Yarn and More Aid Homeless in Ohio

Wow!  Look at this wonderful donation from our good friend and long time supporter, Gail B.  Gail has crocheted a wonderful blue scarf that's suitable for a man or woman both in color and size.  AND she's included some nice yarn.  Can hardly wait to get started on something using the yean.

AND this super warm green afghan.  Click please to see the detail.  I believe this is made with multiple strands of yarn to make it so thick...or perhaps it was chunky yarn?  Whichever, people are going to be thrilled to receive this.  It will definately keep someone in need warm.

Many thanks Gail for your generosity and your on going support.  Please keep up the good work.

2016 DONATIONS:
Hats:     74
Scarves: 70-1=69
Mittens/Gloves/Wrist Warmers:  66
Slippers:   36
Rain Poncho's:   +106
Cotton Washcloths:  274
Afghans:  5-1=4
Socks:   108
Cowls/Hoody Combo's, headbands:   7
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.  Likewise note we've definitely reached our goal for rain poncho's.  Rain ponchos's serve many purposes so we will probably still need some....down the line, but not for awhile.

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.

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.

Donating Yarn to Help Ohio's Homeless

Please join me in welcoming our newest pair of helping hands, Frances P from New Jersey for this thoughtful and generous donation of yarn.  What a wonderful mix of colors.  This yarn will be used no doubt to assemble afghans from donated squares.  Though...sometimes I use it to give away to others who are in need of yarn to help our cause.  In any case, it will be put  to good use.

Many thanks Frances!  Hope to see you here often on Bridge and Beyond, and again many thanks for your thoughtful donation.

2015 DONATIONS:
Hats: 408
Scarves &  Infinity Scarves: 186
Mittens/Gloves/Wrist Warmers: 113
Slippers: 91
Rain Poncho's:  105
Cotton Washcloths: 444
Afghans: 23
Socks: 201
Cowls/Hoody Combo's/ 18
Shawls 2
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.

Using Donated Yarn

This is the start of a patch work style afghan.  Truly only a start.  These blues are from my stash of donated yarn.  This will indeed be a long term project, as it's a learning project for me.  I've not knitted with multiple colors before so this grill stitch using 2 colors is a first for me.  It's always nice to learn new skills or techniques.  Sometimes I find I don't do that, I stick with what I know in order to move through the process faster.  So this got me thinking, wondering what your knitting and or crocheting style is with regard to donating?  Do you stick with the tried and true or do you venture out of your comfort zone?

As I age, I realize how important it is to keep learning, so am going to work...probably pretty slowly through this patchwork sampler style afghan learning new techniques as I go.  I ripped this out and started over after about 2.5 inches...but think I'm ok now with this beginning stage.  Will let you know how I progress...or not, as the case may be.

Tell me about your style in the comments below.  Tried and true or adventurous?  Neither is right or wrong, but I am interested.

**I should note mixing yarns like I did for this square, probably wasn't the best of ideas.  Been so long since I've used Caron Simply Soft I'd forgotten how untrue to gauge it is.  Wonder why they classify it as WW, seems like it should almost be in the sport weight class or perhaps DK?  Thank goodness this is a pretty stretchy stitch, otherwise using it with Red Heart WW would probably not work at all**

2015 Donations:
Hats: 55
Scarves:12
Mittens: 18
Slippers: 20
Rain Poncho's: 3
Cotton Washcloths:13
Afghans:1
Socks: 7
Fingerless gloves/wrist warmers:
Cowls/Infinity scarves: 11
Shawls: 1 (just realized it wasn't listed, don't think I missed any?)
Misc: personal care items and anything not listed above

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.

Knitted Striped Afghan on the Needles to be Donated to Homeless

Folks, I've dug back through the blog here on Bridge and Beyond to review of bit of history for us regarding afghans.  In 2011 we knitted, crocheted and donated 55 afghans, in 2012 we knitted and crocheted the same number 55, in 2013 we came close making and donating 53....just 2 afghans less, and in 2014 we made and donated 32, 23 less then the previous year of 2013.  In those 4 years we averaged 49 donated afghans a year.  This years number of 23 is obviously lower than all those years, lower than average by 17.  With that in mind, I'm sharing a picture of a start to a knitted striped afghan currently on my needles.  I started this ghan last week while out of town on a "girls getaway".  Love the colors.  This yarn was donated by our good friend and long time supporter, Gail B.  You might remember seeing some of this yarn....HERE

I had thought I'd knit a ripple, but in all honesty, we were talking so much I decided I needed something I didn't have to think about, not even counting, and soooooooo nothing fancy, the colors will be the main design feature vs the pattern or stitches.  The stripes will not be even, as I'm basing it on the amount of yarn I have in each color.

Thought it might be fun to know the history and background of the word afghan.  In a quick google search I found some limited information on several sources, including by not limited to Wikipedia.  An afghan is a coverlet, used on chairs, couches, and beds.  The word in English was first used by novelist Thomas Carlyle in his "Sartor Resartus in 1833.  It came from an area in Afghanistan, people known for their textiles.  There are many styles of afghans, some made in one piece, as above, some pieced together like granny style squares.  The history of granny squares seems to be up in the air, though presumed to be named for "granny" the person in each family most likely to piece together a blanket made of scraps of wool back in the day.  The motives style afghan is thought to come from rugs designed in Afghanistan used  in the Colonial period that came from The Middle East.

Crocheting an afghan tends to be far faster then knitting one, while knitted afghans tend to use a bit less yarn, and be less heavy weight wise.  Though I believe both knitted and crocheted afghans are equally warm.........particularly if they are both solid styles or styles where stitches are pretty close together.

What style afghans do you like to make?  How many afghans do you have in your home?  Have you made and donated an afghan?  Did you see the granny style crocheted afghan my Great Grandmother made in the previous post?  If not, please scroll back.

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.

Donations Help the Homeless

 Thank you Barbara F for your thoughtful and generous donation of hats, cotton washcloths, yarn, cowls, hats and a shawl.

Thank you for taking the time to tag your hats with size, it helps save time both here at my house and again at the various shelters.  Love the colors in the shawl, what a pretty combination.  Someone will be really happy to receive it.

Please keep up the good work, Barbara; we're thrilled to have you among us here on Bridge and Beyond.

I'm wanting you all to encourage each other by commenting on each others work, thus the need to see things better, which is why I'm including fewer things in each picture.   However, in recent weeks......we're running into a technical problem.  I have NEVER enabled those awful captcha's.  I personally hate them, find them hard to see and so have always chosen not to use them on ALL my blogs.  For some reason I've not been able to determine, even though it is NOT enabled on any of my 5 blogs, people are all of sudden are having trouble making comments.  It seems from those I've asked to test it, that people who blog do not have trouble, they do not get the captcha's, but those that are not bloggers are and some aren't able to see or hear them properly........therefore our comments are much lower...in fact, they've almost come to a dead halt which is very disturbing and hurtful to the blog.  I am continuing to investigate, but if anyone out there has a clue..........please speak up.  In the past people could use name and url, leave url empty if they didn't have a blog etc....now some are needing to sign as anonymous and add their names in the text of the comments.  I check my spam folder constantly for fear some of those anonymous comments will be directed to the spam folder.  But, in the meantime folks, PLEASE continue to try to leave comments on each others work.

Please stay tuned folks for totals.  All items received prior to the end of 2014 will be tallied in that year, even though the posts will appear in the year 2015.  

If you're traveling for the holiday, please be safe folks.

2014 DONATIONS:
Hats: 880+8=888
Scarves: 470
Socks: 193
Afghans: 29
Slippers: 108
Rain Ponchos: 61
Mittens & Gloves:120
Wrist Warmers/Fingerless gloves: 4
Cotton Washcloths: 329+2=331
Misc. (Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts, cowls/mobius,  and Shrugs etc.) aren't tabulated.
Personal Care Items: Shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, cream, hand warmers, lipbalm, floss, soap, shaving cream, razors 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.

Crocheted Hats, Scarves and Yarn being Donated

 This is the second half of Gail B.'s donation folks.  If you were here a few days ago you saw wonderful yarn she donated.  Additionally, her hooks been busy.  Here are 3 more awesome scarves in nice dark colors.  You know how I LOVE nice dark colors.  They don't show the dirt which is a huge consideration for folks living in the elements and or shelters where doing laundry is very difficult if possible at all.  AND dark colors work for men, women, and children.  Lighter colors are much more limited in whom they're appropriate for.

As you can see, Gail's also crocheted hats and tagged them with size.  Many thanks Gail B.  Gail's been a long time and very generous supporter of Bridge and Beyond.  We're thrilled to have her with us in our efforts to warm Ohio's Homeless and others in need.

Keep up the good work Gail B.

2014 DONATIONS:
Hats:719+2=721
Scarves: 351+4=356
Socks: 171
Afghans: 17
Slippers: 85
Rain Ponchos: 61
Mittens & Gloves:78
Wrist Warmers/Fingerless gloves: 3
Cotton Washcloths: 299
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts, cowls/mobius,  and Shrugs etc. 13

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.

Donating Yarn and More

 Thank you Gail B for this thoughtful donation and your on going and long time support of Bridge and Beyond.  We certainly value all you do.  Gail has donated some yarn that will get put to good use and scarves she's crocheted.  Gail's work is always wonderful, and I love how she uses nice dark colors suitable for men or women.

I love the rust and blues together here, they might just stay paired like that to make a ghan?  They might be needed elsewhere, time will tell, but solid rust and variegated rust with the two shades of blue make me see stripes or ripples or...........um.  We shall see what they choose to become.  We all know sometimes the yarn speaks to us, lol.

Many thanks Gail, as always please keep up the good work.

2014 DONATIONS:
Hats:701
Scarves: 345+2=347
Socks: 171
Afghans: 17
Slippers: 85
Rain Ponchos: 61
Mittens & Gloves:78
Wrist Warmers/Fingerless gloves: 3
Cotton Washcloths: 299
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts, and Shrugs etc. 13

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.

Yarn A Plenty

Yarn stash fun!  This is more of the yarn donated by Mary K through her daughter Dianne O.  If you didn't read the story of the Friday night parking lot "drop".  You might enjoy reading about HERE.

 See all the pretty yarn, gorgeous colors........projects galore.  All this means the ability to help more people.  Bet you're wanting to run your fingers through it, and squeeze it.

Like those commercials squeezable soft.  lol   Again many many thanks Dianne O for making this happen, it is truly appreciated.

**Carol C, come out..come out, wherever you are.  Looking for your email addy, please make contact with me.  Thank you**

2014 DONATIONS:
Hats: 623
Scarves: 331
Socks: 141
Afghans: 16
Slippers: 77
Rain Ponchos: 61
Mittens & Gloves: 68
Wrist Warmers: 1 
Cotton Washcloths: 247
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts, and Shrugs etc. 13
Neck warmers, cowls, gators,  and other misc items aren't tabulated; as well as personal care item

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.

Yarn Stash of Many Colors Helps Homeless

 Pick a color...go ahead give it a try.  See if in this picture

 Or this picture

Or...........maybe this picture you can find darn near ever possible color of yarn.  Think how much this donation of yarn will help the many people we serve.  What a generous generous donation.  It occurred to me when the "drop" took place people might have wondered what in the world was going on.  lol

Dianne O, fellow Ohioan contacted me indicating her mother has quite a stash of yarn, could no longer crochet...could I use it?  Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity.  Picture this though, Dianne lives in one area of town and works fairly far the other direction and I'm located...sorta in the middle.  We arrange to meet in a parking lot right off the freeway on a Friday evening.  I didn't want her to have to fight traffic getting back on the freeway so, on a stormy Friday evening traffic night...we rendezvous in an otherwise empty parking lot.  Being Friday, the start to everyone's wkend, no doubt they had all booked!  We quickly start piling the bags and containers that had been in her car in my car. And in short order, we both sped away in opposite directions.  

These 3 pictures is NOT the entire generous donation.  Dianne's mother, Mary K kept her yarn in really good shape and I already have many plans as to how it will be used.  Sadly, Mary's not able to continue her hobby of crocheting, something she really enjoyed; but we will make wonderful use of generosity in donating this fabulous yarn stash.   

I mentioned sometime back I'm currently breaking up pictures (to aid in having daily posts, and to have more close up's so the donation can be seen better by you all), so stay tuned and see the rest of Mary and Dianne's donation as time goes by.

I know in the not to distant future, I'll be working on a pink afghan from squares that are at the ready and I see some pink yarn that I think will be perfect for the projects completion.

Many thanks Mary K, and Dianne O for this awesome donation.

**Folks, I'm still trying to contact a Carol C who sent a donation, I can't find an email addy.  The return address on the box is a military type address, so I don't know where it came from, if Carol C is out there..........please make contact with me here on the blog in the way of a comment, or through the contact form in the right sidebar.**

2014 DONATIONS:
Hats: 619
Scarves: 331
Socks: 141
Afghans: 16
Slippers: 77
Rain Ponchos: 61
Mittens & Gloves: 68
Wrist Warmers: 1 
Cotton Washcloths: 247
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts, and Shrugs etc. 13
Neck warmers, cowls, gators,  and other misc items aren't tabulated; as well as personal care item

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.

Yarn Balls a Plenty

 Thank you Sandra L, fellow Ohioan for this thoughtful donation of yarn.  Sandra L and I know each other from a love of history and of graveyards.  Now that might sound a bit odd, but a group of folks whom initially met on line through find a grave, get together periodically and tromp graveyards.  It was on such a tromp through Green Lawn Cemetery here in Columbus where I first met Sandy.  She's a walking history book and is very involved with a special program they have called, First Saturday.  If you're interested in history or enjoy the peace, serenity, or beautiful art work an old cemetery such as Green Lawn has, I encourage you to go.

Sandy is a fellow crocheter who can no longer crochet due painful hands.  She recently cleaned out some closets and asked if I could some yarn?  LOL, if you know me, or have read this blog before you know the answer to that question.  She and I recently got together and had breakfast, visited and I found a home for her yarn balls.  Lots of colors, I may start a scrappy ghan, or I may use these colorful balls of yarn to make some of those wrists warmers I posted the pattern for yesterday.  In fact, I think that's a perfect use.  Thank you Sandy for the yarn donation.  I'm sorry you can no longer crochet; but know that your donation will serve others.

Adding Wrist Warmers/Fingerless gloves to our actual count now.  What is the correct name for them?

**Still looking to make contact with a Carol C with a military address, please if you're reading this send me a pm with the contact form**

2014 DONATIONS:
Hats: 619
Scarves: 331
Socks: 141
Afghans: 16
Slippers: 77
Rain Ponchos: 61
Mittens & Gloves: 68
Wrist Warmers: 1 (the yellow pair pictured yesterday)
Cotton Washcloths: 247
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts, and Shrugs etc. 13
Neck warmers, cowls, gators, wrists warmers/fingerless gloves and other misc items aren't tabulated; as well as personal care item

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.

Pretty and Practical Donations for Ohio's Homeless

Thank you Barbara F for this very thoughtful donation.  Cute headbands, and hat and a circle/mobius/infinity style scarf.  Very nice.  Barbara's also sent us some really nice plastic bags.  Look at the bag the yarn is in..These are zip locks, large ones with a handle.  These will be perfect for our afghans that are donated to Homeless Families Foundation.  A nice bag to carry them, to keep them clean, and to see them so when selections are made for family x y z, they can see the colors etc.  I think it bumps up our presentation a notch are too.  Many thanks for finding these Barbara.

And look how pretty the Lion Brand Homespun is.  I think I can probably get two scarves out of this....then again it might work well with some I  have on hand for ghan........hum, time will tell.  Rest assured it will get put to good use.

Please keep up the good work.

*Please remember to tag hats, mittens, and slippers with the size you've made.  The above white tags work well, but you can also cut index cards and attach.*

**Have you joined the facebook group yet?**

2013 Donation Totals:
Hats:  279+1=280
Scarves: 232+1=233
Socks:130
Afghans: 10
Slippers: 107
Rain Ponchos:202
Mittens: 20
Cotton Wash Clothes: 164
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's: 4
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, handwarmers, cowls/gators and all meal prep related items, etc aren't tabulated

***and this blog post is #987 just 13 post away from 1,000. I'm announcing a contest right now. Starting today and running through the 1,000th post. Everyone who visits and the blog and leaves a comment on the blog will have their name entered into a hat....I will draw a name or names......depending on how many entries we have and the winners will receive...............goodies. I'll leave it at that, goodies. Now who doesn't like to win something? Help us celebrate our longevity and this milestone blog post.***

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.

Donations from The Golden State

Thank you Tracey for this thoughtful donation of yarn. I may make an afghan with some of it, I'm seeing an image in my mind....then again, there's enough to make some wonderful warm hats and scarves as well, and some cotton washcloths from the cotton. Rest assured it will get put to good use. Thanks so much, it's great to see you again here on Bridge and Beyond.

Tracey hails from the state of California, The Golden State. First thing that popped into my head when I looked that up was the gold rush. According to the description that is only part of the reason it has that nickname. They referred to the prominence of golden poppies that populate the state in spring. Gotta say that was surprise, I've been to California on vacation a number of times and have never seen a golden poppy, but...perhaps I've been there at the wrong time. The other reason it's called that of course...The Golden Gate Bridge.

2012 Donations:
Hats: 328
Scarves: 212
Slippers: 65
Shawls: 2
Sweaters 3
Vest 1
Afghans: 22
Mittens: 141
Squares: 332
Socks: 116
Rain Poncho's 177
Cotton Washcloths 257
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, facemasks, neck warmers, t-shirts, soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes etc)

**Asking you all to hold mailing squares for the time being. I have a large supply on hand, and need to free up some space before accepting anymore. Just lay them aside for the time being. After making up a few more ghans, I'll design a few more and will sing out to let you all now. Thanks.**

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!

Donated Yarn Makes Possibilities

Thank you Nikki S for this thoughtful yarn donation. Yarn donations make possibilities, yarn could become hats, scarves, afghans, and more. Yarn might get used here, and might be added to prizes for one of our contest for our hard working big hearted knitters and crocheters who donate needed items. The brown,tan,white variegated yarn is much appreciated and my mind shifted in creative gear as soon as I opened the box.

**Speaking of contest.........hey folks, we've got one going right now. It started on Feb 14th and runs til the middle of next month, do check it out. Details on the 14th's post.**

2012 Donations:
Hats: 98
Scarves: 28
Slippers: 20
Shawls: 2
Afghans: 7
Mittens: 75
Squares: 79
Socks: 42
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves etc)

***Size and color requirements for all items listed in tabs across the top of the blog, as well as patterns (some of which have been used in the donations received).***

Did you know, we...Bridge and Beyond hit publication again? Please read the post HERE

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!

Did Someone Say YARN?

Laurie (luvs2sing on RAV), donated more green yarn...well maybe aqua? I'm seeing some scarves and hats from this soft yarn...stay turned folks. Many thanks Laurie. Now...check this out. Not only did she donate more yarn; but she while enjoying a shopping venture at The Yarn Market in Pinkerington, she was talking about Bridge and Beyond. You know, spreading the news AND

These lovely and generous mound of yarn was then donated by Deborah K. WOWZER, this is fabulous. Thanks so much Laurie for your thoughtful donation, thank you for spreading the word, and many thanks to Deborah for finding out these wonderful yarn to donate to the cause. Hats, scarves and more will come from this lovely mound of donated yarn. Many many thanks!!

2011 Donations:

Scarves 459
Hats 934
Mittens 253
Socks 333
Squares 825
Rain Ponchos 216
Cotton Washcloths 339
Sweaters/Poncho's 10
Slippers 115
Afghans 46 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands, shawl, hot packs, or yarn etc.

**Please spend time looking around the blog....changes are constant, new information all the time**

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!

Mish Mosh can Be FUN

Thank you Vickie C from Ohio for this thoughtful donation of yarn and squares. Mish Mosh can be fun. One just never knows what it will become, what it will look like when it grows up and is joined with other goodies! lol I'll be checking my stash when it comes time to creating something from these cute bright colored squares. Vickie is our newest pair of helping hands, hope to see you here often.

2011 Donations:

Scarves 454
Hats 931
Mittens 253
Socks 333
Squares 641+34=675
Rain Ponchos 216
Cotton Washcloths 339
Sweaters/Poncho's 10
Slippers 110
Afghans 46 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands, shawl, hot packs, or yarn etc.

As the year approaches an end, I'd like you all to spend some time looking around the blog. New things have been added, additional information. Through time our mission has changed a bit. Please read the updates. The part of our mission though that has remained constant is our quest to help those in need with handmade...hand knit/crocheted/loomed items. Handmade sends such an important message of hope.

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!

Donating Yarn to the Ohio Homeless

Cheryl B, fellow Ohioan donated a box of left over yarn she had in hopes it could be put to good use. I assured it would. You might know Cheryl from Rav as Cheryl1973. Some of above yarn is wool so will be used most likely for those outdoors and mixed with some darker colors. We're happy to have you join us Cheryl, and hope to see you here often. The more, the merrier.

*****Please avoid open and lacy stitches, if you can see your hand through the item, and or poke your finger through...it's too lacy and not warm enough. *****

2011 Donations:

Scarves 407
Hats 903
Mittens 247
Socks 2318
Squares 567
Rain Ponchos 8208
Cotton Washcloths 338
Sweaters/Poncho's 10
Slippers 100
Afghans 44 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands, shawl, hot packs, or yarn etc.

I'm very pleased and excited to see our numbers of donated items continue to grow and hope we see lots more of the same. As the numbers grow, I know we'll be able to help more folks in need. Wouldn't it be wonderful to hit 1,000 this year in hats donated? Or 500 scarves, knowing each item helps some cold man, woman, or child in need.

As a way to remind, and reflect as we approach years end....We help Men living outdoors, truly under bridges. We donate to men luckily enough to get a night here and there in a shelter through Faith Mission. We donate to men trying to keep their families in tact through The Homeless Families Foundation, and we help men living in temporary housing through The YWCA also a family shelter where people are trying hard to get back on their feet.

Tomorrow's post will review the women we aid, please check back.

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!

Donated yarn and Squares

Jack Otis Memorial Month, Day 10

Box 1 contained yarn and cute squares from fellow classmate and friend Connie. Connie and I attended school together.................a few years back. She and I have enjoyed re-connecting on Facebook, much more regularly then class reunions. She indicated she had come across this ghan start and yarn in closet during some recent cleaning. Feeling she wanted to help, and probably wouldn't get back to this project....she forwarded it to me.
Box 2 contained more squares and yarn. 27 squares in all plus some circle starts. I plan to utilize her squares in a ghan for a little girl for our Welcome Home Project. I used the name Pink Petuna recently in an oddball blanket start through another charity group. I see that name as perfect for this project as well. Though I probably won't make all the squares exactly the way her pattern originally called for....a ghan will be made, and the yarn will be used for this and other projects for our cause. Connie was also a classmate of Jack Otis, so how fitting is this that she found and donated her goods for this month when we're honoring and remembering our friend Jack.

Thank you fellow Ohioan, Connie for your thoughtful donation. Hope to see you here at Bridge and Beyond frequently.


2011 Donations:

Scarves 375
Hats 809
Mittens 155
Socks 153
Squares 516+27=543
Rain Ponchos 84
Cotton Washcloths 324
Sweaters/Poncho's 9
Slippers 91
Afghans 42 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands or yarn etc.

**Can you help us spread the word? Send our link with a personal message to everyone in your email box, please and thanks**


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!

Donating to Family Shelters in Need

Thank you Jeannette J for this thoughtful donation of 3 crocheted scarves, 3 fleece throws, 1 pair of slippers, 2 crocheted hats, and sock yarn (4). These throws went to our Welcome Home project for The Homeless Families Foundation. The grey and white perfect for a family homewarming gift. I marked the other 2 for a young boy which is great cause we had a couple of afghans suitable for little girls.

Folks be sure and click to enlarge the picture so you can see the nice detail on the brown hat upper right that matches the scarf. Very nice!

About 1 week left of October Mitten Month.

Next up November, Jack Otis Memorial Month (a focus on men, a personal story, putting a face on homelessness).


2011 Donations:

Scarves 348+3=351
Hats 731+2=733
Mitts 142
Socks 124
Squares 515
Rain Ponchos 84
Cotton Washcloths 324
Sweaters/Poncho's 7
Slippers 86+1=87
Afghans 36+3=39 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands or yarn.

**Several days I mentioned another addition to our mission, supply warm knitted/crocheted/loomed items for homeless families through a 2nd Family Shelter, The YWCA Family Shelter. They give temporary housing to 100 families. Items needed for Men, Women, and Children. Having recently added not 1 but 2 family shelters to the list of the many we aid, I'm hopeful for increased participation. Can we find more helping hands? Do you know someone who could help? Help us spread the word.**


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!

A 5 Pound Donation

**Would the unknown knitters from Seattle Washington from this POST, AND Idaho from this post PLEASE make contact**

5 pounds of green yarn donated by Laurie (luvs2sing on Rav) awhile back. This picture along with Laurie's donation posted yesterday were here on the computer in a wrong file and I just found them. Argh...

This yarn has already been put to use in 2 ways, a scarf in the works for the men under the Bridge and edging squares for a ghan for Project Welcome Home. I love having dark solid colors for the men folk for hats and scarves and use lots of darker colors when edging and joining ghans. Thank you Laurie for your thoughtful donation. Sorry the picture got lost and the post delayed.

2011 Donations:

Scarves 308
Hats 612
Mitts 136
Socks 124
Squares 454
Rain Ponchos 80
Cotton Washcloths 309
Sweaters/Poncho's 7
Slippers 86
Afghans 33 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands or yarn.

October is mitten month

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!

Help for the Homeless from New Jersey

Yarn, socks, and a crocheted hat from our newest pair of helping hands, Jessica S from the state of New Jersey. 8 pairs of socks are always wonderful, and the hat is nicely sized for a female adult or older teen. I believe the hat is made with single crochets which makes it nice and warm. Welcome to the group Jessica, we're always happy to have more helping hands. Hope to see you often here on The Bridge. Many thanks for your thoughtful donation, it is greatly appreciated.

**September is Scarf Month, and we're having another contest.
From now until October 8, I'll toss names into a hat for everyone who donates a scarf for a teen or adult...male or female. Feeling like we need to bump those numbers a bit and will draw the winning name from the hat and send out another box of yarn. Contests are fun. We've had several fun, productive, and successful contests. Every scarf donated for a teen or adult (at least 5 inches wide and 5 feet or longer please), will qualify. **

2011 Donations:

Scarves 284
Hats 560+1=561
Mitts 133
Socks 101+8=109
Squares 420
Rain Ponchos 60
Cotton Washcloths 305
Sweaters/Poncho's 6
Slippers 86
Afghans 33 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)

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!