Woebegone and Wretched Homeless Emotions

Blogging in Alphabetical order (which if you're new to this blog is done on days when I am without donations to share).  I do this to have blog posts appear more often than we would if I only blogged when there were donations to share.  In so doing, Bridge and Beyond appears more often in the search engines which aids folks finding us.  The more people who finds us on the internet, the more helping hands we may have........and the more helping hands we have, the more people we can help. And by the way, do you see the tab across the top of the blog so titled.....if you open that tab you will see all the posts that have been written and the letters they represents.

So, blogging in Alphabetical order brings us today to W.

Doing a google search for words that start with the letter W that pertain to homelessness I find:
Without
Weighed down
Woebegone
Wretched
Withdrawn
Wrecked

Woebegone popped out to me, not a term we hear much these days, but a word I remember my grandparents saying.  The definition I found is: sad, miserable in appearance.  When I did a search for a picture that might represent the word, I go the above woman.  It's not hard to imagine how often homeless men and women feel this way, or do this exact pose with covering their faces.

Wretched also popped out as an extreme word.  This picture says a lot.  The defination I found says very unhappy or unfortunate state.

When we help a homeless person with warm hats, scarves, socks, mittens etc I believe we help them not feel or look as woebegone or wretched.

We can not eliminate it all, but we can make a difference.  Please keep your knitting needles, your knitting looms, and your crochet hooks busy.
**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.

Thank You Knitters and Crocheters

Thank You, Thank you to each and every person who knitted, crocheted, or loomed and made a donation to Bridge and Beyond and Ohio's Homeless.  Thank you to all who sent personal care items, to all who told a friend, or neighbor or co-worker about Bridge and Beyond to help spread the word.  Thank you to all who take time to visit the blog and leave comments........to cheer us on, to support those who do knit, crochet or loom.

Yes...so many involved to keep Bridge and Beyond going, even if we didn't meet our goals for the year of 2018, Thank you!

Thank you:
Ann M
Anna W
AnnMarie D
Barbara F
The Barry Family
Christina D
Cynthia B
Damaris
Donna P
Emily K
Gail B
Gayle T
Jeanette T
Joy D
Juli B
Karen N
Karen S
Laura J
Lisa N
Marlene R
Mary H
Melinda G
Mimi T
Nikki S
Peggy F
Phyllis G
Robyn G
Sandie P
Sandra R
Sarah S
Sharon H
Sheelagh S
TammyM
Tammy S
Sue S

I mentioned all the people that help keep Bridge and Beyond going.  It occurs to me some of you may not know the history of Bridge and Beyond.  On Dec 2, 2008 I started this blog and made a post asking fellow bloggers to lend a hand.  Most of the people I had gotten to know through blogging were knitters or crocheters.  I had donations in a matter of a few days and so this past Dec 2, 2018, Bridge and Beyond had been in existence for 10 years!

When I started Bridge and Beyond, I had no idea we would still be operating 10 years later.  We began by supplying items to my friend Rae who prepares hot meals for those living out in the elements.  Initially we asked for items for those men.  Occasionally a woman was in need.  We grew from that to include shelters throughout the years.

I looked back through our first couple of blog posts and looked at the names of bloggers who made comments on that first blog post, Dec 2nd.  Our good friend Sandie P was among them!  Yes...she has been with us since the very beginning.  None of the other names on that first blog post have continued with us.  In fact most don't blog anymore.......I checked.  But, I'm going to list those names, as some of the bloggers who visit here may remember some of the names.
Margie the Ladybug
 Sunnie fairy (who I think is the person who made our logo for us...the toboggan and muffler and mittens.
Bunny
Kristin
Sissie
Rachele
Shamna
Crochetn Quilt...though they seem to be gone from blogland and Bridge and Beyond, I thank them for helping us get started.


**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.

Ripple Afghan in Need of a Name, and New Donation Goals for 2019

ITEM	Prev Average	Goal %	6 years totals	6th yr. Average
Hats	675	40%	3649	608
Scarves	415	53%	2303	383
Afghans	35.8	94%	213	35
Socks	169	39%	912	152
Slipper	104	12%	536	89
Cotton Clothes	383	43%	2083	347
Mitten	156	48%	856	142

In my previous post you'll see the numbers from the last 6 years, the averages, as well as our % of goal reached in 2018.  Goal being the average of the last 5 years.

This graphic shows our previous average (the 5 year average), the percent of the goal we reached for 2018, the total number of each item collected in the last 6 years, and the new average.  You can see the average has gone down in each category with the exception of the afghans which stayed constant.  Technically we were a strange 35 point something but I think saying 35 is fine, and easier to deal with, lol.

Reviewing last year, I realized I made 8 afghans, so I will endeavor to make more than 8 for the coming year.  Last year I made, Crocheted Eclectic Afghan, Orange Julius, Mountain Sky, Blanket of Many Colors, Learning Logs, Jeweled Lines, Earth and Sky, and Cardiac Collage.

Hopefully, by the time you read this post, our goals ...the graphs here on the blog will have been updated to reflect the 6th year averages...the number being our goal for the year of 2019.

Currently working on this one.

Barely started.  It's a ripple, a knitted one.  I've not made a true knitted ripple before.  I have made a feather and fan style which falls into the category of ripples, but this is a bit different.  Click to enlarge so you can see the detail from going from garter stitch for the border to the purl patterned stitches.  Current thinking is stripping it with both the blue and the brown variegated.  Trying to use up some stash.  Maybe...a 3rd color?  Since this is scheduled, as all posts typically are; but the time you read this post....I hope to have completed more. 

I just tested this light.  You ware it on your neck.  The light is very helpful on dark cloudy days, or at night when you're forced to try and see dark colors by the light of lamps.  It's a Minger Light.  Suggested by our friend, Sandie P who's been such a long time supporter of Bridge and Beyond.  I add my recommendation to hers if anyone has trouble seeing yarn at night.


**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.

Year End Totals for 2018

Ok folks, Here's our totals for the year with the comparisons I posted last year showing totals from years 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.  Additionally, I show what the average of those five years was....that's the number we used for our goals for the year 2018.  As you can see, we fell short in every category.  We came closest with our afghans ...which is shown in red and we got over 50% of our goal for scarves and just under 50% for Mittens (those two shown in blue,) but it may look purple on your monitor.

ITEM	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	Prev Average	Goal %
Hats	1053	971	468	516	371	270	675	40%
Scarves	666	590	196	371	256	224	415	53%
Afghans	55	32	24	36	32	34	35.8	94%
Socks	281	199	201	135	29	67	169	39%
Slippers	153	121	105	91	53	13	104	12%
Cotton Clothes	577	334	454	236	314	168	383	43%
Mittens	300	130	123	108	120	75	156	48%

I reviewed, and found I made 8 afghans for the year 2018.  If I had made just 2 more, we would have made it.  I will endeavor to pick up the pace next year and see how we fair.  I still have a fair number of pieces to put together.  Perhaps if I work on a few more of those vs knitting outright, I can make more headway towards that goal  Time will see.  The knitting bothers my arthritis less, while putting the pieces together is crocheting.  Will try to balance that out a bit.

I have already started the next afghan, a knitted ripple...so it's a start.  I will be re-adjusting averages and making new goals in the coming days so please stay tuned.  

In the meantime, please continue doing what you're doing..........knit, crochet, and loom and care for others.  You're all truly amazing people.

I would like to report our numbers were greater, but I truly understand people have medical issues and can't knit or crochet as much as they used to.  I also understand the cost of postage has increased making it more important to send less, and or donate more locally........which if you're still donating locally still means others are benefiting from your kind heart.

**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.

Crocheted Poncho

Have you noticed the count down to Spring in the right sidebar of this blog?  I keep forgetting to point that out to you all.  I added it a while back to spruce up the blog a bit.......and because I hate winter.  I hate being cold, I hate the gray ugly that is so prevalent here in Central Ohio.  I hate the ice, the snow, the freezing rain.  AND ...I'm inside my nice warm house.  Our homeless friends that we knit and crochet for here on Bridge and Beyond, aren't that lucky.  

Some of our homeless friends truly live out in the elements, some get nights here and there in shelters, some are lucky enough with help through the shelters to find permanent housing.  We strive to help as many as we can here on Bridge and Beyond, knowing we can't help all.

This poncho was included in our last delivery of the year, even though we don't count poncho's and other misc items.  I found it when purging ...guess I should have looked in the bottom of my decken's bench sooner.  I must have tucked it in there once when I was straighten things up.

Final numbers for year will be in the next post.  Please check in.

**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.

Knitting and Crocheting and Winding up Donations for 2018

 Thank you Sandra R!  Your donation is the last official donation of the year 2018.  Lovely, as always.  Hats and matching mitts.  And yes...I am clapping and dancing, like always when we get mittens.  And truly Sandra's are fantastic.  Look what wonderful colors she's chosen for hats and mittens!  And as always, many thanks for tagging the hats and mittens with size.  (nudge nudge...some hats still come without sizes and it really slows things down for the volunteers, so please folks, tag your hats, mittens and slippers).

AND she's also included scarves, suitable for men and women in a variety of sizes and colors!

Many thanks Sandra for your on going support of Ohio's homeless here on Bridge and Beyond.

**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.