Simply Knitting!

Good morning Happy Knitters!

Sorry I haven't updated for a couple of weeks but things here at Loving Hands Headquarters are very busy right now. Thanks to all of you for the wonderful donations of yarn and knitted items that are now coming in on a very regular basis - you have all been working so very hard! :0)

This month's edition of Simply Knitting has featured a letter from myself which has already generated several e-mails and the editor has asked me to keep in touch with what we are doing!

BHKC have added us to their list of charities on their website which is great news too - the more places we are seen the better!

Thanks also to Do and Anne over on the Isle of Man -they are passing out flyers to lots of places and have also contacted the local WI and Hospices to join in as well. Thanks to these lovely ladies it looks like we might end up with a growing group of lovely knitters and crocheters on the Island. We are still trying to track down a means of moving all the items donated to Anne by a local shop that was closing down. I have tried the local newspapers website and sent a message to the Letters to the editor page but I don't think they have published it yet. We are hoping that a carrier from the Island could bring the bags over to Dunfermline, Perth or Edinburgh for us so that we can pick them up from there. Anyone with any ideas we would love to hear from you????

Thanks also to Fynn - our Liver bird - she has sent us in some scarves and extra yarn - keep up the good work Fynn!

We have had several other donations of yarn given anonymously this month too - some in the post and some handed in by lovely locals - thank you all - your donations mean so much to us.

We are considering having a challenge for everyone in the lead up to Christmas - we will be putting our heads together at the group meeting this afternoon to see where we feel the greatest need is at the moment - then we will challenge you all to make a certain number of something in time for Christmas! Watch this space for details.......

Any ideas to help with fundraising to get these parcels moving faster would also be appreciated - the post is certainly not cheap!

I was also wakened the other morning by a reporter for an Aberdeen newspaper who is doing a feature on rehabilitating drug users and wanted input about Loving Hands - she wondered if knitting would be good therapy for people trying to keep clear of addiction - I said it depended on the addict! :0) Obviously knitting is wonderful therapy for the right people - for others maybe woodwork or metalwork or cooking might be a better choice. What do you guys think?

Hopefully I will be off down to Tommee Tippee with all these Boobs for Avril in the next fortnight - they are really needing them for some events that are coming up. If any of you have any finished ones please send them in asap so I can get them all ready to take down. Don't worry if you don't want to stuff them - I can do that at this end no problem - I know they are cheaper and easier to post unstuffed!

The other major need at the moment are 14" to 16" prem baby cardigans and hats - these are the most needed sizes and are always running low. The top down one on the Stoke 'Ray of Hope' site is the one I have been using recently - it knits up to 14" and is so easy to do - you only have to sew up the sleeve seam and add the button band to finish it! (If you don't have a printer and need any of our patterns just e-mail with your 'snail mail' address and I will send you some out.)

Remember all finished items are to be sent into headquarters:-

Loving Hands Charity Knitting Group,
18 Clentry Crescent,
Kelty,
Fife.
KY4 0LG.

Talk to you all again very soon! :0)

Keep up the good work (sorry if you have donated and I forgot to mention you - this old brain is not as agile as it used to be :0)

Secret Parcels and a whole lot more!

Good morning everyone!

This week has been great! The local newsletter has printed the follow up to the Knitathon and all the details about Loving Hands so hopefully that will attract more ladies (or even gents) along to the Monday afternoon meetings. Fife Womens Technology Centre are knitting for us as well and have asked where to hand in their items - thanks ladies - you are brilliant! Our lovely Do from the Isle of Man has been on the phone for more knitting patterns - keep up the good work Do it is always great talking to you! Tukiya (Sky televisions Press Officer) has told me it won't be long now before we go down to meet up with Avril at Tommee Tippee - I am really excited about this as Avril seems to be such a lovely lady and it will be great to meet her face to face and be able to thank her for all the fabulous donations of nappies, baby bottles etc she has sent in for Baby Pack! I will make sure I collect in all completed 'Boobs' before I got down so that I can give here a really HUGE mountain of them!

My secret pal Jennie Rouse has sent along two large bags of yarn this week as well - thank you Jennie - all contributions are very gratefully received and it won't be long beofre all these eager hands have turned this yarn into useful items for our charities! Jennie is also roping in all her lovely knitting friends and hopefully some of them will decide to knit us a few items as well!

Talking about Secret Pal - the wonderful new Pal that was allocated to me has sent me my first parcel this week. Thank you so much! The parcel has come from Germany so I think I must have been right about that part of it (her e-mail provider is German so I thought that must be a clue!). The parcel was great and I got lots of lovely goodies from her!

The pictures above show the parcel when it arrived! Then I unwrapped it and it was filled in with pieces of a German magazine - once I removed those and unwrapped the parcel I found all those lovely things inside!

A hand made knitting needle wrap - very nice! I will think of her every time I use it - just the thing for carrying projects about in the car etc as I keep losing needles through the bottom of my bag at present!

A lovely little random yarn cardigan for Baby Pack - the pattern is very unusual and the buttons ever so cute!

Two bars of German chocolate - my hubby has latched on to those - says they would be bad for my diet!

6 balls of lovley yarn - 4 pale blue and 2 random pink - these will make perfect baby things - I love soft luxury yarns for baby things! And the colours are gorgeous!

Finally there was a lovely card with a message from her as well.

Brilliantly done my secret friend - I will look forward to the rest of Secret Pal with bated breath!

Right - now it is my daughter Roxanne's 20th birthday today so I am off to pull the rest of my brood together so we can go visit and give her all her presents and cards - bad planning on my part - son Andrew is 24 on Thursday - daughter Kelly is 27 on the 19th and our 10th wedding anniversary is on the 20th (been together for 17 years now though - second husband and dad of Johnny and Jenna)- closely followed by younger son Johnny's 15th on the 8th October. This is a very busy time for presents and visits!

Keep up the good work - you are all AMAZING! :0-)

New members and lots of donations!

Well - this has been a really busy week for us - we have had another huge donation from Tommee Tippee - thank you so much Avril - you are a real star!!! Those nappies, baby bottles and dummies will be welcomed with open arms in Kwa Zulu Natal!

We have also had parcels of yarn from a couple of places - thanks girls - it will all be put to a good cause!

A new member from Liverpool has just joined us today as well - welcome Fynn - our first Liverbird I think - you will be a very valuable member of our team I am sure!

My 'almost' secret pal has come up trumps for us too - she has told her knitting group all about Loving Hands and they have already given her a load of yarn to send in to us - hopefully some of them will knit for us as well - it is brilliant! Thanks Chris - you are great! :0)

Now - if any of you can come up with some ideas how we can fund raise to get these parcels out do share them with me - I am trying to post out as fast as I can but the African ones cost an arm and a leg.

Right - this old lady is exhausted tonight so I am off to beddy by land - lots to knit tomorrow and an office to re-organise before I disappear under all this stuff!