests:10
Afghans: 55  (same as last year)
Mittens: 300 (42 more then last year)
Squares: 966 (114 more then last year)
Socks: 281 (52 less pairs then last year)
Rain Poncho's 213 (3 less then last year)
Cotton Washcloths 577 (288 more donated then last year)
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, face-masks, neck warmers, t-shirts, soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes, hand and foot warmers Teddy Bears and footies etc)

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!