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

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Donating to Family Shelters in Need

donations for homelessThank 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!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Soft, Stylish Scarves Donated

5 crocheted scarves5 Soft, Stylish Scarves crocheted and donated by Jenn S in Ohio. Awesome. Notice the blue on the far left (remember all pictures can be clicked to enlarge), it's made from granny squares! Very nice, very creative Jenn. Thanks so much for your ongoing support and your thoughtful donation. Very much appreciated.

Folks, I'm pleased to say donations have come in steady enough I feel like we can, once again expand our mission to be able to help more people. The YWCA has a family shelter, run similar to The Homeless Families Foundation. Families are given shelter and essentials for a period of time and with help move from temporary housing (the shelter) to permanent housing. Our friend Rae will be making deliveries to them. This family shelter provides temporary housing for up to 100 families. It was only a short while ago I expanded our mission to include The Homeless Families Foundation with a large donation from our summer stock pile, and am hopeful we'll be able to continue to grow to provide for this 2nd family shelter as well.

Help us grow, tell your friends, your family and your co-workers of the need. See someone knitting or crocheting, ask them if they could help. If you have a blog, please include our badge, and or blog post with a link here. Facebook and tweeting are also very helpful. Thanks for all you do, let's keep up the good work helping these families get back on their feet and avoid being homeless.

Thank you!

2011 Donations:

Scarves 343+5=348
Hats 731
Mitts 142
Socks 124
Squares 515
Rain Ponchos 84
Cotton Washcloths 324
Sweaters/Poncho's 7
Slippers 86
Afghans 36 (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.


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!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

crocheted slippers and cotton washcloths5 Cotton washcloths (crocheted), 22 pairs of slippers (crocheted), all different sizes and several sexy styles! Cheryl S doubled her slippers. She made what would be 2 pairs, put them together (one inside the other), did several rows of crochet around the ankle part which made them nice and thick and warm. Others she lined with felt by sewing in a lining...very cool ideas here Cheryl. Love how they turned out. Please to enlarge so you can see the various styles, the cut little brown teddy bear ones, and see how she made the double slippers a different color inside so they can be reversible.
This is a nice thick ghan that some child/teen will love. It's suitable for a girl or a boy and has been donated to The Homeless Families Foundation for our Welcome Home Program. This is also crocheted.
Who doesn't love the traditional Log Cabin Quilt Design! Awesome. This ghan was also donated for our Welcome Home program and will be wonderful for any family as a true Welcome Home Gift.

In addition to this lovely items, Cheryl also donated 2 pair of mittens, 14 hats, 4 ponchos, and personal care items. On the day these photographs were taken, something went berserk with my camera and or when they were loaded to the computer, as the picture for those items is gone. This happened also to 2nd picture taken of Carol S's donation. I really am bugged and have no clue what went wrong. I've only had that happen a couple of times over the last couple of years. Weird and irritating. I also note the items and the amount donated so use that when calculating our numbers. Additionally, she included 4 bandana's and 1 black long john shirt.

Many thanks Cheryl for your thoughtful donation, keep up the good working. Work is continuing on Snow Cone, the ghan being made from some of the squares Cheryl donated. Scroll back a few days to see it.

2011 Donations:

Scarves 343
Hats 717+14=731
Mitts 140+2=142
Socks 124
Squares 515
Rain Ponchos 80+4=84
Cotton Washcloths 318+6=324
Sweaters/Poncho's 7
Slippers 86
Afghans 34+2=36 (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.

TIP: Think warm, sturdy and durable for your donations please. Please avoid special care fibers.

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!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Sixty Hats donated from The Luscious Loomer!

hats for homeless60 Hats in bag, 60 hats in the bag
Take one out to give it out, 59 hats in the bag
59 hats in the bag, 59 hats in the bag
Take one out to give it out, 58 hats in the bag....come on sing with me. Sing good though please, lol!

60 Loomed hats from our good friend, Frank, the one I've named the Luscious Loomer. 60 kids will now have warm heads. AWESOME! Frank I think maybe I asked last year, but don't remember. Which size loom do you use for your hats? I divided this up for kids and teens at the Y's Family Shelter, and the kids at the free clinics. I posted some info about sizing and color the other day (sizing info from Bev's blog). I wanted to tell people which size to use for adults, so assume it would be the one larger then the size you use? Or are there 2 sizes above the one you use? Can you fill us in, thanks.

As always Frank, many thanks for your thoughtful donation and your continued support and friendship.

2011 Donations:


Scarves 343
Hats 657+60=717
Mitts 140
Socks 124
Squares 515
Rain Ponchos 80
Cotton Washcloths 318
Sweaters/Poncho's 7
Slippers 86
Afghans 34 (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.

Did you notice, we've added additional states to our list of places where our wonderful donators live. Scroll down and check out the map. Is your state noted? If not, please check the lists here on the blog to see if I have the state you're from...if not, please sing out. Trying to get everything documented. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have every state represented with a big hearted knitter or crochter or loomer!

TIP: Please remember to leave tails and tuck them in vs knotting and cutting. 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!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

When Squares Grow Up, what do they Become?

Christmas SquaresThese 17 crocheted Christmas colored squares donated by Cheryl S from Michigan will grow up into a Christmas Afghan. How perfect that will be for one of our families leaving temporary housing at The Homeless Families Foundation to make their way into permanent housing. What a true "Welcome Home" gift that will be. I may use just these squares, I may see what in my stash wants to join in.
And these 2 groups of squares also crocheted and donated by Cheryl S...the group closest to you, 8 colors and 20 squares most likely will be a ladies ghan for our Welcome Home Project. Possibly having other squares join them, possibly on their own. Very much still thinking stages there; but the 5 bright colors I grouped together in the upper right corner are 24 squares that started growing up almost immediately after I opened the box. Wham, this has to be a ghan for a little girl...I could see it immediately, it called out to me and has in fact already been named. Snow Cone. The bright green is lime, the yellow lemon, the pink would be cherry, the purple of course is grape, and the orange...........orange.
See...told you it's growing up fast. I quickly spread the squares and came up the traditional diagonal afghan, searched my stash for a color I liked with it and started edging and joining with a blue. Not really navy, sorta a dark aqua-ish blue. Edging adds about 5 inches to the length, as you can see, and about an inch in width to each strip. Once it's all joined, I should have enough to do a nice wide border. Snow Cone will make some little girl feel loved. What a wonderful "Welcome Home" gift this will be.

Thank you Cheryl for your support and your thoughtful donation, keep up the good work.

**edited, as you know my post are always written ahead, placed in que in the schedule...so, as I type this edit I can tell you, the more I worked on this little girls ghan, the more I decided it needed a different name...nix snow cone (though I may use that again on another ghan), This ghan is now named "Rainbow Bright". **

2011 Donations:


Scarves 343
Hats 657
Mitts 140
Socks 124
Squares 454+61=515
Rain Ponchos 80
Cotton Washcloths 318
Sweaters/Poncho's 7
Slippers 86
Afghans 34 (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.

For those who like to plan ahead, I've added November to our working calendar it will be a focus on men through The Jack Otis Memorial Month. Hats, Scarves, Mittens, Slippers, for men. Naturally socks. Keep checking in for more details.

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!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Meeting Fellow Bloggers who Donate

wool scarvesIt's always so fun to meet face to face after first getting to know someone here on line. That's the case with Nikki S, who's blog is theonlynikki.com (check sidebar). We chatted on line, then we meet unknowingly the first time. That is to say we hadn't planned to meet each other. Through my work, Nikki came in and was.......crocheting, conversation insued, naturally. lol

Thanks Nikki for these 4 scarves, much appreciated keep your hook on the move, hope to see you soon, both here on line and in person.

TIP: If you're making slippers, use thick yarn, or double yarn for a nice thick slipper. You could even make 2 slippers and stitch them together one inside the other for a nice thick and warm, as well as sturdy slipper. They could be reversible if you use 2 different colors.

2011 Donations:

Scarves 339+4=343
Hats 657
Mitts 140
Socks 124
Squares 454
Rain Ponchos 80
Cotton Washcloths 318
Sweaters/Poncho's 7
Slippers 86
Afghans 34 (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.

For those who like to plan ahead, I've added November to our working calendar it will be a focus on men through The Jack Otis Memorial Month. Hats, Scarves, Mittens, Slippers, for men. Naturally socks. Keep checking in for more details.

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!

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?