A Cocoon of Yarn, Blogging in Alphabetical Order

 Purchased this ball winder some time back.  And did lots of winding.  You wind hanks or skeins of yarn into yarn cakes.  Cakes are slightly different than yarn balls.  Cakes generally aren't wound tightly, and usually have an inside pull.  Yarn balls can be pretty tight (cause you typically wind by hand), and unroll outside in.

 A cocoon of yarn also seems quite appropriate.  If you click to enlarge you'll see a bit of an indent in the center of these cakes...Something could nestle right down in there......be protected, just like insects are when in a Cocoon

It so happens much of yarn cakes you see above are being used in the afghan Learning Logs I'm currently working on.

Here's a poem, my darling SIL Jan, and her friend Kathy wrote for Bridge and Beyond a few years back.  It's such a sweet poem, thought it worth a share again.

A cocoon of yarn

Awaits the magic of

Hand and Hook

What will I be?

Scarf,

hat,

afghan,

love

*copyrighted

**The counts on our progress bars are current.  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.

How Can You Help the Homeless?

Since it's early in our new year, 2018, thought I'd post some ideas.  These ideas are ways you can help the homeless.  Maybe you've been here to the blog, Bridge and Beyond before; but have forgotten ways to help the homeless.........maybe you're new to reading this blog.  In either case, here's some ideas of things you can do to make life better for a homeless Man, Women, or Child.

• If you knit, or crochet or loom...the most obvious way to help is to knit, crochet, or loom hats, scarves, mittens, slippers, and afghans.
• If you don't knit, crochet or loom, but know someone who does ....buy them yarn to encourage them to knit, crochet or loom something to donate to Bridge and Beyond.
• If you don't knit, crochet or loom, and don't know the first thing about buying yarn, offer to pay postage for someone who does knit, crochet or loom and would make and donate something for Bridge and Beyond.
• Whether you knit, crochet, or loom or not..........visit the blog daily.  Why?  How does that help?  It helps traffic to the blog, which helps with the search engine optimization of the blog, which helps more people find us easier when searching for charities to knit, crochet or loom for.
• Take your blog visit a step farther, leave a comment.  Why?  The more time spent on the blog also aids the search engine optimization (SEO), and it encourages others to leave comments.  If you're a blogger you can leave your name and url to your blog.  Please leave the blog url, not a google+page url.  I'll return the visit, but can't if you're google+
• Regardless of whether or not you're a knitter, crocheter, or loomer or not......spread the word by sharing the link to the blog in your email contacts, and on your social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc.
• If you knit, crochet, or loom in public (planes, lunch at work, etc) have a card or two with you with the name and url of the blog.  Why?  People often ask what you're making when you're knitting, crocheting and or looming in public, right?  When they do tell them what you're making and why........offer them the card so they can check out the blog
• What is the url?  http://homelessbridge.blogspot.com/    you can also tell them to google Bridge and Beyond.
• Share the link to the Facebook Group    https://www.facebook.com/groups/246918975439091/?ref=bookmarks
• If you are not a knitter, crocheter or loomer, you can help by collecting personal care items which are needed all year long.  They are needed in Summer, Spring, Fall, and Winter.  You can buy personal care items, or you can collect items from hotels when you and your friends and family travel.
• Socks......store bought socks are always needed.  You don't need to be a knitter, crocheter, or loomer to donate socks.  Socks for men is the primary need.  When living outdoors the danger of wet cold feet is very real.  To have warm dry socks to change into can help keep people alive.

**Did you see our donation stats for the last 5 years?
----Thank you to those who donated in 2017

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.

Knit, Crochet for the Homeless or do Housework?

Thought you all might appreciate the above.  Spotted this on Facebook a few days ago and wanted to share.  Naturally this works just as well to insert Crochet.

Though we're inching on up Spring, we've had snow twice in recent days, temps still below freezing in the evening and early morning, so I do hope everyone is still busy working with their yarn, knitting needles, and or crochet hooks........the need truly does continue, and will for some time yet.  Spring here in Central Ohio is still quite chilly, and wet usually, so plenty of time left to get your donations finished and donated to someone in need.

Thank you.


**Still looking for a Jane B from Minnesota

2016 DONATIONS:
Hats:  318
Scarves:   158
Mittens/Gloves/Wrist Warmers:  97
Slippers: 77
Rain Poncho's:  105
Cotton Washcloths:  414
Afghans:   18
Socks:  189
Cowls/Hoody Combo's, headbands:  9
Shawls and shrugs, ponchos, sweaters & vests etc 0
Misc: items like personal care, headbands etc and things don't fit into above categories aren't counted

Please note the category of shawl, shrugs, ponchos etc has reached our little goal, same as last year of 1.........but please please please.........don't let that stop you from making more of these items.

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.

Do You Have a Plan, and a T-Shirt?

LOL....a little chuckle for you alol.  It's been awhile since there's been a new post, I've been out of town and was only able to schedule so many posts ahead.  Many thanks to all who continued to visit and leave comments: Marjorie, Betty, Birgit, SSeger, Lisa, Claire, and Tamara; as well as to those who visited who didn't leave comments.  I truly appreciate your daily visits to the blog to see what's going on, who's donated and to support each other with positive comments.  I do wish I could urge more of you to not be shy and leave comments when you pop in for a visit.

I got into town in the wee hours this am, 1:30 ish and still have much catching up to do with regard to emails, comments on blogs, blog visits, opening and photographing donations and writing new blogs posts.........please bare with me.  In the meantime, thank you to:Pauline B, Sandra R, and Susan H for your donations........they await my processing which will happen in the next several days.

Please stay tuned!

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.

In a Dream World

In a dream world....all of us would have a craft room and in that craft room would be comfy sitting, ample storage, superior lighting, and creative juices would flow!  Who's with me.  So you have this really cool peg board and on it you hang your beautiful and colorful yarn, you have containers with your needles and other important tools.  You look up, like a color......and walla you snatch it, make yourself cozy, someone brings you your favorite beverage and you begin..........to make any and everything....yes, yes, in a dream world.  And in that dream world your beautifully displayed yarn would not get dusty, and heck..........let's take our dream one step further, in our dream world we'd be knitting, crocheting, and looming something frivols because there would be no homeless problem.

If only...........until then, let's keep our needles and yarn and hooks, wherever and how ever we store them busy busy.

Just had to share this

I want to thank all the new visitors supporting us through their visits and thoughtful comments from The A-Z challenge and am thrilled some of our new friends are busy and knitting and crocheting and or looking to see what they might do to help, either here or in their own areas.  We need to continue to spread the information about the severity of homelessness and spread the news about what can be done throughout our country.
**I am continuing to visit through the road trip linky and so the list of visitors/commenters by way of the blog log keeps changing.  Some have fallen by the wayside, as often happens after a blog challenge,while others have been added.

2015 DONATIONS:
Hats: 219
Scarves 87
Mittens/Gloves/Wrist Warmers: 45
Slippers: 63
Rain Poncho's:  55
Cotton Washcloths: 177
Afghans: 11
Socks: 147
Cowls/Hoody Combo's/ 17
Shawls 1
Misc: items like personal care and things don't fit into above categories aren't counted

HAVE YOU READ ABOUT THE CONTEST?  HAVE YOU STARTED?  DETAILS 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.

What is Crochet

 This afghan, titled Blue Sky

And this afghan titled Purple Iris are crocheted and on their way to our friend Sarah S to be assembled.  This won't be the easiest of jobs, as you can see the squares aren't the same size, in fact a few in Blue Sky are rectangles and not squares; but she has graciously agreed to lend me a helping hand by putting these together.  Thrilled to have some help on that score.  Many thanks Sarah, we're all looking forward to seeing the end products.

 Today's A-Z challenge is C.  C=crochet.  The two afghan above will be assembled then donated as part of our project for "Welcome Home".  Crocheted and knitted afghans are donated to Homeless Families Foundation discussed in the A post Here

**For new readers, I always name the afghans, based on what they look like.  And when I get stumped some of the good folks who donate to Bridge and Beyond turn their creative juices on and help with the naming as well.

So what is crochet...well wiki says:

Crochet (English pronunciation: /kroʊˈʃeɪ/;^[1] French: [kʁɔʃɛ]^[2]) is a process of creating fabric from yarn, thread, or other material strands using a crochet hook.^[3] The word is derived from the French word "crochet", meaning hook. Hooks can be made of materials such as metals, woods, or plastic and are commercially manufactured as well as produced by artisans. 

Some folks get confused about crochet vs knitting.  Crochet is as stated above a hook...knitting is 2 needles.

I learned to crochet when I was very young, about 7 I think from a friends Grandmother.  My friend Pam's Grandmother made magical things from string...that's what it seemed like to me.  I'd sit beside her and watch, and probably drove the poor woman nuts with all kinds of questions.  Then one day...she handed me a red plastic crochet hook and a ball of mint green yarn and proceeded to show me how to make a dollie.  I'm sure it was lovely, lol.  Anyway, it's a fond memory and I was very proud of that green dollie....no clue what happened to it though.  Mom probably, being a good Mother used it until I lost interest, lol

I didn't crochet anything else until years later when my husband was working and going to college.  I had a lot of alone time, time on my hands and decided I needed a hobby.  I think the next thing I made was 

a green vest, very similar to the blue one in this old hippie pattern.  In fact, I think I had this pattern book, or at very least I actually remember looking at it.  Thankfully my skills have improved and what you can make with crocheting has improved.  The yarn now available is 100% better then what used to be available.  AND, it's very popular again, it's not just for Grandma's.

2015 DONATIONS:
Hats: 179
Scarves 67
Mittens/Gloves/Wrist Warmers: 45
Slippers: 50
Rain Poncho's:  53
Cotton Washcloths: 109
Afghans: 6
Socks: 126
Cowls 12
Shawls 1
Misc: items like personal care and things don't fit into above categories aren't counted


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.