This is another afghan designed from stripes. These stripes are very close to the same size and will probably need less work with edging than some of the other designs. Mountain Haze seems a good name, with green for trees and perhaps meadows, blue for sky, gray for the smoky mornings and lavender for the haze that we often see with the changing sun light. I'll be edging and joining the stripes with blue, and then making a reasonable border of the blue which should make the afghan a good size to snuggle under.
If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you may already know I am trying to get a really good start to the year with making afghans, as we did not make our goal last year. Have you knitted or crocheted an afghan for Bridge and Beyond? If not, would you consider making one...nudge nudge. Remember nothing open or lacey works as well as warm and sturdy. Stitches don't have to be fancy. Color can be your interest instead of stitches. If you have questions, please make contact. Take time to read the afghan tab above .
Thank you for all you do to help the homeless and Bridge and Beyond and please keep up the good works folks. YOU do make an important difference in lives of other human beings.
**The counts on our progress bars are current, the percentages not quite. I'll not be figure the percentages with each update of numbers, but will be updating again next at least by the 20th. I have in fact made a reminder not on my cell phone for the 20th of each month to do percentages. If we're at a milestone, or I just have extra time I may do it more often...but certainly at that scheduled time.
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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.
Love with Loomed Hats? We get a good number of donations of hats made by various sized looms. That certainly shows love to me. People who give of themselves, their time, their talents be it with a crochet hook or a pair of knitting needles, or a loom are indeed showing and sharing the love. What better gift can there possible be beyond giving and sharing love with another human being. To give love, to share love with someone you don't know is truly priceless in my opinion.
Looming is a wonderful way to contribute even when you don't consider yourself a knitter. Looms can be used by a great number of people. Men, women, and children. Particularly good for children who might not yet have the skills to knit or crochet. Maybe you know a teen that might like to contribute and learn a new skill? Looms aren't expensive and they can be a wonderful gift to start someone on a path of crafting for others.
One word of caution, though this picture shows pastels and whites, those are colors we steer clear of for our homeless friends here on Bridge and Beyond. When looms first came out there weren't many patterns beyond a very basic hat to make with them, that's no longer the case. There are looms in many sizes, and shapes that serve a variety of projects. There are also now pattern books to be had to make a variety of items with the looms, including slippers! Have you loomed? Have you purchased looms to teach someone how to craft? If you're making hats from looms, please remember to check out hat tab across the top of the blog to be sure your hat meets the needs of those we serve.
As always, if you have any questions not addressed in any of the tabs across the top of the blog, please email me or use the contact form in the right side bar. Thank you. Our hat goal wasn't made last year, perhaps if we can encourage a new pair of helping hands with a loom, we can improve on that donation number.
**The counts on our progress bars are current, the percentages not quite. I'll not be figure the percentages with each update of numbers, but will be updating again next at least by the 20th. I have in fact made a reminder not on my cell phone for the 20th of each month to do percentages. If we're at a milestone, or I just have extra time I may do it more often...but certainly at that scheduled time
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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.
Look to me like this woman in the picture is being kindhearted by taking something (presumably food), out of her picnic basket to help this young man. I wish we could all immolate this act of kindness. Perhaps you can help someone with food, perhaps money, perhaps a gift card to get food, perhaps with clothing. Perhaps with kind conversation and a meaningful smile. Being kindhearted to people is something we should all strive for. I know I don't always pull it off. Some days you're rushed for time and don't take the time for the extra act of kindness, some days you're unprepared and later wish you had had a gift card with you, or food to share, or a warm coat. Whatever the act of kindness is, it's something anyone receiving it will be appreciative.
Have you actively participated in a week, or a month of random acts of kindness? If you have tell us about your experiences. Perhaps something you've done or seen others do will inspire the rest of us. Perhaps your story will inspire us to invest in another human being.
If you work in or frequently spend time in a downtown area of a large city, you probably come face to face of homeless and others in need more than if you're living in a rural area. Do you visit parks and see folks trying to sleep on a park bench? Tell us what you see, what you think could be done to make life easier or kinder for someone else.
**The counts on our progress bars are current, the percentages not quite. I'll not be figure the percentages with each update of numbers, but will be updating again next at least by the 20th. I have in fact made a reminder not on my cell phone for the 20th of each month to do percentages. If we're at a milestone, or I just have extra time I may do it more often...but certainly at that scheduled time.
**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.
Meet my fellow classmate and friend, Jack Otis. By the hair style you might be able to guess the photo is from the sixty's. 1969 was the graduating year to be exact. Look at that infectious smile and twinkle in his eyes. Now for folks younger then me, seeing this picture -- you might be shocked to see someone dressed for their senior picture. Being barefoot, in casual clothes, outside leaning on a tree or sitting with the family pet was never ever done! The men always wore coats and ties, and the ladies always wore the same blouse for uniformity. Ladies could wear a fluffy cape looking thing the photographer supplied for an extra fee.
Jack Otis graduated from Whetstone High School back in 1969 in Columbus, Ohio. Unlike most of my classmates I didn't know Jack for eons and eons. We didn't attend grade school and junior high together. His family didn't live in the same neighborhood forever, like so many of us. In fact, very little is known about Jack's family. Jack lived with his Dad. None of us knew anything about his mother, except that she wasn't around. Those who knew his home life, remembered his Dad as not being a particularly stable person. Jack was new to our school, he came from someplace in Kentucky. Some classmates believe he moved around a lot.
During those high school years, classmates remember Jack as fun to be with, perhaps even a bit on the wilder side. He was full of life, a bit ornery. Not wild as in bad, but not a mild quiet, stay to oneself type of person. He liked to drink PBR (translation for the younger set, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer). I should also add that drinking at age 18 was legal back in our day. We had what was called low beer, 3.2 and those 18-19 and 20 could drink that, but you had to be 21 to drink hard liquor and or high beer...high beer is the beer that's out now days. 3.2 no longer exists.
Jack like to drive around on old trails in his Bugged Eyed Sprite (sports car). He was chosen to be Nancy Edgars' escort for The Home Coming Court. That was a big deal, back in the day. Jack was popular folks. He was well liked, he was good looking guy...which you can clearly see from his picture.
He was born (as best I can tell from research) on June 14th, 1951. He died in the year 2000, alone and penny-less. He died homeless in the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. He lived in a hobo camp outside the city limits and is buried in a small paupers grave in Pima County, Arizona. That area set aside in the cemetery for those without family, those who are indigent, those who have no means of another burial.
Did Jack choose this life? Did the life choose him? What happened to make this smiling good looking young man die alone and homeless? We know he chose to travel some after graduation, and for a short while, we know a fellow classmate gave him lodging in Tucson. That didn't last long, as Jack returned to the hobo camp and died sometime later. Did his sad unstable home life play into this? Who knows. But, this is the face of homelessness folks. I'm willing to bet you all have someone in your past with a similar story. He was someone's son. He was a friend. It makes me sad to know he's buried in a pauper's grave. The reality that truly anyone can be homeless is a sobering fact.
This isn't a newly written post, but is so important, I thought I would re-cycle it. Homelessness does have a face, it's perhaps easier to ignore the problem if we fail to understand it does indeed have a face, a face of a friend, a relative, a co-worker; or perhaps a neighbor. There are many people who judge homeless in a very negative manner. There is sadly, sometimes a general feeling that homeless people are all criminals, on drugs etc. But, homelessness happens to all kinds of people for all kinds of reasons. Some we understand, some we do not. Can you put a face to homelessness? If so, please share.
It occurs to me, we as a society need to make an investment in our Homeless Population. I feel like that's what we do here on Bridge and Beyond. We knit, we crochet, we loom and we donate hand made items of warmth...but isn't that us, making an investment in these people who are less fortunate than we are? We're investing in their future.
I wish, we as a society were making more of an investment in getting people off the streets. In providing them with a warm roof over their heads. Investing in their future by helping with jobs, and providing mental health services which are so often needed with homeless populations. I know homeless people have been around for ages and at times in our history the population has grown and at other times it has become less, which is awesome; but I believe we need a permanent fix...a permanent investment in the future for people in need.
**The counts on our progress bars are current, the percentages not quite. I'll not be figure the percentages with each update of numbers, but will be updating again next at least by the 20th. I have in fact made a reminder not on my cell phone for the 20th of each month to do percentages. If we're at a milestone, or I just have extra time I may do it more often...but certainly at that scheduled time.
** 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.
We've chatted a lot about being homeless since the first of the year, and shared pictures of the face of homelessness. Some, depending on where you are you see more than others. Another picture, sad picture of a person sleeping on the cold cement. This gentleman has a piece of cardboard and blanket, that's not much. How does one sleep? I find it often difficult to sleep through the night in a warm comfortable bed, can't imagine sleeping on the cold, hard cement with perhaps city noises all around you. I've posted quite a few pictures of that in recent weeks. Still, each picture sadness me.
Cold, and hungry and homeless. We do what we can by knitting, crocheting, and looming hats. There's a hat tab across the top of the blog with information regarding sizes, colors, and fibers. Please take a look and consider making a hat or two to help Bridge and Beyond help the homeless. A hat can make a person feel so much warmer. A hat can keep the cold wind out of your ears and perhaps keep you from getting an ear ache.
If you've knitted or crocheted hats for us before, could I challenge you to make at least one more this calendar year? Please and thanks. We didn't make our goal last year and would like to push a bit to see what we can accomplish this year. Please tell a friend that might help you make a hat or 2.
Thank you for visiting, and reading this blog. Hope to see you again.
**The counts on our progress bars are current, the percentages not quite. I'll not be figure the percentages with each update of numbers, but will be updating again next at least by the 20th. I have in fact made a reminder not on my cell phone for the 20th of each month to do percentages. If we're at a milestone, or I just have extra time I may do it more often...but certainly at that scheduled time.
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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.
