the warm hands network - finding forty gathering knitting

WA, NJ, MA, AB (Every second day the mailman gives me something wooly and warm. I think he's my new best friend)

2012-01-21T10:00:00.001-05:00

Sarah Rose of Camrose Alberta made these cute items for a newborn.

These hats and blanket are also from Sarah. Purplicious!

Jeanine (Aubergine's mommy) dropped off this fab sweater. Its super-big and incredibly intricate

OK Jeanine, next time you and the girls come over, we need to talk photography because my pictures don't do your work justice....

I love this blanket. I can picture a toddler being thrilled with it.

Some of these hats are Carlene Hats. That pattern rocks.

DouceAubergine also made a bunch of big fleecy blankets.

And more fleecy blankets! My friend Margaret is going to do a bunch of these as well. So handy!

These socks are also from the lovely and prolific Jeanine.

I took a closeup of my favorite one. Thanks, J!

These items came from Jackie Lambert of West Rickland, Washington. The dickies (that's what they're called, right?) are a great alternative to scarves.

Okay these are mine. I made them over Christmas using the Carlene Pattern from Ravelry. I love that pattern, its such a "don't think, just do" kind of thing. Perfect for long car rides.

These hats are from Wendy Lindquist in Jersey City, NJ. Lovin' the pom pom!

I am a huge fan of neck-warmers. Safe and easy for a kid to pull over his/her head.

This is a close-up of one of the neckwarmers made by Clavione Delaney of Laurel, Maryland (the ones above). I think it might be Noro, because it has that feel to it. Very ocean-pretty.

Wayyyy too much news

2011-12-10T12:18:00.001-05:00

Okay not sure where to start with all the happenings, but I will try:

First off, the lovely and talented Carlene dropped by my house last week, with some fantastic sweaters. We decided that we had enough stuff to put together some boxes ASAP to ship up to Moosonee, so off we went. At some point, I received these adorable items that we decided to throw into the box (no label on the bag, came from one of the LYS). The teddies are actually crochetted. Bottom line, we shipped 3 more boxes (about 100 pounds) off to Moosonee, just in time for Christmas, yay).

Second thing: I got an amaazing box from Maddy Rosamond of Waterloo, ON. Maddy found us on Ravelry and is an INCREDIBLE knitter. This blanket is fab, also because its huge.

Maddy also made this one

And these hats


But my all-time fave is this baby sweater/hat combo. Can you not totally see this as a "new baby" gift for someone? I loooove the yarn.

And just today (Sunday), Lynn W of Toronto, dropped by this beautify lopi sweater.

and these socks PLUS about 20 pairs of new merino socks which will be much appreciated. Lynn has been part of the Warm Hands team since the beginning, and has a very cute blog called Minding my Own Stitches

Okay, so the third thing I actually forget at the moment, because my brain is getting split between too many things. Just want to say though that - okay wait, I just remembered the 3rd thing:

Here it is: Kwedzo (rankin inlet) took pictures of the kids wearing your stuff and sent the camera back in the mail. Its going to Carlene who is going to scan them and post them on the site and the blog and the rav. I am wayyyy too excited about this. Way.

Okay back to "Deep thoughts by Anita": I'm not Christian but I love this season. One of the Ravellers reminded me that she was busy during festivus. I laughed out loud - that is so my family: the airing of grievances, the festivus dinner and the Feats of Strength.

In spite of all of the above, I love this quote by Max Lucado:
"Were it not for the shepherds, there would have been no reception. And were it not for a group of stargazers, there would have been no gifts."

To all you Warm Hands stargazers knitting and crochetting up a storm: thanks for making this year a little sweeter.

See you in 2012~

Erin of Waterloo and Kwedzo of Rankin Inlet

2011-11-20T14:13:00.001-05:00

So last week I received a mystery box from Waterloo. It contained 4 lovely scarves:

I don't know what the stitch is on this one but I love it.

Then last Friday, I received an email message from Erin McKee of Waterloo. Mystery solved. Thanks, Erin.

I also wanted to share a super-sweet note I received from the Executive Director of the daycare in Rankin Inlet. This year, we shipped over 50 blankets to them, and our US partner, Wool-Aid, committed to making the hats and mittens. Our goal was to provide a blanket for nap-time at the school, and hats and mittens for each child. We reached our goal, and the lovely Kwedzo sent us the following message:

Hi Terry & Anita,

I want you to know that everything hasbeen received and distributed to all three daycare in Rankin Inlet. Permissionshave been sent out to parents for the picture taking and I will send you backthe camera as soon as we finish taking the pictures. I can see the happiness inthe face of the daycare staff and children when they received the packages. Thechildren will really enjoy having and wearing them. Thank you very much for youdonation and it is the first time such an important donation of wool items hasbeen made in Rankin Inlet.

Once Again, Thank you,

Kwedzo

I have to say, that little note made the whoooole thing worthwhile.

Thank you to our sponsor, First Air and to all you Warm Handers out there!

So the next knitting deadline is roughly Jan 15th. I'd like to get items up to Moosonee for the end of Jan. Last year, the temp dipped to -45, and I think they will very much appreciate your great stuff.

Anita

Yvonne's Moosonee Adventure

2011-11-14T17:47:00.001-05:00

First the good news: Oh my gosh, the house actually is normal again. A final set of boxes went to Shesatsuit this weekend and it feels quite calm.

Now the slightly less good but nevertheless good news: Yvonn of Minnesota: unfortunately I got your box for Moosonee after the shipment went out. Here's the thing though: I totally understand that you'd like the items to go there, so I am planning a shipment of gently used winter outerwear in the next 2 weeks. I am going to include your items in that shipment - hope that's okay!

The pictures are below but I wanted to add an abbreviated version of Yvonn's letter which is so cute:

"This cardi has a special story:

I've started visiting my parents in Europe every year, and so flying from Minneapolis to Amersterdam, I am hooked on watching the plane's route over Canada, Greenland, etc., and I find myself wondering who lives down there and what it looks like, and what their lives are like. I've noticed that there aren't a lot of spots on the map with names, so figured it was probably not that populated which makes sense for colder climates.

I've been a member of the Warm Hands Innu Knits group for awhile, although had not yet contributed. It turns out they now also donate to the town of Moosonee which my route takes me almost directly over. And how cool would it be to be knitting an item for someone living below while I'm on that plane this time (April 2011 trip)?

And then I made the matching hat on the way back (when the in-flight tracker did work but we took a route much further west, thus not flying over Moosonee). Okay I will be trying again next year, as I am determined to be knitting for someone in Moosonee while KNOWING I'm flying over it or at least close to it!!!"

Yvonn, I gotta think that when you are knitting directly over a place that is going to source your stuff, there's extra karma in that cardi. I know you call it the chesapeake baby ballroom cardi but I am christening it the karma cardi. Thanks so much.

Carlene and Jeanine come over

2011-10-03T20:29:00.000-04:00

So Jeanine and Carlene came over and helped open and pack yet more boxes. Carlene received this beautiful blanket and pair of socks from Jackie Lambert (JCL on Rav) from Washington.

Ellen of Fredricton make these two blankets. She's the buddy of Janet (bus13knitter).

Janet (bus13) provided us with these beatiful items. The thing I love about Janet is she knits her stuff, and also keeps the positive vibe going on the Rav group. J, your buzz helps keep the Warm Hands project alive.

I love this blanket. You can't tell how big it is but its perfect for a child upto about 10 I would say. Virginia Thomas of Twinsburg Ohio, you are lovely!

These hats and mittens are also from Janet. Check out the felted slippers (bottom left corner)

Yet more beautiful blankets from Virginia. This is two blankies with the same pattern. Also a kiss to you for sewing the labels in for us.

Carlene smiling as she packs boxes, smiling to herself. She's picking up socks and mittens from Janet and thinking.

Check out boxes already packed and labelled and ready to go!


And here is Jeanine sewing labels like crazy.

To all of you lovelies (you know who you are), thanks for everything. I expect to have the boxes at First Air on Friday which means they will likely get to Rankin and Gjoa Haven by mid-October. Yay!

Knittageddon

2011-10-01T13:56:00.003-04:00

My friend Margaret came over today to drop off some great fleece blankets. She doubled them up when she sewed them, to make them extra warm. Can you see Knittageddon in the background? I am sure that there are well over 500 knitted and crochetted items in my dining room/living room/hallway right now.

This sweater and hats, as well as the mittens and hats below are from Claudette of Ottawa. I got 4 garbage bags from Claudette (more than 20 blankets alone). Kudos, Claudette!

Here is a sample of Claudette's blankets

And yet more. I told you she is prolific.

And yet another bag of Claudette's goodies that I opened up (along with the socks below).

The above 3 crochetted blankets are so cheerful you wouldn't believe it. The camera doesn't do them justice. They come from Anita Edmonds of Asheville, NC.

Suzanne Atkinson (aka Suzanneknitter) is one of our charter members. She is incredible because not only does she do her own knitting, she coordinates the knitting of others. I love the square pattern on this blanket. Its so pretty.

These are the same pattern but a bevy of colours (also ms Suzanne's work).

Here is something that Annemarie of New York knit as squares then assembled (WAYYYY neater than my assembly, I might add).


And finallly this from V Thomas of Twinsburg Ohio -3 blankets. V, I do have your other box as well but I have not opened it yet (I need to get some boxes off to Moosonee before I open up even one more thing). Thanks everyone!!

Shipping advice

2011-09-30T17:51:00.001-04:00

I was talking with the friendly folks at UPS this week. If you are shipping to us from outside canada, please try and keep the shipments less than $20 value, and label them as gifts. This saves us the costs for duty and handling at the border. I was also in touch with our contact in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, and they are excited a shipment is coming their way. Word travels fast in a small community like Gjoa. It's already dipping below freezing there, so warm things are needed! Thanks to all of you crocheters and knitters out there,Amy

We Made It!!

2011-09-28T21:16:00.003-04:00

So Jeanine came knocking on my door with Jean-Claude and boxes, and bags.

She opened the box and SHAZAM! 13 blankets, all machine-washable for the Rankin Inlet Project. Okay, so remember, there are 67 kids in daycare. We had 44 in the last post, add in Jeanine's stuff and we get 57.

Jeanine calls this her kool-aid blanket. She hand-dyed it and its sooo cute.

Trinny is admiring one of Jeanine's blankets. We named it "fall colours".

Then we started open the additional bags she sent in. Here are a series of Jeanine's hats.

And her mittens - my favorites are the light blue (azur? topaz?)

the socks are extra thick - great for long cold nights. Right now we are talking about shipping these ones to Moosonee.

Jeanine made this sweaters for the Sheshatsuit campaign. They asked for sweaters, and ms J delivers.

Awwwww duckies. Can you not totally picture a baby loving this blanket? It comes from Diane Suzak and is going to Rankin (okay so that is #58. Will we make our blanket target? Is the suspense killing you?).


Diane, thank you so much for the sweaters for the Sheshatsuit campaign! Jeanine and I were talking about how this one is great for an older person, because its soft, and a cardie.

And even more sweaters from Diane.

My favorite from Diane. I love the border on the bottom.

Frieda Pelletier from Chateauguay Quebec sent in these gems.

She also made the cutest labels for her socks.


And the mittens too. Thank you so much Frieda and thank you for your sweet note!

Still in suspense? Okay so we also received an additional 4 blankets from the Royal Canadian Legion (thank you folks, please let me know if you are on ravelry so we can connect), and Fibre to the World, the fabulous group of AT and T knitters are sending 10 blankets directly to the community so that makes (drum roll please) 68 blankets. Yay! In addition (now I'm just bragging), we're expecting to get at least another 10 in from various shipments, plus Marie-Claude, plus Suzanne. In my dream-world, we actually send extras to Rankin to accomodate the fact that new kiddies are arriving all the time. PLUS we also send a critical mass of blankets for the program in Gjoa Haven. I have no doubt now that we'll be able to do both! Yay!

C'mon Carlene, it'll be fun to sew 2000 labels!

2011-09-25T10:13:00.002-04:00

So here, Carlene arrives at my house at 6pm to drop off blankets. I am very happy to say that we've got 40 machine washable boxed for the Rankin Inlet Daycares. Now, our target is 67, so if anyone out there has some handwashable blankets ready, please fire them to us by September 30th, and we will be thrilled to include them in the shipment.

And here is Carlene's insane contribution of stuff. The blankets almost block our windows, the pile is so high. Also, I just start to say, "Carlene, how about you stay and we get a head start on the tag sewing for the hand wash stuff?".

And here is a picture of my favorite Carlene creation. I loooove the colours, and the blanket is huge.

This contribution is from KaffeKaren for Rankin Inlet.

And these are from Jenny Two Hands - Carlene tells me that people like the circular blankets for strollers because nothing gets dragged on the ground.

Jenny's hats and mittens

plus two great Jenny vests.


This one is from Bonnie Bélanger - very pretty beehive.	▲

The picture above and all the pix below are from the Purple Sock Posse in Coldwater (thank you ladies!)


And here we are at 9:30 still sewing labels (thank you Amy and Carlene for a great evening!). So we've got one more night of packing to go, I think (Jeanine and Suzanne, get your needles ready, 'cause we'll be sewing up a storm). This time around boxes are going to Labrador, Moosonee, Gjoa Haven and Rankin Inlet. To all of the knitters and crochetters who have put so much time, energy and love into the items that we have received, thank you for making this a great Warm Hands season.

The Drachenwollians

2011-09-04T14:01:00.001-04:00

Below are the photos of the stuff that those groovy cats from Drachenwolle have sent in. Love all of your beautiful handknits! The sock campaign was a huge success. Here are pictures from the first box (I understand from sweet Esther that another box is coming). I cannot believe how prolific you folks are and the yarn is just stunning. I will also send the stuffies (the little bears, etc) to the community and I'm sure some little kiddies will be very happy with them. Love the little "learn to knit" kit too! Folks, your stuff is just lovely and Amy and I are totally touched by the generosity of the German gang. Please know that you've made the lives of those in Canada a little more comfortable.

Blankets, boots and more!

2011-09-01T14:31:00.003-04:00

I picked these lovelies from Knit Knackers. At first, I couldn't figure out why the bag was so heavy (and didn't want to open it till I got home.) There are several great blankets - a colour scheme for every taste here, and 2 pairs of boots, ready to wear. Then, you can see the georgeous mittens, hats and child's sweater. These flowers have inspired my teenager to try embroidery. And my small helper really wanted to be in on the action. He quickly realized the sweater is more for a preschooler, and was content not to even try to put it on, so this was his way of modelling it.

Thanks, chococupcakegirl! Beautiful!

(and, my apologies for the delay posting these - I don't get near my laptop very often)

Our Graphic Designer

2011-08-31T16:38:00.005-04:00

Lynn Walma is the Warm Hands graphic designer - and every shipment, she makes time to send us a haul as well. We love Lynn! Above are a sample of her items. Lynn, I do have one grievance: I'm working on a crochet blanket right now, and my boy was watching me take pictures of your stuff. He took a look at your stunning flower crochet and said, "why can't you do something like that?" Um, because I only know one stitch and can only crochet in a straight line. Can you please comment though and let me know where you got the flower pattern? The back is just as pretty as the front.

I also took a pic of the tag that you made (Carlene, it has the website on it!).

It came from Japan Part 4...

2011-08-31T09:21:00.004-04:00

Barbara Dreher is the Japanese-Canadian connection. I absolutely loved the items you sent in Obassan, and I have to tell you that this is the first time I've seen the labels actually sewn in and you're making me think that I'd better get that started if we're going to make our October shipping deadlines. Yikes!

The neckwarmers are fabulous - a couple of the communities asked for them because the kids are out hunting or ice-fishing for extended periods and need warmer clothing. Thanks Barbara!

From Kamloops to Bedford...

2011-08-30T10:57:00.010-04:00

Finally, I am back in town and get to open the boxes that have started to pile up! thought we`d start with a ``from east to west`kinda story.
The picture above is from Kathleen Walling of Bedford, Nova Scotia. Kathleen, you need to come to Ottawa and help us pack because I have no idea how you got such a ton of stuff in such a small box. It exploded when I opened it. The pics below are an attempt at my being arty with more of Kathleen's stuff (note my polished toe in the "flower" picture. Okay so I've got a way to go in the photog dept):

So we have Maureen Lefebvre from Kamloops BC who sent in the below lovely pair of warm woolies. Maureen I love them and thanks for including the label on the wool, and the $ which will go to boots!

The Purple Sock in Coldwater

2011-08-07T08:42:00.016-04:00

Yes its been awhile! While we've been summering and cottaging and soccering, the folks in Coldwater ON and nearby have been knitting us a bounty of stuff. Last May, Lynn Stitchman (fabulous name for an owner of an LYS) of the Purple Sock (check them out at www.thepurplesock.blogspot.com and see pix of the store and team Purple Sock above) started a Warm Hands project. Its August and voila!:

These two beautiful crochet blankets are made by Teresa of Phelpstor. Thanks Teresa, if you're reading this:

And the two little sweater sets below were done by Gayle from Coldwater. I moved from room to room to try to get a decent set of photos but no luck on this grey day. Can you tell my deck needs staining? Check out the little ducky buttons on the cardie's:

And these two hats and pairs of socks are from Pat of Coldwater. Very cute!

Hats hats hats + one pink neckwarmer from Brigitte from Collingwood. My favorite is the pink hat with the tassles - perfect for a little girl (or boy, no judgement here).

And last but not least, Jessie from Oshawa went to town with 14 sets of beehive mittens plus various socks. Jessie thank you so much - my daughter tried on the mittens and confirmed that they are "warm and cozy":

Kathleen Walling of Bedford N.S....

2011-05-29T19:41:00.004-04:00

knitted these fabulous socks, sweaters and neck-warmers (that is my attempt at being arty with the neck-warmers). Thank you so much!

I picked up some beautiful Noro (I think) blankets from Yarn Forward but no tags :(

If you are reading this, noro-knitter, I would love to hear from you...

Hope that summer is going well for all you warmhanders, and that fall will bring in as many beautiful items as we have received in previous years. So many partners, so many projects, so much fun. Thank you all!

First Air is In!

2011-04-04T21:00:00.007-04:00

Okay, for some reason, I'm having trouble with the enter button on my computer, so I'm going to colour-code. The lovely folks at First Air have said yes to helping us with the Pauktuutit-Warm Hands project, which is amaaazing. Thanks First Air. So here is a summary of the campaigns. The closing date for all of them is September 30th. 1. Through our Pauktuutit contacts, we will be shipping to Rankin Inlet. We've got 2 projects on the go out there: Wool-Aid will take the lead on the daycare project: we have been asked to provide the following for the daycares located there: For the three daycares in Rankin, we need 67 blankets. We will need four (4) hats and four pairs of mittens for kids between the age six (6) months to eighteen. 30 pairs of mittens and 27 hats for age eighteen months to three years and thirty three pairs of mittens and hats for age four to six. The blankets need to be machine washable. In this case, the blankets will stay at the daycares and be washed every week, so it is important that they not shrink. I love the idea of providing each child with something unique that they can call their own. We have also been asked to provide items for the safe shelter there - here is the feedback from the head of the shelter there: The Rankin Inlet Women's Safe Shelter has served 43 women and 68 children aged between birth to fourteen. The breakdown is as follow: 12 (Birth to 2 year old) 46 (Age 3 to 5) 10 (Age 6 to 14). Those items will be gathered and shipped through Warm Hands. The weather there right now is a balmy -20C, -9F. 2. We are also shipping to Gjoa Haven! Here is the note from Hannah Quirrqat, who saw us at the Pauktuutit AGM, grabbed a couple of blankets for young moms in her community and said, "we're definitely in!". Ublaakut Anita (were still am here), Kudos to First Air again,! These items will be given to the Mom’s & Tot’s Centre here in Gjoa Haven. They have gatherings for young moms and their children. They hold gatherings to learn about good foods for both mom and baby, they invite elders to their meetings the elders show & tell young mom’s how to raise their babies. My daughter in law works for them. We have a big population of young mothers here in Gjoa Haven! Spring is almost here, and there will be families going out on the land so blankets/hats & mittens are needed for their trips. A lot of people start heading out to go fishing and caribou hunting at Springtime. Fresh caribou meat & Fish are everyone’s main diet here in Gjoa Haven. Thanking you very much in advance for your donations. So knitters and crochetters (never forget Carlene), knock yourselves out - every had, mitten and blanket will be well used and well loved. 3. We are still working with the Innu of Northern Labrador - the lovely folks at Drachenwolle will again be shipping socks to us from Germany, and we'll fire them along via the fabulous Provincial Airlines. Sheshatsuit has also made a request that if at all possible, we ship them sweaters for their elders. 4. Last but not least, we got a note from the E.D. of the Moosonee Native Friendship Centre. The stuff that we sent has already been shipped out, and Wool-Aid sent out a supplementary shipment. Once again, you guys are great - thanks to the web, Amy and I feel that we know you all so well. As long as you knit, we'll keep shipping to Northern kids. Thanks everyone!

September 2011 Campaign and Other Stuff

2011-02-27T14:26:00.004-05:00

Okay, so here is what has happened lately:

1. Carlene and I went to the Pauktuutit Annual General Meeting. What an amazing group of northern women. Basically the AGM gathers Inuit women from all over Canada, and they meet for a week to talk about the issues of the day. The President introduced us, and three communities approached us to start thinking about working up a project with them - nice! One of the ones that really struck my fancy was an Inuit daycare and safe shelter in Rankin Inlet. Immediately, I'm thinking, hey, if we could give every child in that daycare a blanket for naptime wouldn't that be something. The really amazing thing was that Pauktuutit thinks that they can hook us up with the head honcho's at First Air so we can coordinate the shipping. (First Air, if you are reading this, we really really want to work you).

2. We spoke with Sheshatsuit this week. I love those guys - its taken a few years but I think that they kind of know "the knitting ladies" now. They tend to laugh when I'm talking (I get a bit excited and start speaking wayyy to fast) and they are much more direct, as in: "we need the following", rather than, "oh, anything will be fine". It really is a totally different culture. Whenever I get off the phone with them, I feel like such a Type A personality. Oh, wait a minute. I am a type A.

So this is what they said: the stuff that we sent in October is loooong gone, distributed pretty much as soon as they got it. They had enough lap blankets to distribute to all the new babies, the kids and then some, so they gave a few to the elders who are wheelchair bound to use as lap blankets. They have held back 10 blankets which they want to keep for new births - fine by me.

For the next campaign, we can send everything that we usually do but they would LOVE to receive lots of socks and sweaters, and they would be very happy if we could do some in the larger sizes.

3. The shipment to the Moosonee Native Friendship Centre went off and we are waiting to hear back from them that items have been received and distributed.

4. The website is now up, thanks to Carlene! Check it out at www.warmhandsnetwork.org.

5. The handwash dilemma is solved (well, partially)! We talked to Wool-aid and here is what we are doing: we are buying sew-on tags which we will sew into all blankets, sweaters and vests that are not machine washable (it would be great if you could attach paper tags letting us know if your stuff fits this criteria). We will attach the tags before we send the items out. According to our discussions with Moosonee, Pauktuutit, and Sheshatsuit, folks there are well aware of washing rules re wool, but its always best to remind (given that I have shrunk many a handwash myself).

So the September 2011 campaign looks like this:

1. We are once again shipping to Sheshatsuit for the Innu kids (and now elders too). Same parameters BUT things have changed up there, so we are adapting a bit as well:
- machine washable is preferred for sweaters and blankets. If your item is handwash, let us know and we will sew on a tag.

2. We are shipping to the Cree kids of James Bay. These items will be shipped up to Moosonee, and distributed through the headstart and pre-natal programs there. As well some boxes will go up to Keshashewan via Air Creebec.

If you have a preference for where your items should go, please give us a heads-up.

Deadline: September 30th as usual.

Carlene Frieda Claudette Suzanne Jeanine Lynn (in no particular order)

2011-02-04T18:30:00.017-05:00

So the ladies came over last night (and chococupcake skyped in which was amazing - I looooove technology!) and we packed and talked and taped and talked some more. First, to the left are the socks of the fabulous Lynn W. Lynn has been helping us out pretty much since the beginning - she is our graphic designer on staff. Here's her blog, Minding my Own Stitches

And the green blanket below is hers too - you can't tell but the pattern is incredibly intricate!

And below we have Jeanine, Aubergine's mommy who is holding up a beautiful sweater she made - there are some socks below that she did too - pictures don't do them justice!

More cute socks by the sheep lady, along with some tunicky things (Jeanine calls them "Wimples" which makes me laugh).

And mittens by Jeanine as well - she is prolific, this lady.

The hat is also J's. I wanted to get a photo of the tag because its so cute - it says "DouceAubergine" and the picture is of a sheep.

An open half-full (not half-empty) box of Carlene's blankets. Carlene it is very fun to watch you crochet and you are definitely coming to my place some time to teach Shyla and I.

More of Carlene's blankets (my favorite one is the one that looks like Gatineau Park).

A photo of the fab Carlene herself, propping up stacks and stacks and stacks of blankets. Carlene, both you and your blankies are very photogenic!

And this photo is of Claudette (aka Marie-Claude on Ravelry). Claudette, the blankets (esp the grey one) were beautiful. Thanks to Suzanne for picking them up!

Here is a beautiful Claudette blanket - I took a separate pic because I liked it so much.

Very pretty very girly jacket sweaters all crochetted by Carlene.

These socks are by Frieda! She wrote us a sweet letter saying this was her first contribution. Welcome to the club!

Suzanne and Jeanine are showing off one of Suzanne's blankets - I think it looks like the ocean somewhere hot (only 3 more months of winter - yay!).

This is Suzanne's magic balls blanket - made from squares sent in from all over - Ravellers do you see your squares?

Jeanine and Suzanne are stretching out my favorite of Suzanne's blankets - it looks like a team hockey sweater to me (but maybe that's just me...)

And yet more of Suzanne's great blankets.

Ladies, from Amy and me to you, we think you are amazing - you do so much for the project, from keeping the chatter alive on the different groups, to knitting, to brain-storming, to giving us a chance to ooooh and ahhhh - we are all Warm Hands!

Many Many Things...

2011-01-23T13:14:00.016-05:00

Thanks guys for sending your stuff in! I spent part of this morning opening packages and bags, photographing and admiring all of your beautiful hand-knit items. They are truly gorgeous.

Lots to catch up on first, though, so let's start with the business then get to the pleasure:

Business: there has been some great news on the Innu front: both communities now have washers and dryers in every home. What does this mean for us? Well a few things:

1. we've now expanded our scope to indicate a preference for washable yarn, given the machine washing risk.

2. Amy and I met Chococupcake, Suzane Atkinson and Carlene (carlene runs) last October and we started talking about maybe expanding our scope - the idea was that there are many many communities in need, and maybe we could start looking at expanding our distribution base.

So here is where we are: The Moosonee Native Friendship Centre serves aboriginal families in northern Ontario. They are very keen to get a bunch of our stuff. Same situation with the washing machines however the ED feels that it would be easy to communicate with individuals that wool doesn't belong in a washing machine. He can also put some of the items in boxes to go to northern communities, in particular Kasheshewan which is a very remote community as well as other communities up the coast. We have shipping to Moosonee handled so it seems like this would be the way to go!

Here is our second thought: The Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada will be having their AGM in Feb - we will try to use that opportunity to make contact with a community that does not have washing machines and to see if we can set up a relationship.

Now for the pleasure!

This lovely hat made from sock yarn was knit by Katrin Sommerfeld of Berwich Nova Scotia.
This sweater is from Aubergine's mommy, Jeanine Turcotte. Jeanine has been with us since day one and has been a huge supporter, donating money for the purchase of boots for the kids as well.

The blankets are from May Chow of Ottawa - she has been contributing since our first year too! You can always count on May to slip a few things in the bag for us.

These baby vests are from Stephanie Sinden of Ottawa. Thanks so much Stephanie - I love that you made them in slightly wider sizes! Below is another example of Stephanie's work.

And below are hats hats hats. We got a bunch without tags or labels (this is only a photo of a few) - thank you so much, anonymous donor!

Here is a square from a massive blanket knit by another kind and generous donor. I took a picture of the square because I loved it so much.

Keep on knitting! We'll post more photos as stuff rolls in.

Thanks again,

Anita and Amy

On their way!

2010-10-25T19:48:00.003-04:00

I drove to Dorval and back early Friday to take the boxes to Provincial Airlines. Thank you to Eric and his great team for contributing so much to this project! The boxes filled the back of my van, plus the back seat. The team at the depot can't stand to see me carrying boxes, so they unloaded for me, divided the shipment properly and weighed it in seconds. You can see the paper moving quickly in my photo! I have moved and can't find my camera charger, so I am using only my blackberry camera. The drive was great (although it is more fun with Anita on board - she was stuck at the office). It was a grey day to start, and then a bit of blue sky peeked through and then the sunshine.

Thank you so much for all the contributions that so many of you have made to this project. We'll keep you posted about when the boxes are delivered & distributed as best we can.

Amy

The Wool-Aid Stuff

2010-10-17T20:31:00.005-04:00

Okay some pretty good news:

1. The Wool-Aid stuff has already been received by the community - yay! Check out the pics above, that Terry sent to me. Thanks so much for everything you do, Terry!

2. The lovely Eric of Provincial has agreed to ship 235 pounds in this shipment - fantastic, given that this is our biggest shipment ever.

3. I contacted the Director of Community Health in Natuashish (the second community) - we haven't shipped to them since year one. You were so amazing with your sheer volume of socks and blankets that we will be able to ship to both communities. Amazing work, knitters.

So what next??? Let's talk!

chococupcake and the boxes

2010-10-13T17:41:00.005-04:00

Okay, some quick shots:

Chococupcake girl (aka Michelle of Montreal - there's a pic of her and her dad) came over to drop off some stuff - the last items to make it into the shipment! The boxes are pictured below - I used the "vacuuming" technique - gets 3 times as much stuff in.

Also good news: Terry tells me that the Wool-Aid stuff arrived in the community and has already been picked up. That's 135 pounds, just in time for snow!

3 posts in one night - read the 2 prev please!

2010-10-06T21:47:00.005-04:00

Okay, these socks are by Kalyle from Kagawong, Ontario. I feel like I know Kara because she's been with us since the start. Here's what she wrote: "Hope this can make the sept 30th shipment! As you can see I didn't get much done this year. However I didn't worry too much...because another woman in Quebec City where I was living learned of WH from a mention on my rav page and she went gangbusters - the infamous Esther and her German gals. Blown away by what they've contributed! This summer I moved back to ON...Manitoulin Island so we can be closer to home, with our little on (8 mo. old Cedar). I bought a knitting book at a local sale and look at what I found on page 15! (anita's note: its a picture of Innu kids learning to knit in the 1800's!). Included copies for both of you as an inspiration. Keep up the heart warming work!"

Kara you awesome thing, I love the name Cedar, first of all, and don't know how you found the time to make the socks and send us the beautiful note with an 8 month old, but thanks... here they are:

And here are some lovely socks by Shari Roy of Nova Scotia. Check out her blog here:

And finally, Stephanie Anderson of Ottawa dropped off a BUNCH of blankets at Yarn Forward this week, along with a note. The yarn she used is from Newfoundland. The orange one is my favorite:

And below are Amy and Suzanne holding up a map that the Germans sent us with the location of the items they have shipped. Thanks guys, these will be forwarded on.

It happened one night....

2010-10-06T20:51:00.002-04:00

Okay so please check out the previous post because I had to break this one in 2 (too many pictures). This week, the ladies came over and we gawked at the piles of stuff everywhere in my house.

Here's Carlene modelling a Suzanne blanket:

Suzanne is the queen of assemblage. She attached a whole bunch of squares and this is what she got!

And I loooove this one because I think this is is a communal ravelry blanket (ladies feel free to post if I've got the blankets confused).

Carlene's pretty crochet (yep they are all Carlene's):

The ladies sorting like crazy - these are socks only - not sure where we're going to be eating thanksgiving dinner. Germans and other ravelers, can you see your stuff?

Blankets blankets blankets blankets. Haven't counted but the piles are unbelievable!

Carlene, Suzanne and the Sorting Frenzy

2010-10-06T20:16:00.009-04:00

Okay I am having trouble uploading all the fab pix from this week, so I'll show you what I've got so far and upload more later.

Carlene (carleneruns) and Suzanne (suzanneknitter) cam over this week along with Amy and we had a little fun. Okay, first is a picture of Amy admiring Suzanne's blanket made from squares (ladies, comment and correct me if I make any mistakes).

A couple of beautiful Carlene hats - love the colours.

Okay here is a patchwor blanket made of (Carlene is this right?) donated yarn.

and some of carlene's amazing blankets...how many have you made for Innu kids, Carlene, like 500??

Suzanne admiring Carlene's handiwork

More Carlene blankies (photos don't do them justice)...

And more...

and my favorite is the fire coloured one at the top. Suzanne, I will try to post yours next!

Hello Box #2 - good to see ya

2010-10-02T11:36:00.014-04:00

Cute little box of buttons that will go in the shipment. Also thanks for the pencils and stickers, Germans, I have to tell you that these kids will never have seen stickies like those!

Here we go now:

Andrea from Osnabruck (loving the turtleneck covers - completely practical - these kids do a lot of ice fishing and these are perfect)
Judith of Osnabruck
Gudrum of Heidelberg (3 kids, 2 cats and 1 husband)
Karin from Osnabrueck (love the keychains)
Auke from Herreberg
Silvia
Andria Rose Nattheim
Andrea us Baden Wurttemberg

Andrea of Osnabrueck
Ingrid from Germany (Ingrid if this is the same one who wrote the letter to the kids, thank you!

Ingrid from Ulringen

I will include it in the parcel - it will be amazing to see the map of where you all are)
Rutai
Katharina Kurzwig of Bielefeld
Pia of Simmelsdorf

Susanne of Cologne

Alles Gute fur du Zukureft ( hope I got that right, lady who attached the ladybug)

Wollschaefchen and her sister

Daniela aka Lautaret Gross-Umotadt of Hessen

Christine of Braunschweig(check out her blog)

Nicole of Cologne ("Innu-vative" - cute!)

Claudia Petra of Poltringen

Unsel from the Palatina

vastramamma from Austria

Martina

Eva

Astrid of Wollreich

Aulxe of Harrenberg

Helena (I think) of Ludwigsburg

t.s. stoklossa

One of the Andreas made this one:

The Drachenwolle Mob

2010-09-26T17:30:00.015-04:00

Check out these amazing pictures from the German gang. Germans, can you find your stuff?

Okay got a MASSIVE box last week and have finally opened it to reveal the treasures above. Much thanks to the following lovely ladies:

Christiane Schelling of Dusslinque

Eva of Postdam (cute turtleneck topper - very handy!

Silvia of Eggendorf (Austria)

Daniela Ronner of Ostereich

Liebe Gruibe of Austria (?) hope I got that right Liebe

Liebe Gruibe of Castrop-Rauxel Germany

Michaela of Rutensheim in Baden Wartembeg (check out her blog)

Jennifer from Soest

Juli from Stuttgart

Liebe Gruibe of Bietigheim Bissingen Moggel Moni (wait a minute, I'm seeing a trend with the Gruibes)

Juli of Stuttgart

Niniflix of Bavaria

Simone from Germany (girl your mini sock keychains are so cute)

Anna Nychelharpen

8-fach grope

Claudi of Berlin

Andrea from Osnabrueck

Sysabbe from Cologne

wolschaefchen and her sister

Karin of Osnabrueck

Audrun from Heidelberg

Andrea Rathing of Bad Munder

Kristin (Charrisha) from Nonnenhorn

Martina

Claudette, Jeanine and Barbara

2010-09-19T16:01:00.010-04:00

So I went to one of our yarn partners last weekend, and Gisele (of Wool 'n' Things) had a bunch of blankets for me. There were 18 blankets from Claudette! Claudette, not sure who you are exactly (post a comment so I know) but you are absolutely marvelous.

Okay, here are Jeannine's items. I put my favorite one in first. This blanket is gorgeous - its woven (Douce Aubergine's mommy is also an amazing weaver, as well as a knitter)

Two more knit blankets from J and a bevy of socks....

Barb heads up the Japanese arm of Warm Hands. Here are 3 lovely blankets she sent in. Barb, thanks so much for the extra yarn - we try to join all pairs of socks before we send them to the community.

Jeanine and the Germans

2010-09-06T10:20:00.020-04:00

Sounds like a band, doesn't it? Josie and the Pussycats/Jeanine and the Germans?
So the initial trickle of items coming in is turning into a small continuously flowing river. This week, items came in from Jeanine, the Germans and Barb of Japan.

Jeanine and Barb, I'll be putting your stuff in a separate post, 'cause it looks like this one is overflowing.

So here is the route for the German stuff: Germany-St-Georges-Ottawa-Montreal-Goosebay. Jeanine, who was one of the very first Warmhanders and has been a great cheerleader on Ravelry, picked up the stuff from Esther in Quebec and brought it to my place. Here is Aubergine's mommy herself. In her right hand are German socks, and in her left is a blanket she made herself:

Okay, you fabulous German sock superstars, the name of the game is "find your socks". Take a look at the pictures below and see if you can find the socks you sent in.
A million thank yous to the following:
Ute of Griefswald
Eva
Heike Sonntag
Claudia of Berlin
Jirgen Rischer
Daniela Ronner of Wien
Elizabeth Bak of Lohne
Andrea of Braunschweig
Ute of Augsburg
Silvia of Eggendorf
Jurgen of Lauf
Eva of Potsdam
Nattie from England (hey! our first Brit!)
Petra from Kastellaun
Jana of Zwichan
Jurgen Fischer
Petra Massing of nauheim
Andrea Rosel of Nattheim
Euridke of Essen (check out her blog)
Josi and Cindy from Hohenwarte
The "sun lady" from Nuremburg (you know who you are)
And last but not least, the rockin' sockin' Esther and her sister, of Drachenwolle fame, who found us and said, "Germans? Innu? I see the connection!"

To whoever sent in the toothbrushes, lipbalm and little girl hair items, thank you so much! These items will make a huge difference to a child.

Thanks Janet and Kathleen!

2010-08-30T15:31:00.009-04:00

Okay, got some amazing items to post on:

1. This is from Janet of New Brunswick, aka bus13knitter on Ravelry. Janet thanks so much for the charitable contribution as well. We'll use it to buy boots for sure.

2. And before I left on holidays (Vancouver (or as my people call it "Bancouber"), Seattle, Portland, Victoria), I got this amazingly humungous box from Kathleen aka Kathleeno1 of Nova Scotia:

blankets first (the mitred one is my fave):

now socks, in an amazing array of sizes:

Given all the ravelry traffic, and the stuff that's already come in, I do believe that we'll be able to get every needy kid in the community a few pairs of socks - what a concept.

I'm waiting for the boot sales now, and we'll buy whatever we can to fill the shipment (though I think we might be cutting it close at the 100 pound mark) - thanks for everything guys, and stay tuned.

Finally, an update on shipping: I spoke to the lovely and talented Eric Fudge of Provincial Airlines and that absolute sweetheart is back in for another shipment. Eric, we love you!

Anita

It Came from Japan (and Ottawa)

2010-07-25T10:12:00.003-04:00

Hey fab knitters!

After a quiet June on the Warm Hands front, stuff is starting to roll in. So last week, I got TWO big boxes from Japan (Takatsuki City to be precise), from our lovely Barb Dreher (aka obisaan from Ravelry). Barb is an ex-pat living in Japan right now, and has been contributing to Warm Hands for almost 2 years now.

The first thing I saw was that Barb made our very cool Mags Kandis pattern (hugs and kisses) which was created by Mags (of Mission Falls fame) especially for Warm Hands. Mags told me she thought of hugs and kisses because she wanted to convey to the kiddies that we knit for, that we're thinking warm thoughts about them.

Here is my favorite Barb blankie - Barb, I love it both for the pattern and the colour. I took the photo outside so the shadows are of tree branches hanging over the blanket. I love the stars.

And here are 6 more of the blankets that Barb made. I love the scalloped edges. Barbara, thank you thank you thank you!

Here are some mittens knit by Daphne Edmonds of the Knitting guild. Daphne has knit over 100 pairs for us since we started - thanks again, Daphne, my librarian!

And here are a couple of cute hats by Peggy Holton, also of the Guild! Guys, I love the little tags that you attach to your stuff. I think its great when we attach something that says to an Innu mom, "this was something made especially for your child, from warm hands, and warm hearts".

Love you all - you make this project happen!

Anita and Amy

The Germans are In!

2010-05-10T08:29:00.005-04:00

So we were contacted by Esther, a German now living in Canada who asked if we'd be interested in hooking up with a Ravelry group out of Germany who are fans of Drachenwolle, owned by the very generous Christiane (more on that later). Of course, Amy and I said "the more the merrier".

Well they are going to town. I can't even keep up with them (esp since most of them discuss in German, and babelfish gives me great translations like: "Yes, I like Kurt also! More coming!") but here's a link to their ravelry group:

http://www.ravelry.com/groups/drachenwolle

And here is a link to Christiane's company, Drachenwolle - her yarn is beautiful and she has graciously offered to donate yarn to the Germans for our campaign. Yay!

The three pictures above are actually teasers of her stuff. Titillated? Check out her site at:

http://www.drachenwolle.de/english-navigation-1.php

The Count from March

2010-04-25T16:24:00.002-04:00

I just realized that I never did post the count from the March Innu shipment, so here it is:

Socks: 108 pairs
Blankets: 22
Hats: 218
Sweaters/vests: 56
Mittens: 62

Thanks to each and every one of you, and here's to the September 2010 shipment!

Anita and Amy

Carolyn H of Ottawa

2010-03-28T13:22:00.006-04:00

Hey everyone,
So I dropped by Yarn Forward last week, and they present me with three big new bags full of stuff. As happy as I was, I am dearly hoping that you folks dropped off the items after our deadline, 'cause I just got them. They will certainly go into the September shipment.
So first, here's CarolynH's stuff. She has a great blog and takes her knitting to a level I will never be capable of (I'm also not capable of good grammar - check the dangling modifier).

On the left are Elann Peruvian socks made out of Highland Wool.

I took a close-up of this hat because it was so pretty. The reverse is wayyyy neater than any intarsia I am capable of - 0 lumps! This is "Mireille" using Cascae 220 Wool.

And below is a picture of the intricate Serenity pattern, again with the Cascade Superwash. The hat is a pattern called Filiage mde with Andy's Merino and lined, no less.

I took the picture below because I think I've got a thing for noro. These are Mitered Mittens in Noro Silk Garden. Okay, I admit, I tried them on. Its like being swathed in handcreme.

Thanks Carolyn H - Don't know how you fit this in, in between the kitchen reno (done that, never again), but you're amazing!

So What Happened?

2010-03-14T13:13:00.009-04:00

I'll tell ya what happened:

Amy and Anita got crazy busy and didn't update the blog. So here it is:

1. We dropped off the stuff in Montreal (thanks again to Provincial Airlines and the lovely Ed Fude who can't understand me because of my accent - too central Canada apparently. We spent a lot of time on the phone, saying "pardon me?" and "come again?"). The total amount shipped: an insane 163 pounds. I will post on the contents of the boxes soon. Every single thing that you sweet people sent to us was shipped.

Which means we're now back to 0 inventory!

2. We've kicked off the new campaign for September 2010. The deal this time is that we want to focus on blankets and socks. There are a bunch of reasons, but here are a couple:

1. blankies: the community wants to give a new blanket to each newborn. Its a great way to get new moms into the community health clinic, and also ensures the littlest ones get some warmth.

2. socks: As a mother I can tell you that every kid needs 1 hat (or maybe 2 if the lose one), but kids need multiple pairs of socks. Combine that with many children who don't have boots, and you can see why warm dry socks are very much appreciated. This time, we shipped about 60 pairs which was amazing. The community tells us the more socks the better.

Personally, I have a soft spot for sweaters for the same reasons, and I'd be open to adding sweaters to our campaign again. Of course, if your a die-hard hat person, we won't say no, but we're going to make sure that absolutely all blankets and socks get priority this fall. We're also working on the boot front, trying to figure out how to move that project forward, which does take up some valuable weight in our shipment!

3. For the American knitters and crochet artists, Terry at Wool-Aid has put together an incredible set of instructions on the project within their Rav site, and what she will be collecting and shipping. Wool-Aid has been a tremendous American partner for us this last shipment. Terry, if I missed anything please comment on this post or send me a message. Given the costs to ship to Canada, Wool-Aid also appreciates it if you send in a couple of bucks with your items to help with the shipping.

4. Check this out: Terry also sent me a link to a project that Colin Firth is promoting that involves the (guess!) Innu! Basically its the promotion of a book that is published by a group called "Survival" that focus on tribes all over the world that need to survive for the better of everyone. In Canada, its the Innu. Here is a link to a section on their website. There are a series of photos at the bottom of this page, that I think are in the book as well, and they give you a real mental "picture" of the Innu - the pictures may be of the Quebec or Labrador communities - its not clear, but they are very moving nonetheless. Here is a picture from the website (and, I believe, the book):

Okay I will post more later, but I want to say thanks so so so much for the tremendous campaign contributions. Please know that the items will go from your needles onto the bodies of many many little ones.

Thanks Wool-Aid!

2010-02-14T15:22:00.005-05:00

So around December, Terry from Wool-aid contacted me. She has a great Rav group - basically she and her knitting posse produce massive amounts of stuff for a variety of projects, then she coordinates the packing, shipping and delivery.
This week, I got 50 pounds of stuff. Here are the snaps, graciously created by Terry. The Ravelry posse includes:
abby100, caitysmom, Caryn, cinderga, dobiegirl, geekgirl, greyhoundsknit, JCL, kirbanita, kjschwartz, knitanne, lambylady, lisabeedesigns, lismi, margaretg, Memaknits, mlb, moomsy, morningthunder, redheadeb, vmtknits, Wolle, zuelene
Above and below is a lovely arty collage (much nicer than me spreading out stuff on the kitchen floor):

Speaking of hats, Carleneruns has been a huge supporter of Warm Hands. Carlene, when we were packing up the boxes today, I was thrilled as usual about your blankets. You make me want to crochet. Carlene is being interviewed by the Crochet Guild of America (okay check me if I'm wrong, Carlene) about her crochetting, and in particular all of the hats she's made for Warm Hands. Here is the hat pattern that she used for us (this is just 1 of a massive stash of her stuff going to Labrador in this shipment):

Patricia and Janet

2010-02-07T15:50:00.009-05:00

I got some lovely parcels from Patricia of Toronto (I think this is your second shipment to warmhands, right?), and Janet of Fredricton.

So the picture above and below are from Patricia's House of Knits. My grouchy daughter is modelling the balaklava (see how she's shooting me the googly-eye?), because I thought they were great, and a photo on the kitchen table doesn't do them justice.

Below are the items from Janet of New Brunswick. Janet is awesome, both because she makes super warm stuff (the thrummed mittens to the right are like wearing your pillows), but she's also a great commenter/contributer to the rav site which I must say is a big way that we've been able to raise awareness and contributions for the Innu project. Thanks for your sweet note, Janet!

Finally, for all you American contributors out there, who shipped through Wool-Aid to us - just got an email from Terry who tells me that the items are boxed, and I should be getting them shortly! Here is a pic she sent me:

I haven't mentioned the Dulaan project - we are still planning a Cdn shipment to Dulaan this year. I got this great link from Olyweaver which shows the distribution of items via Dulaan in Dec 2009 (some of your items were probably distributed in that shipment!).

Things are arriving!

2010-01-30T21:13:00.006-05:00

You're not seeing extra images - three plain white bags with simple white tags, and the work of an industrious woman - 20 mittens, 20 toques and 20 slippers! Wonderful!

One very thoughtful knitter donated some space bags. These will be very handy for Anita and I as we pack up the boxes over the next short while - we are determined to get as much as we can in each box, and these will be great! Thank you for these, and the very cuddly warm blankets they came with.

I am sure a little one will love to play pirates with this sweater on! And, check out the socks!

Check out this great stuff! Hats, socks (oh my), scarves, blankets, slippers... wonderful talent out there, and such generosity!

Thank you, one and all.

These are from some talented women in Little Britain. I used to work near there, and learned a lot from some volunteers from Little Britain and Lindsay. A beautiful area, full of giving people!

Knitting Ladies

2010-01-27T20:15:00.004-05:00

I know not all of you are on Ravelry, so I thought I'd add this note here as well:

More news: I talked to Lorraine, in Sheshasuit this morning. I have to say, its so nice now. When we first started the project, I think the community was a bit wary - they have been through this before, I get the sense. Now that we’ve got a couple of years worth of shipments under our belt, its like they kind of trust us. Lorraine (who is a woman of few words) just giggled when I said we get stuff for the Innu kids from the US and Japan now, as well as all over Canada. So the conversation went like this:

Anita: Hi, its Anita, the -
Lorraine: Knitting lady (laugh)
Anita: Hey, how did it go with the the last shipment we sent?
Lorraine: Oh its all gone. The kids are wearing it now. Everything is gone. We gave out most everything at the clinic, and we took some of the hats and mittens to the school, and they all went fast.
Anita: Great! So Lorraine, are we shipping too much? We don’t want to overwhelm you…

Lorraine: Its not too much. Its all used. I’ll tell you when its too much.
Anita: Okay so February? I’ll get it to Goose Bay - you get it the rest of the way.
Lorraine: Yep
Anita: And next September?
Lorraine: Yep
Anita: You rock, Lorraine. You are so awesome! Thanks for doing this!
Lorraine: Thank you, knitting lady (laugh laugh)! and hangs up.

So I don’t know if Lorraine has a camera, but next time I will ask her, and see if she can email a photo or two that I can post - not sure if it will work, but I’d love to see some of the stuff on the kiddies.
Thanks to all you “knitting (and crochet) ladies”!

It Came from Japan - the Sequel

2010-01-24T15:56:00.002-05:00

So Barbara is a Canadian who lives in Japan right now (so she can be close to the grand-babies) and also teaches English (correct me if I'm wrong, Barbara).

Last year, she did a bunch of hats, and my boy tried one on and loved it. Well this year, she did a bunch again (see below) and threw one in for my boy - check him out modelling the Senators' number. He's right now wearing it, even though he's inside.

Thanks again, Barbara, you rock!

Post #1 - Jeanine and the gang from Ottawa

2010-01-24T14:00:00.004-05:00

I have not even posted a third of the stuff that we got here, but here's a bunch of stuff I picked up from Knit-Knackers and Yarn Forward.

My cute but shy cousin, Ritu, is putting out the socks of Aubergine's mommy, Jeanine the sheep lady. Jeanine has been in this with us since Day 1 - we love you, girl!

Okay there were so many amazing things that came in the mail last week. Check out the next 2 posts below for more.

Post #2 Corine and Chococupcakegirl

2010-01-24T13:21:00.003-05:00

Hey, my cousin Ritu is here right now, helping me take pictures of this stage. Okay here are a bunch of pictures. The first two are from Michelle of Montreal, aka chococupcake girl. Cupcake (can I call you cupcake?), made these gorgeous sweaters. What yarn is it? Can you tell me where you got the pattern for the first one.

And below are some beauties from Corinne from Lachine. I took a separate picture of the mitties because they were so cute and warm (okay, I tried them on, I admit it).

Post #3 - Brandon and Scarborough

2010-01-24T13:08:00.006-05:00

Above is something sweet I got in the mail from S Schira of Brandon MB. S, thanks for your note on the back of the package - it made me smile.

Lynne is our technical wizard - she redesigned our logo last year, and continuously fiddles with our graphics on Ravelry to make them brighter and better. Renaissance girl that she is, she also knits: so here are her socks and hats. Thanks, Lynn!

What do Fort Collins Colorado and Merritt BC have in Common?

2010-01-04T19:31:00.008-05:00

You were going to say mountains, right? I'll tell you what they have in common: they are the homes of fabulous knitters. Check out these hats from Merritt.

And what about the beautiful blanket and vests from Joan Briar of Colorado? They are extra warm and cuddly. Joan, we got it, and there was no customs charge - very crafty of you to put a value of $5 on there, even though I know your stuff is priceless.

We also picked up a wack of stuff from Wool 'n' Things in Ottawa. I really love those guys. The lovely Gisele has also said that she's willing to keep on collecting after the January date. Yay Gisele!

Unfortunately, I see no nametags in the stuff dropped off to Wool 'n' Things, but I wanted to show you the amazing blanket that some beautiful, generous knitter put together, above.

So how were your holidays? We have fun in sunny California with the extended fandamily. We have a saying: "if nobody cries, it ain't Christmas". Christmas day went something like this:

Anita (to her 4 year old niece, Jasmine): Jasmine, please take that penny out of your mouth.

Jasmine: No.

Anita: Please, I don't want you to choke.

Jasmine: Why do I have to take it out?

Anita: Because if you swallow it, that's it. No more Jasmine.

Jasmine: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (then wets her pants).

New holiday saying: "If Anita doesn't clean pee off the floor, it ain't Christmas.".

Hope your holidays were swell. Best wishes to all of our Warm Hands partners in the New Year!

Thanks Erica

2009-11-30T10:27:00.003-05:00

This a picture of the lovely and talented Erica Bregman. She started a project, through Jewish Family Services to collect warm coats and boots for the Innu and Metis in Northern Labrador. Read about it here.

So we called Erica and said, "hey, can we slip some boxes into your shipment? "Sure!" she said, and our stuff made it! 40 pounds of your hand-knit mittens, hats, blankets and sweaters will be distributed through the Labrador Friendship Centre to Innu and Metis in need. It is already on trucks and on its way. Thanks, guys. What a great Christmas present!

Other news: since we were able to get a shipment off so quickly, we are postponing our next shipping deadline to January 31st. Happy knitting!

Damn that flu

2009-11-07T19:14:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to post a note and let you know that I talked to the community this morning. The boxes have been opened and partially distributed. One of the ladies tells me that one woman came in with 6 of her 14 (!!?!) children and they fitted her kiddies up well for the cooold winter.

Right now, they are distributing items as kids come into the public health clinic, however they have been a bit delayed because they’ve been hit by H1N1 and are undertaking a mass immunization over the next couple of weeks. I’ll let you know when I hear more.

In the meantime, we’re talking to an Inuit community organization here in town. They are very interested in having us ship some stuff to their northern kids, however we’re trying to figure out how the shipping might work. They’re going to see if they can work out the shipping themselves and get back to us. Cross your fingers…

Hope you're all still healthy!

Back to Montreal

2009-10-07T21:18:00.011-04:00

Yet another picture. We still look like we're wearing comfortable shoes, sigh. I swear we've got stilletto's on - you just can't see them. Okay, this is us tonight in box-packing mode. Its all hands on deck for this one. The blankets you see on the left and the bottom are beautiful crochet by Carlene of Carp (carleneruns) - Carlene, we so loved your crochet stuff - soft like anything. Can you post on the hat pattern?

And we keep on packin'. I packed everything, then Amy opened the boxes and repacked, and was able to squish in even more stuff. We squished and we squeeeeeezed, and we taped then taped again to make sure that we could get as much as we could in. See the boots on the bottom? There are 30 pairs stuffed with socks and mittens and hats, and wrapped inside blankets and sweaters and vests...

The last box that came in the mail this week was from - believe it or not - Happy Valley Labrador! Kelly, aka hoodlumknits, put together some sweet little things. We love Kelly because she's always posting and giving us the skinny on the weather and conditions in Labrador. Thanks, hoodlum for being our connection in the 'hood.

And big boxes in Amy's van. Now that we're on our way, I can let you in on our little soap opera. Two weeks ago, I called Morris, our star at Air Labrador. The conversation went like this:

Anita: "Morris, we're ready to ship to Labrador. Same deal as always?"

Morris: "Sure. Where are you going to ship from?"

Anita: "Montreal, same as usual".

Morris: "That's great, and we'll take the stuff from Goose Bay on, but how is it getting to Goose Bay?"

Anita: "Morris, my geography is bad. When I say Labrador, I mean Goose Bay."

Morris: "Yeah, I know. How is the stuff getting to Goose Bay?".

Anita: "Who's on first?".

Bottom line: Air Labrador no longer ships from Quebec to Labrador. The good news is that Ed Fude of Provincial Airlines has stepped in on this shipment. Guess how much stuff they are shipping.

An unbelieveable 200 pounds. That's how much those four boxes weigh.

So tomorrow afternoon, we drive Ottawa-Montreal, drop off the shipment, and drive back - home by dinner, I hope.

As for the December shipment - we've got lots of coals in the fire - we're just working on the best approach to get the stuff to the northern communities. Do you want to hear the dramatic play by play, or just the outcome once its all resolved?

Guys, from our hearts to yours - thank you so so much for taking the time out of your lives to put together all of the beautiful things that are going to the Innu kids - you're warming them, and letting know that they matter. What a gift.

Patricia of Toronto

2009-10-04T19:27:00.003-04:00

Here are some great socks that Patricia sent in. I did a close-up of my favorite pair. Patricia, we are packing like crazy and will get these in the boxes.

Thanks!

Anita

Boots and Canadian Knitters

2009-09-27T21:30:00.018-04:00

Before we get down to business, I wanted to show you this beautiful blanket that Lynn Walma of Scarborough sent in. Lynn, its as soft as it is beautiful.

My boy took this quick snap of a pile-up of the new boots we got to go along with the gorgeous knitties that you made.

Okay, Shirl the purl (Shirley Thomson of London) was one of our first Ravelry supporters - she's the one who taught me how to use it - okay Shirley, do I blame you for my Ravelcrack addiction? She made a bunch of fleece baby blankets, with a little crochet around them - I took a closeup of the baseball one because its so cute. Check out the rest of her stuff below:

Cute blankie, huh?

The socks above, and the tiny intarsia one are from the lovely Sheri Roy of Liverpool. Check out her blog to see more of these socks.

Below is Allison of Mount Pearl, who sent in 10 gorgeous pairs of mittens - read about her adventures in knitting here.

Above is a close-up of another one of Lynn's sweet blankets. Lynn, can you tell me how to get this pattern, because its crazy beautiful.

And here's another Lynn creation, below.

Finalement, voici les mignons mittaines et chaussures de la fabuleuse Danielle Tanguay. Merci, Danielle!

Kansas, Texas, Jeanine, Suzanne and Alexis

2009-09-20T11:58:00.020-04:00

Heyyyy! I can see we're getting close to our first deadline, because we're getting lots of stuff. Just as an aside, we also managed to raise $1000 for new boots to go with those lovely warm knitties that you make. Each pair costs about $29.00 pre-shipping - its amazing how many people say, "yeah, I'll give you $29 for a pair of boots. So here's to you guys. Roll credits:

These come from the lovely Alexis Layton. She sent in 3 hats and 6 (!) blankets. Its hard to see here, but the blankets are kind of a half-circle design.

Suzanne Atkinson is a wonderful supporter - if you want to meet her, Wabisabi in Ottawa, is holding a charity knit-in for us and she is going to try to make it - we'd love to see you there in person. More details on the dates (some time this fall) soon.

Its the Ravelry blanket! For those of you not in the know, we have a very very very active ravelry group. You can see them here. We love our little gang, especially since we've got some easterners in there who post on the weather and what's happening in Labrador. Suzanne asked ravellers to send in squares, which she neatly assembled into a blanket. Lotsa love in those squares...

And here's some more from Suzanne. Suzanne, I do a patchwork blanket too, by knitting blocks together, but I think your assembly is alot neater than mine, by casting on the long side then garter stitching. I'm going to do that next time.

Anne Kahle, love your blankies. Very thick and warm. But girl, you're our first from Kansas and I just can't resist the Dorothy cliches. I will try to stop myself, but I can't promise anything.

Here's Jeannine Turcotte, the sheep-lady. I have always loved her stuff. J, since you asked, the sizes that you did for the hats, mitts and socks are perfect. We're targetting alot of 7 to 14 year olds this time, so these work well. Blankets, will, as usual, go to the clinic, so that works well too.

Jeannine, I love this little sweater. The details on it are amazing, and the zip front is very very cute. Innu kids are born on the biggish side, so I think it will fit a 2 year old.

Did you know that Carrollton, Texas is the home of Vanilla Ice Ice Baby? But much more importantly, its the home of the amazing Kelly Craven, who made these four blankets. Kelly, we have the same taste, because I love the gemtone colour choices.

And last but not least, its the wonderful May Chow of the 31 hats. May, you will warm many a head this winter.

Guys, we love getting your stuff, and you're all entered in the Oceanwinds draw. Whether you send in one thing or many, every little piece is much appreciated. Your hears are huge!

Anita

Janet, Kathleen and Ms. Minnesota

2009-08-10T20:37:00.004-04:00

So we're renovating the kitchen, which means 5 guys yelling at each-other downstairs at 5am each morning, while Anita, half-naked (and not my good half), yells at the kids upstairs each morning. Let me just say, that your little parcels are keeping me from killing somebody. That's kind of nice, eh? You warm and Innu and you keep Anita from committing electrician-homicide. You guys just keep on giving...

First, we have Knitter of StPaul Minnesota. Knitter, I'm putting you in the draw - the hats are incredibly detailed and beautiful. My daughter modeled the green one for me - love it, and I'm guessing that you folks know cold, too.

The next two are from sweet Janet of Fredricton. Janet, I did a close-up of these little mittens because I loved the yarn, but I have to say, thank you for knitting into the larger sizes. Apparently, the kids will wear the socks you knit to bed to keep their tootsies warm at night, so they are much appreciated! I will put you in the raffle 14-fold.

Kathleen of Bedford, Nova Scotia knit the two sweaters below and (wait for it) 17 more items. You got your socks, your hats, your mittens...its all great. Thank you so much!

The Draw this Year - Oceanwind Knits

2009-07-13T20:24:00.012-04:00

We're having another raffle! This year, we're raffling a kit from Oceanwind Knits. It came in the mail today and its beautiful and knittable and hand-dyed but I'm not giving away the store. So it could be this:

Or like this:

Or maybe this:

And maybe you could make this with it:

So the rules are the same this year: Knit something, send it to us along with your name or ravelcrack link, and we'll put you in the draw. Knit 2 things and you get 2 entries in the draw. We'll draw in March and one lucky winner will get it. But you're all winners - you know that.

The Knit Cafe

2009-06-04T21:06:00.005-04:00

Okay, I just wanted to write a little bit about our first LYS in Toronto - the Knit Cafe is owned by the lovely and talented Iwona - say hi when you go in. It was amazing from the very start - the first time I called, they let me blather on for 10 minutes, then said calmly "no problem" to being our first drop off point.

The store is adorable - have a cupcake during Sunday high team.

The yarn is great though: they carry fleece artist, and you know I love me some fleece artist.

Here's what the store looks like inside:

You need more reasons? How about Lorna's Lace, Peace Fleece and Cascade Yarns?

Get yourself over there - and tell them you've got warm hands!

Anita.

PS We did a presentation to the Rotary Club - looks like we might be shipping some boots to go with those hand-knit socks for Labrador, so keep 'em coming.

Take care,

Wool 'N' Things is In

2009-05-10T11:03:00.002-04:00

Just a quick note this time,

Gisele at Wool 'n' Things in Orleans (or Orléans, depending on whether you can find the "é" on your keyboard) has joined our little Warm Hands family.

You can drop off your stuff at their store on Youville drive any time. I'm going to try to get down there myself, and take some pictures of the store ASAP.

Glorious Knitting!

2009-04-27T21:51:00.011-04:00

I mentioned how great the Ottawa Knitting Guild is on Ravelry, but I can't help saying it again. even on that cold, damp night last week, the room was buzzing with conversation and I was very kindly welcomed as a guest. The show and tell was great, too. I missed Joyce showing off my son's elephant sweater (a labour of love if there ever was one!) the previous meeting. The knitting this month was great - some gifts ready for shipping, some great shawls and more.

Nice to meet you, and thank you. First, thanks to Suzanne for her great presentation about charity knitting. I learned a lot and we appreciate your kind words. It was also a great chance for me to put faces to names. Names I have been seeing on tags tucked in with wonderful knitting. Like these:

Daphne's mittens. I am glad you are feeling better, and I know these will warm many hands. I have several balls of washable merino if you'd like them! I was impressed to learn that you just knit these, without a pattern!

These are also some very overdue photos from May's last drop off. We love your sweaters, too, and they got a bit of a goodbye pat from these models as we packed them into a box to ship off. The owl is modelling a lovely doll hat that was tucked in with these other lovely hats. The owl is not leaving the house, its owner clearly informed me. (why do some little boy voices carry so well?!!)

And last, but not least, a surprise sweater donated by Joyce. She says it is easy, but I am a bit wary of having to line anything up. A classic with ladybug buttons for a lucky child!

A few other recent donations are a few scarves, and this sweet granny square rose.

Thanks again, Ottawa! Amy

Alix, Maria, Jeanine, Daphne, Julia, May and Peggy

2009-04-21T20:10:00.022-04:00

Hellooooooo,

Look at all the fab stuff I picked up in Ottawa and from Canada Post (May, we'll have pictures of your stuff up here shortly!).

From Alix in Toronto. Alix, you didn't give me your address, but I got your email so I'll put you in the next draw.

Okay, next from Maria Koulis, the felting queen - Queen Maria, every time I look at one of the felt hats, I try to figure out how you did it - I'm trying to make a felted painting and I can't get the colours to blend. What's the secret? My plan is to sell it for two THOUSAND dollars (said a la Dr. Evil) and buy the boots for the Innu kids. I may have to come up with a Plan B - still looking for ideas....

Jeanine Turcotte is the sheep-lady - she used to raise sheep, but now she just raises sweaters. Jeanine, I took a close up of this particular sweater, because the buttons on it are going to make some little boy very happy - planes and horses - what more could you want?

Right here is Daphne Edmunds work from the Ottawa Knitting Guild. Amy tells me she just picked up 20 more pairs of mittens from Daphne this week - thanks for being on our team, Daphne (I heart my librarian ;)

And over here, its Julia Yeung of the OKG who makes these very cute creations (I'm thinking for the 3-7 age set).

And finally, Peggy Holton of the OKG - cute stripes!

I can't go without mentioning sweet Suzanne who did a chat about us at the Guild meeting this week. Suzanne was one of the first ladies who put her hands up two years ago and said, "I'm in - Amy and Anita are having their mid-life crisis, and I will knit hats for them!". Thanks S for everything you do. To see Suzanne's princess hat pattern, link up here.

Okay, if I've missed out on anyone, its not from lack of love. Send me an email and I will see if I can dig through and find a note or a label or something with your name on it.

This is what the new poster looks like - keep your eyes open in the LYS for it!

2009-04-18T16:11:00.004-04:00

This store is a Warm Hands Network Drop-Off Site

What: We gather your hand-knit socks, mittens, baby blankets and hats. Wool is preferred, and no scarves please.

Where: Then we box them up and ship them to two Innu communities in Northern Labrador. The women in the community distribute them to kids in need.

When: Our drop-off deadlines are September 30th and December 31st 2009.

Why: Check out our blog at: http://www.findingfortygatheringknitting.blogspot.com/ for that info.

Knit us stuff, include your name and we will post a photo on our web-site. Check out the details on our draw!

And the Winner Is....

2009-04-03T14:58:00.008-04:00

Kara Lefevre of Quebec City! Congrats, Kalyle, I will be sending you your lovely Fleece Artist yarn soon. Thanks to everyone for submitting your name, address and info for the draw.

Should we do another one?

We got a package today from Teri of Englewood, Florida. Teri, I have to say that I love the fact that you addressed the envelope to "The Warm Hands Network, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada", and it got to us. Canada Post, this Bud's for you! I have to also say that you know what little girls like, because my own girl's eyes opened wide when she saw the hats and mittens you sent in. Everything has a girly touch to it, with the little sparkly trim and pom poms. My photo doesn't do them justice, but these are my favorites.

Okay, to answer the questions of some of our readers, the items for the next Innu shipment can basically be any size, though the community would really like stuff for the age 5 to 17 crew.

They'd also like blankets for the babies again - those are a huge help, because there are many many young new mothers in the community. Scarves: we don't really ship 'em. We've got a limited budget and we want to spend shipping dollars on those items that will be used the most, and that the community requested.

In terms of materials: wool is best. For both Mongolia and the Innu, we're looking for warmth over washability (is that a word?).

Okay, finally, in other news, Wabi Sabi is a funkster of a store in Ottawa. Its more than just yarn (though the yarn is absolutely incredible - wierd stuff that I have never seen before, and absolutely beautiful). They also carry rovings, and little kits (my daughter and I just made the cutest little felted flower from a kit there - they are kind of like this one from Feltwerker at etsy:

), and these incredible handmade, uncolored silk things (they call them hankies but they are bigger than any hankies I've ever seen), that you kind of hand-paint yourself. I'm going to try to post pics of the store at some point, because you have to see it. Its the store I would have, if I had a million dollars.

Sometimes I get a bit off topic, but I do have a point, and here it is: Wabi-sabi is going to be our newest partner. So you can drop off your stuff there (I'm going to put up a poster with them).

Stay tuned, because they are going to run a charity knitting workshop soon, and guess who the featured charity will be?

Cool, eh?

Aexis of London, Barbara of Kizugawa City (seriously)

2009-03-31T08:06:00.012-04:00

News news news - I'm not sure where to start, so I'll start with the photos:

These are hats made by Alexis of London. Alexis, I love the pattern. Care to share??

Barbara, an expat Canadian living in Japan, made 25 of these little numbers for Mongolia. I love the reversibility of them! My boy said he didn't want to take it off, and why can't we keep the stuff that people send?

This is the same hat turned inside out. This is his expression, when I say, "because we can't".

A photo of all 25 numbers together (all reversible, I might add!).

Okay, other bits and pieces:

1. I've got a box waiting for me at the post office. As soon as I pick it up, log it in and take photo's, we'll have the fabulous draw for the fleece artist yarn.

2. Here's the biggest news:

I talked to Lorraine in the biggest of the two Innu communities. Guess what? All the items were distributed and are warming hands, and toes and heads right now! I think the folks up there have been really surprised by your generosity. I asked whether they want us to continue and the answer is a resounding yes. So here are the new requests from Lorraine:

The community gets its first big snow by the end of October, so they are wondering if we can send the stuff in sooner. I think maybe we need to start thinking about split shipments

They asked for (in order of priority):

1. socks

2. mittens

3. baby blankets (all the blankets you made have already gone out to new babies, but they have 35-40 new babies each year, and they'd like to make sure that every child has a blanket).

4. hats

They also need boots for the kids, and that's what we've got to put our brains to next. They need about 100 pairs of boots for kids between the ages of 7 and 11. If anyone knows an organization that can donate boots, pass me the lead, and I'll do something about it.

I just wanted to drop you that little note because I thought it was incredible - each one of you that contributed to that shipment has already had a direct impact on a kid, 'cause they are wearing your stuff already.

Let that thought keep you warm tonight!

Pleased to meet you!

2009-03-29T19:40:00.002-04:00

My mother in law (joycejamestours.com) took me to a great book launch the other day, for Mother-Daughter Knits by Sally Melville and Caddy Melville Ledbetter. The event was fun, and I am excited about the projects in the book as well. For an amateur like me who doesn't like a project that can't be put down a million times to tend to children, and now the puppy, or ignored for weeks during a busy time at work, this book has many great options. And one of my daughters is tackling the headband project.

More to the point, there were many people from the Ottawa Knitters Guild in attendance at the book launch (at the Workshop, but more about that great store another time). It was a pleasure to meet some of the very kind and generous women who have been knitting up a storm for those in need. Thank you again, and again!

The Draw is Coming!!!

2009-03-25T06:06:00.001-04:00

March 31st is rolling around, and I've managed to keep my hands off the Fleece Artist yarn that we are raffling off.

Can't wait to see who wins!

Great knitting, May

2009-03-07T20:54:00.002-05:00

I was at Yarn Forward this afternoon, getting things for my latest knitting swap on Ravelry, and there was a great bag of knitting from May. Thank you! I'll pass the note to Anita.

These items, and a box of things that arrived from Japan (no, I am not kidding - these will be well-travelled items), will be sent to Mongolia.

Our deadline for the next shipment is March 31.

roadtrip!

2009-02-15T22:56:00.002-05:00

So, we got up early, got some coffee and we were off! Air Labrador was just wonderful, everything was ready and they were expecting us, and the boxes went the next day! Yay! Thank you, Morris and the rest of the gang at Air Labrador!

We did listen to some great tunes en route, and it was a nice way to get caught up without children talking at the same time! My CD burner didn't cooperate, but here's the list I wanted to bring. One of these days, I will figure out how to post it on iTunes.

Perfectly Good Guitar - John Hiatt
Light Of A Clear Blue Morning - Allison Moorer
Lipstick Sunset - John Hiatt
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Jeff Healey Band
California Stars - Billy Bragg & Wilco
AngelEyes - The Jeff Healey Band
Have a Little Faith in Me - John Hiatt
Summer Side Of Life - Blue Rodeo
Drive South - John Hiatt
Where Do the Children Play? Cat Stevens
Tracks of My Tears - Billy Bragg
Landslide - Dixie Chicks
My Baby Don't Tolerate - Lyle Lovett
Cute As a Bug - Lyle Lovett
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Better Together - Jack Johnson
You Can Talk To Me- Beatles
Teach Your Children - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Holes to Heaven (Acoustic)- Jack Johnson

So, what happened to us?!!

2009-02-04T21:45:00.003-05:00

Hello, fellow knitters. So, there is still plenty of winter left in Labrador, really! There are waiting hands to recieve and distribute, through the health centre and the Next Generation Guardians. So, thank you again for your great knitting, generosity and kindness in helping these communities be warmer this winter.
All the best, and may your generosity be returned tenfold!
Amy (one of the ABs)

I am going to work out a playlist for the trip to the airport now and will share the list later. Any suggestions? We are both fans of John Hyatt and Lyle Lovett, so those two will be on the list for sure, and lots of other acoustic and singer/songwriter type stuff.

Natuashish

2009-02-03T06:50:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to post a quick update: the boxes were packed and ready to go, but unfortunately the communities shut down early for Christmas! The offices are back open this week, so Amy and I are loading up the car and trekking to Montreal.

The CBC had a great story on Natuashish. This is definitely a community working to heal and help itself. Thanks to all of you for showing you care.

Anita

The Count

2008-12-29T11:49:00.004-05:00

In the midst of the Christmas crazies, I just wanted to post a note: the boxes are packed and here are our totals for the Innu kiddies and families:

Socks 44
Hats 151
Mitts and Gloves 141
Blankets 19
Sweaters 20

Yay!

I pulled out all of the little tags and things with names on them, so you're all in the draw.

Thanks so much for participating in the project - I know how busy it is this time of year, and yet each one of you made time to make something and slip it in an envelope or box or bag and drop it off or mail it. You've got warm hands and warm hearts!

Anita and Amy

Roll Credits 3: Linda, Louise, Jeannine and Kara

2008-12-21T12:58:00.003-05:00

In the past week, we've had some fabulous contributions. I wanted to grab pix of the ones where you knitters provided us with an id, but there are so many that I've split them into three posts - if you don't see your stuff here, then check out the two other posts entitled "Roll Credits". If they aren't there, then post us a note.

So we got so much stuff from the OKG and the Toronto crew that we are going to have to open the boxes and start packing and unpacking. Okay if you're cool and 40+, as soon as you see packing and unpacking, you're humming "town to town, up and down the dial". Feed us the next line of the song in a comment, and you will be immortalized forever in the ledger of cooldom.

But I digress.

This hat was made by Kara of Quebec city (kalyle on Ravelry). I had to take a picture of it alone because its too cute.

These are all Kara's too:

The Ottawa Knitting Guild is at it again! The hats below were by our own sheep-lady Jeannine Turcott, and by Louise Moore.

Linda Williams of the OKG made these winners:

Roll Credits 2: Theresa and the OKG

2008-12-21T12:47:00.005-05:00

Nancy, we love you for two reasons: you've been a great promoter of the project through the Ottawa Knitting Guild. Reason # 2 is that you knit with the hugs and kisses pattern (see the hats below), which is our very own, donated by Mags Kandis of Mission Falls. The hat on the bottom right is by Healther Albett:

Julia Yeung of the Ottawa Knitting Guild put together these juicy tidbits:

Deirdre Spann of the Ottawa Knitting Guild made pairs of mittens to go with each of these hats:

Daphne is one of our big-volume producers- she pops off a pair of mittens per day. Here's a sample of her work:

These beautifu hats are from Theresa Ladouceur who lives right down the street from me:

Roll Credits 1: Auriol and Rhea

2008-12-21T12:38:00.004-05:00

The sweater below is from Auriol Rapin of Ottawa:

Angela Kiss sent us a wack of premie hats and booties:

Mittens, mittens mittens!

These three blankets, layered on top of eachother are from Rhea Hoare - beatiful and thick:

US Invasion - Very Cool

2008-12-12T16:58:00.009-05:00

Here are some photos of some things that American Cindy sent us. Cindy you are our first, no wait, I stand corrected: second American contribution - very very cool (if you read this, comment and tell us where you're from!).

I see the Torontonians are totally stepping up - I love the photo below of Georgiana's stuff which is in the mail for us:

Okay the caption is American, and there's stuff from a Torontonian. One more non-sequitor (sequiter?): I'm Indian by heritage and my people are big on the scopes - usually I read the G&M Sally Brompton, which tends to be pretty negative (everyone's out to get you, you are doomed, etc.). A friend of mine recently pointed me to Free Will Astrology. Oh my gosh, I love him! Apparently I am a gorgeous genius - who doesn't need that kind of positive affirmation?

Okay back to my knitting - we're going to be busy this weekend packing boxes like crazy ladies 'cause next week is the rooooad trip! Wish us luck.

Anita

Lovely Lynn

2008-12-12T16:51:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday, I picked up a box from Canadian Lynn. Lynn recruited some lovely people by providing them with the yarn and some patterns as well as beautiful handmade tags which you can see below. The knitters knit and then Lynn shipped. Lynn please pass a message of thanks on to Jan and Sita as well. The pix are above.

Great knitting from Toronto

2008-12-10T09:06:00.002-05:00

Toronto - Thank you! My sister in law picked up the knitting from our drop off partners in Toronto, and Wow! She had to get more boxes! This is wonderful and inspiring. Thank you! We're setting up a date with Air Labrador for delivery before Christmas! More photos soon -

The Boxes - They Don't Stop

2008-11-30T14:07:00.017-05:00

Hey guys,

Every time I go to the post office, the workers there ask me what Warm Hands is. I'm considering telling them we're a cult. Why can't I freak out a postal worker, instead of it always being the other way around?

Okay, here are some pics. The stuff comes from lots of people, some who send in their stuff anonymously, and some who proudly display their names.

Our favorite sheep-lady, Jeanine, dropped off her stash of stuff, mucho stuff, including six hand-sewn baby quilts (sample above and below.

My former librarian, Daphne, went to town on the hats this year:

Then there is Kathleen of Bedford Nova Scotia, who I will now refer to as the sock lady. 18 warm knitted things - the box was bustin'

And what about Sheri of Liverpool, Nova Scotia. Um, can I ask what's the story with all of you prolific eastern knitters?

These mittens came from she who shall remain nameless (lady, if you're out there, please post a note so that I can enter you in the draw). I'll give you a hint, your box looked pregnant. If you tell me what colour it was, I'll know it was you!

Thanks to all, and I'll post more as they come in.

xxx

Anita and Amy

We're filling boxes!

2008-11-20T22:00:00.003-05:00

Our shipping deadline is coming up! We are hoping you can drop off your items by Nov. 30, and we'll take it from there. I am already amazed by what you have contributed, and know from the Ravellers that there are more items on the way.

Don't forget about our draw!

I have been converted to knitting on round needles now - the hats go pretty quickly, and no seaming which seems to slow me down a few weeks at least! I was able to make a few en route to Vancouver this week. A nod to the lovely yarn of Penny Stewart on Granville Island. Next time, I will note the closing time - I had to settle for handling someone else's.

Les Chapeaux D'Alix

2008-11-11T13:41:00.006-05:00

Here are some hats created by the lovely and talented Alix who knits out of Haley Waxberg's store, Knitomatic. My favorite is the green stripey one - I had to try it on - a perfect fit for my watermelon! Alix, you are in the draw nine-fold.

Here is a note from our sheep-lady Jeanine, who dropped off stuff earlier this month:

I have delivered a bag of knitted items at Yarn Forward on Bank Street this morning. They are for the Innu children. I will have another load for them before the Nov. 30th deadline. From Dec.to January I will knit for the Mongolians.
I have seen a 2-hour documentary on TV5, a French channel about Mongolia and a reality show on the same channel where participants had to travel through Mongolia with a Euro a day. What a challenge! The nomads are poor but willing to share. When they can't live on the steppe they move their yurt on the outskirts of the cities. These are the ones who really need help. I will be pleased to knit for them.

Also, here's a pattern called "Sell Your Sole" from the very cool Heather, a supporter from out West. She let us post it here because she knows that the socks and I do battle (I am at the toes on sock #2). Heather has been the Writer-in-Residence for the Banff Centre for the Arts 5 times running. Here's what her current work is about:

"identify and distinguish among four contemporary world views (positivist, interpretive, critical, and post-modern) and situate a range of contemporary theories (structuralism, new historicism, hermeneutics, critical theory, reception theory, feminist theory, Marxism, postcolonial and multicultural theory, postmodernism, etc) within those world views."

Damn, Heather, I was working on exactly the same thing. Thanks for letting me post your sock pattern anyway.

Stuff is coming in as the deadline approaches, and I can see the Ravellers are doing great - talk again soon,

Julia and Cynthia and others

2008-11-09T09:25:00.004-05:00

Here are a few photos of stuff that is coming in. The first one is of some items that Cynthia, who publishes Knit Together sent us - love the fact that you used our signature pattern from Mags Kandis.

The second set, including the one that my girl is wearing are from Julia of Davis, California. She makes the most incredible felted hats.

Ladies, I've put your names in the draw - good luck to ya!

Thanks for the Recent Arrivals!

2008-11-02T10:47:00.005-05:00

Ok, Hallowe'en is over, so I have no more excuses for not posting photos! My littlest model helped out here. The cold weather is arriving, and so is the knitting! Jeannine B, and others, we salute you and your generous hearts and talented fingers. The socks are georgeous! And, I love the blanket, the hats, the baby blankets. The brown hat is even lined with fabric for an extra layer and softness.

And our continued thanks to our drop off partners, Knit-knackers and Yarn Forward for their support and storage.

Say, does anyone out there know if Afaloss Lopi will get softer in time? I'm keeping the hand lotion close while I am knitting with it and hoping for the best with this hat I am working on.

We're Havin' a Draw!

2008-10-05T14:16:00.010-04:00

I've been blogging about the Fleece Artist sock adventure, and I thought it would be great if we had a draw for something cozy and Canadian. So either we could raffle off Peter Mansbridge

or maybe Brent Butt

, or.....

we could have a draw for this beautiful Cross Cross Scarf pattern and yarn from Fleece artist:

The yarn is Suri Blue (50% Suri Alpaca/50% Blue Face Leicester) and I am sitting on my hands right now to stop myself from ripping the package open. The colour is kind of ocean greeny fading in and out - I'm no wordsmith so here's a picture of another item with the same colours:

So here are the rules, well not really rules, more just a general framework. Because if they were rules, then this would be a lottery, and that would be wrong:

1. Knit your stuff and either send it to us or drop it off at one of our LYS partners. To the bag, either give us an email address or a Ravelcrack name.

2. For each item you donate, we'll enter your name once in the draw.

3. The deadline is February 20th. You can knit for either the Innu kids or for the Mongolian kids - by the way, if you have a preference for your donation, just attach a note to your stuff and we'll make sure it gets there.

Easy peasy, lemon-squeezy.

But if you'd rather have Brent Butt as the prize, post us a comment and we'll see what we can do.

She did it!

2008-09-28T20:35:00.002-04:00

In the non-knitting side of her life, Anita ran a half marathon last weekend! Yay! Way to go! Now we know the real reason she wanted to start knitting socks - to soothe those tired feet! You looked awesome out there, my friend. Great job!

And, thank you to the crocheter who dropped off the many squares to Knit Knackers. And I loved the socks that Knit Knackers added. Very kind. I will be trying to find volunteers to make the squares into blankets, and will delve back into that myself. I made a poncho out of squares last summer, so I may try one or two of those as well.

I have been knitting little hats, working through leftovers in my stash. Photos later!

Cool Lynn

2008-09-11T15:34:00.003-04:00

Here's a message from our latest Warm Hands Maeven, Lynn, who found us on Ravelry (thanks to Shirley for being my Ravelpal and getting us set up with a group and all).

Good morning,As discussed, I put together some small kits for some of the seniors in my community - with the thought that the seniors would benefit from having wool supplied, and enjoy using their skills to create knitted pieces that would be valued by others.To that end, I obtained some large ziploc bags and put in: - 3 balls of Patons Classic Merino - 100% wool and enough to do a hat, mitts or both - a four page flyer of hats and mitts patterns for which the copyright allows duplication for charitable knitting - a letter describing your work and the guidelines for knitting - some tags that the knitters may attach to their completed projects to make it more personal.

I've attached PDFs of the letter and the tag - so that you may be assured that your name and your logo are not being misused, and that your work is not being misrepresented.

And I've attached a picture of a complete kit. Several of my friends have expressed interest, on behalf of their mothers, aunts and sisters who like to knit. And I left a sample kit with a group of seniors at my local community centre to see if they are interested - although a few of them looked as if I was trying to swindle them.

Overall I am hopeful of a good response and lots of nice warm woollens for the communities in Northern Labrador.Thanks for letting me take part in this effort!Lynn

If anyone wants a copy of the PDF to use in their own community, just fire me a message and I will pass it on. I must say, its our best flyer ever.

Thanks Lynn and Shirley!

My Left Foot

2008-09-07T15:27:00.010-04:00

Okay, one sock is done for the Innu project. And by that, I don't mean one pair. I'm so proud that I have to show it off right now though. Thank goodness, all of you are knitting too, or there would be some single socked Innu out there.

My kiddies admired the sock and tried it on. We've all taken turns modelling it now. I never knew the difference between handmade merino socks and the ones I buy from that W store whose name must not be spoken. Now I know.

The real trick was the grafting, though. The pattern I had was confusing in the grafting area, so I searched on the web. here is the most amazing video. Watch it once, and murmur to yourself "I will never have a ridge on my work again". The movie is provided by Heather

On a totally separate note, I got a lovely email from Merideth at FIRE (the Dulaan/Mongolia guys) last week. The organization is focusing its efforts and money on some great projects, including an orthopedic centre in the country. She wanted to assure us though, that they will continue to distribute hand-knit items, so anything we send to her will get shipped in 2009.

And then I Lost my Needles on the I-95

2008-08-22T17:53:00.008-04:00

When we last left this soap opera, Anita was trying to do the work of 12 inch circulars with 18 inch. Knittin Kitten suggested two circs (thanks for the tip! I need more info though - how is that done? Do 18 inchers work?). As I was driving down the I-95 between North and South Carolina, trying to figure out how to do the 2 circs deal, my needles flew out the window.

Sigh.

Bottom line, if you see a pair of 2.75mm on the highway, they are yours to keep.

So after much begging and pleading, Ross drove me to a fabulous yarn store in Myrtle Beach. Its called Knit 'n' Purl. Here's a blog that talks about Phyllis and her crew. She doesn't have a website. Basically, you keep driving until you're sure you're lost - then you're almost there.

Phyllis, said, "Anita, you can do the dpn".

"I can't." I said

"You're doing it." she said. "The first row is the worst".

"Like "the first cut is the deepest"?" I asked.

Phyllis doesn't know Cat Stevens. That's okay.

So here are the results. This is a picture of my boy's foot, along with the yarn. I'm sure in 20 years he'll be explaining to the shrink about the day his mama (yes I'm in Georgia) made him wear girl socks. Right now we're in Savannah, and can't drive any further (thanks Tropical Storm Fay), so I have lots of time to knit.

Socks and the Sea

2008-08-16T20:58:00.003-04:00

Right now, I'm sitting in a hotel room in NagsHead, North Carolina. I can hear the surf from my room, and its totally soothing. Before I left Ottawa, I bought some Fleece Artist yarn to make some socks. I know I should stick with what I know for the Innu project (hats and blankets) and leave the more complicated stuff to the experts, but its sooo tempting when you see the Fleece Artist stuff. The plan was to go with the two needle sock pattern, but I saw Fleece Artist's pattern using circular needles and I got a little cocky.

Here's a picture of the socks I'm making:

Note to self: when they say 12 inch circulars, they don't mean 18 inch, they mean 12 inch. Bottom line: I am stretching and stretching and stretching the 64 stitches to make it fit around 18 inches, and it won't fit.

Not pretty. I can't convince my family to take a break from our holidays to go on a yarn store hunt - imagine that.

So I'm frogging and going to go back to the 2 needle pattern.

Gotta walk before you run.

Check out the Size of the ...Needles on that Girl

2008-08-12T17:25:00.004-04:00

The knit-out was a huge success.
Good weather - check
Lots of knitters - check
Free yarn, free patterns - check
Horse and piggy smell - double-check

One down is a pic of Jeanine - she's been my pal since last year - she's one of the first ones to send us stuff for the project. Jeanine makes me laugh. She had a hobby farm in Southern Ontario and kept sheep that she sheared, then she washed the fleece (wrecking her washing machine, I think), then spun it, then knit it. I told her they sell it already spun at the yarn store nowadays. Heh heh. Apparently I'm not funny. Anyways, this is JT spinning up yarn from her baby (well sheep-baby), Aubergine.

Plus there's a lady with massive....needles. I had to laugh.

We were there to spread the word about the project, and the Guild promised to help - yay, Ottawa knitters.

Wool-Tyme in Ottawa is in!

2008-07-27T09:54:00.004-04:00

We've got a new drop-off point in Ottawa - its Wool-Tyme. They have loads of great stuff - a warning: you won't be able to resist buying as you drop off.

Check out these over the knee socks by Kureyon - Wool-Tyme sells the yarn - I still think when you knit and it comes out stripey, there's some kind of magic involved.

While we're on the topic, I've found my first sock pattern - I'm overwhelmed by the dpn's - how can two hands knit with four needles? But this is a pattern that I found (shout out to all the Ravelarians who gave me advice.

What do you think? Is it a good pattern for a virgin sock knitter?

I'm going to start on it, just after the knit-out, I think (August 3rd, experimental farm, Ottawa) - I'm hoping to get a few strips going there, and then to strong-arm my mommy into helping me turn them into a blanket.

See you soon!

Ravelcrack

2008-07-18T22:47:00.003-04:00

So I went into Knit-Knackers this week - that's our newest yarn store partner in Ottawa. I asked Sarita, the owner of the store - "how do I get the word out to knitters about our project?". One word:

Ravelry.

Okay, I started using it 48 hours ago, and I've been on six times already. I foresee a big big problem. How can I resist when I sign in, and there are already 1400 knitters online?

Big

Big

Problem.

Shortest Post Ever

2008-07-15T17:12:00.002-04:00

Just to let everyone know, the Knit Cafe is again partnering with us in Toronto - so you can drop off your items there, or Nathalie-Roze, or at Sew Be It or Knitomatic. Thanks, Ivana, Nathalie-Roze, Dilys and Haley, you amazing women!

We're Stripping on August 3rd

2008-07-13T19:02:00.003-04:00

Well, actually we're knitting strips. On Sunday, August 3rd, we're going to be at the Central Experimental Farm, as part of the Ottawa Knitter's Guild Knit-in. The event runs from noon to 4:30 pm, and we'll have a little table and chairs set up, so come by and say hi.

You can even bring items to donate to the event, and I will gratefully accept them. We're going to start a bunch of strips, and keep on knitting until 4:30. I'm hoping that we'll have enough strips to assemble into a blanket, which I will do over my holidays.

By the way, Knitomatic, Nathalie-Roze and Sew Be It in T.O. just sent me messages lettng me know that they are in for another year. Thanks guys!

One more note: the stores mentioned that they are receiving items in the mail. Love to hear that we've got people sending in stuff remotely, but it would be great if you could send it to us directly. Here's the address:

The Warm Hands Network
240 First Avenue
Ottawa Ontario
K1S 2G6

Okay, I admit it, I'm watching Hairspray for the first time as I'm updating the blog. Some major classic lines, starting with: "Hair can't just hang there like a dead thing on your cheeks". I think I need a beehive hairdo.

Bye for now,

Anita

Good Question, Amanda

2008-07-02T19:12:00.003-04:00

Okay, here's an update for all you knitters:

1. Amanda asked what our deadlines are for this year. We're targetting the Innu shipment for Christmas, but honestly, it depends on the amount. We've got a second shipment going March 31st to Mongolian kids through the Dulaan project.

2. I got another email asking: "wool only"? Here's the skinny: we prefer wool because its warm and most of the communities that we ship to don't have washing machines. But if you've only got acrylic, knit with acrylic. If you've got cotton, knit with cotton. We'll find a grateful home for everything you make - money-back guarantee (okay no money but you get the point). The one request we have is no scarves please: socks, hats, mitts, blankets, sweaters - all those work perfectly.

3. We've got another drop-off location. The lovely folks at Knitknackers on James Street in Ottawa have agreed to be a collection site for us. I swear, you go in there, you won't be able to resist buying something. Single balls of Debbie Bliss for $5. Seriously.

4. We're going to be at the Ottawa Knit In at the Experimental Farm on August 3rd. We'll be knitting strips (stripping?), so stop by and say hi.

5. Air Labrador is in again (thanks to our lovely Morris).

6. We mentioned in our last post that we were knitting mainly for the 500 kids age 5 to 15, but we're also knitting for newborns (the blankets you all put together were deeply appreciated in the clinic last year). In addition to that, we've got another community that needs stuff for wee ones (the "under 5" crew) - the items will be distributed through a community outreach program.

Bottom line: you want to make a size 1 hat? We got a place for it. You want to make an adult sized sweater? We got a place for it.

7. When you drop off your stuff, leave a note with your name attached and I'll post a photo on the blog - you make not get your 15 seconds of fame, but your socks will.

And last, thanks to the lovely May, Kate, Jeannine and Amanda. Its great to know that I just need to send the word out into the cyber-void, and you all shout back, "we're in!". More to come.

AB and AB

Here we go Again - Knitting here and away.

2008-06-19T09:41:00.005-04:00

So two weeks ago, I shipped another 6 boxes of your precious stuff to Dulaan. Its going in a container to Mongolia in July/August. That brings our grand total up to (drum roll) over 800 items shipped to Afghanistan, Mongolia and Northern Labrador.

We mentioned it before, but in addition to the knit stuff, we wound up shipping mittens and snowsuits, donated by the good folks at MEC and through a Christmas mitten tree that we set up.

We've been getting emails from you amazing compassionate folks asking if we're going to continue. And the answer is (wait for it)

YES!

So here is the skinny: We are going to ship to Sheshatshiu First Nation. I just talked to the very cool Lorraine Rich, who is our contact there. They have 400 (!) kids aged 5 to 15 so that's the group that we're targetting. Here's what they need:

1. wool socks
2. mittens
3. hats
4. sweaters

They'd also like baby blankets for their clinic. Remember we shipped a bunch of blankets to that community last year? Well apparently they all got distributed and were much appreciated.

So what do you think? Post me a note on this site, and I'll get back to you.

Thanks for everything - you're help has made life a little sweeter,

Anita

Janis and Me

2008-03-30T09:41:00.003-04:00

The blankie on the left was created by Janis Cooper of Ottawa and the one on the right by me out of the beautiful squares that we had received. Amy also mde a blanket but my camera battery ran out before I got a chance to download it - more to come.

I just received a note from Dulaan letting me know that they got our big boxes (68 pounds) and that they took them over the 4,000 mark for their July 1 shipment (that's when they take everything to Mongolia). Sweet!

That being said, I've got at least two more big boxes of your beautiful stuff to ship. Thanks to everyone.

Anita

300 + Shipped to Mongolia

2008-03-08T14:36:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let you know about the tally dropped off to Mongolia. Here's the route our boxes take:

Ottawa - New York - Flagstaff - Mongolia

Shipped in these boxes were (drrrrrrrrrrumroll please):

111 pairs of mittens
15 blankets
36 sweaters
146 hats

That, combined with 300 items shipped to Afghanistan and the Innu, gets us to 600. That's so crazy, when we were targetting 100.

I loved packing the boxes - I remembered where we had collected many of the items and the knitters who gave them to us. Each item is so different and so perfect, and I love the fact that we had such a variety of sizes, that we could warm entire families with our cozy stuff.

We've got 1 more shipment to go - with the deadline of March 31st. So if you're out there, go to town, and we'll make sure your stuff gets to Mongolia!

Thanks once again,

Anita and Amy

Maria and Jeanine

2008-02-23T08:19:00.005-05:00

Above are some items that Jeanine Turcotte just handed over before her trip to TX. I love the yarn on the sweater - its hard to see but its a dusty pink mixed with grey.

And here are Maria Koulis' things. Okay, I've never felted before, but I'm totally going to start, because the felted hats are a work of art. Check out the close-up of the hat.

My favorite part is that women have said they'll knit more. Isn't that typical of us women: "I gave you my blood, but wait, I found another vein!".

I'm busy today putting together boxes for Mongolia - big boxes, many boxes - I'll post a photo when I'm done. I'm going to NY tomorrow, and I'll post them to Dulaan from there.

Thanks everyone!

Update from Afghans4Afghans

2008-01-30T21:06:00.000-05:00

Here's the latest from A4A - the items you knit and we shipped in the fall have arrived in Afghanistan, and were distributed in December. Way to go! What a wonderful effort!

Dear Knitters and Crocheters for Afghanistan,Good news about our last big shipment ...In October, we shipped 81 cartons to Afghanistan for the kids in the programs sponsored by Church World Service. These boxes contained 6,344 hand-knit and crocheted wool blankets and garments for girls and boys ages 7-14. The air shipment arrived in less than 2 weeks and then proceeded through customs and inspections in time for the start of winter. (Shipments by land/sea/land can take 6-9 months or longer.)We are very happy to report that our wool gifts were distributed in December. You've heard the new stories about the severe winter weather. Thank you for rallying when it matter. We are grateful to Church World Service for handling the transport and distribution -- for serving those who suffer the most from war.Church World Service partners with and supports local Afghan organizations in Kabul, Bamiyan, and Markaz-e-Oslah-Tarbeet. The girls and boys receiving their services are the greatest victims of violence and poverty. Most have lost family members. At these childrens' centers, the kids learn about land-mine safety, health and hygiene, children's rights, and cooperation. They have a chance to use books at the library, eat a nutritious meal, try a computer, and play sports. Church World Service reports that the Kabul distribution included cultural performances by the children as part of a ceremony. The girls and boys were appreciative and expressed their warm wishes and happy holidays to you and all people around the world!If we receive photos that are appropriate to share, we will. Meanwhile, please enjoy knowing that your handmade gifts are now being used by these children this winter. Makes all the effort -- by you and so many across the U.S. and Canada -- worthwhile, doesn't it.