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Sunday Sevens Special – Crochet for Calais Update

This week I thought I’d do a Sunday Sevens Special updating you on the progress of the Crochet for Calais appeal, which is ongoing for those of you who would like to contribute a knitted or crocheted square or two.

Lee Godwin is the nurse who travels to Calais and Lesbos delivering the finished crocheted and knitted items directly into the hands of the refugees. 

Here is what she had to say, together with some photographs that she took of the refugees with some of the handmade blankets and hats: –

“Dear friends, I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get my Lesbos photos of your hat and blanket distribution uploaded. These children were so delighted with their hats, even more so because they were able to pick which one they really wanted. The children laughed at the funny faces and dangly ears! Fabulous trauma therapy! The weather was beginning to turn and the blankets were very much appreciated – the mothers held them and admired the beautiful stitching – 2 mums cried silently in gratitude after I explained how they were made ‘especially for them by a wonderful group of ladies in England’. I will be going back to Greece in late spring to support the now orphaned children, old, infirm and disabled. A special blanket may just contribute to mending broken hearted individuals. I will happily take more. All my love and sincere gratitude darling friends xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx”  

  
  

The organiser, Jane Wheelen, says: –

“I really, really cannot express my gratitude to every single person who was able to give up their time to help make so many squares that were transformed into beautiful blankets, including wonderful anonymous people who read Sheila Harvey-Larmar’s blog (Sewchet) and generously sent squares by the post bag full. When the idea popped into my head in the middle of the night I didn’t realise what a wonderful thing it would become. I have a big bag of squares here that will be transformed into further blankets. If you have the time, please, please, keep knitting and crocheting and forwarding them to me. Lee Godwin’s photos show what a difference they make to the desperate lives of such innocent but traumatised children. In a world where they have nothing, it’s important to let them know someone really cares for them and to give them something of their own.”

    

  
From Lee Godwin:-

“I would just like to offer my deepest gratitude to friends and folks who have generously donated items for Calais. I am excited to say on last count we had 200 blankets, food, warm waterproof clothes and hard wearing rain shoes. Not to mention donated money to buy food so that the children and I can make up food parcels for distribution. Your generosity is valued and appreciated more than I can ever say…..I hid food all over the car in every nook and cranny! Hee hee! We have arrived and children are fascinated about the increased police presence which I find as intimidating if not worse than ever before….but we continue! Love you all xxxxxxxxxxxxxx”

  

To read the original article, please click on the link Crochet for Calais where you will also find the address to which your squares can be sent.

A previous update can also be read here, Crochet for Calais Update in which you can see some of the blankets that readers of this blog contributed to.

As you can see, the hats and blankets that we make actually do get to the refugees quickly and are so much appreciated by both adults and children alike. If you can spare the time to knit or crochet a 12″ square (or a few), then please do as it is an ongoing effort for as long as there is a crisis.

I’m off to cast on my next square right now….!


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Sunday Sevens #74

In the West Country the weather was awful this week and both the Saturday and Sunday football matches were cancelled. The dogs refused to set foot outside the front door and No. 2 Son didn’t want to go to the stables either which meant we had a rare weekend with both of The Boys and Mr H-L at home. This gave us the opportunity to do indoor ‘stuff’ (which doesn’t include technology) and I didn’t even turn my computer on – a reasonable excuse for my Sunday Sevens being late!

Hop over to Threads & Bobbins to see what Sunday Sevens is all about and how you can join in if you want to.

  1. Daughter paid us a brief visit to collect her bobble hat, much needed in this weather.

bobble hat

2. Mr H-L and No.1 Son worked from home a couple of days this week and this is what I rustled up for them at lunchtime. No wonder they’d rather not go into the office!

champagne lunch

3. I spotted these beautiful crocuses (not ‘croci’ as it’s not derived from Latin!) on a dog walk at the beginning of the week before the dogs vetoed any further walks.crocuses

4. The dogs hate the wind and rain so much and this photo says it all really. Fifi climbed up onto the hearth and stared at us until Mr H-L obliged her by lighting the fire!Fire dog

5. I managed to finish this month’s project for the Minerva Craft Blogger Network -a fur gilet with gold Paisley lining. A full blog post will follow next week.fur gilet

6. I adapted the bobble hat pattern to make a beanie for No.1 Son in his requested colour, Olive Green. One row of cables was dispensed with so the hat was less pointed and more rounded like a beanie should be.green bobble hat

7. I was given this set of notebooks for Christmas, but they are so lovely I can’t bear to use them! They each feature a different vintage McCall’s pattern envelope on the front and back covers.sewing pattern notebooks

8. The inside pages are all different, too, some printed with paper pattern excerpts.pattern books inside

9. Yet another bobble hat was cast on, this time in navy blue for a birthday present for a good friend. Navy is NOT a great colour to knit with in the evening.

navy bobble hat WIP

10. How do you get from a skein of wool to a yarn cake?skein and cake

11. With a swift and yarn winder, of course! I treated myself to this quality wooden swift a couple of weeks ago to give Mr. H-L’s arms a break. swift

12. The yarn winder was a Christmas present and, between them, they make short work of a previously tedious job.yarn winder

13. I’m still managing to squeeze in a few rows here and there on the scarf to match my pink bobble hat which I made to match my Raspberry Pink boots:)cable scarf

pink boots

That’s all folks! Are you more productive in the Winter because of the enforced staying-in?


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Sunday Sevens #72

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series devised by Nat at Threads & Bobbins whereby you share seven photos of your week. It’s a great way to keep blogging when you don’t have enough for a full blog post and we all get to know a bit more about the person behind the blog. Simple!

  1. Earlier this week I finally had the surgery that had been cancelled on New Year’s Eve because they lost my notes. All went well and I even managed to cast on another bobble hat!

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2. This gorgeous bouquet arrived “on behalf of all your friends in North Cheriton” – how lovely?

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3. Home alone for lunch, this is my favourite way to use up ripe avocados.

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4. Three down, two to go……it seems that everyone now wants a pom pom hat!

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5. I WILL make time to transform this fabulous Alpaco/Silk laceweight yarn into a Summer cardigan in time for Spain in May.

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This is the pattern I’m using which you can download for free at Artesano.

Cardigan

6. Mr H-L and I went for a pub lunch in The Nog Inn, Wincanton. The dogs instantly curled up in front of the wood burner. I made Mr H-L put his lovely wool coat on the flagstones for them to lie on:)

inglenook

7. These camouflage trousers are a sample to show my eight year old boys what they will be making after they finish their back packs. Do you think flap pockets are a bit ambitious for a second-ever sewing project? That’s the great thing about kids – if you tell them they can do it, they believe you and just get on with it!

trousers

8. You haven’t seen one for a while, so here’s a typical lesson underway. There are usually four in each class, but sickness has claimed a few recently.

sewing lessons

9. Saturday morning and these two landed on the doormat! Time for a break.

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10. Brunch this morning. Don’t even think about mentioning the rights or wrongs of wine before midday. And who has heard the latest about black pudding being considered a superfood? Yay, recognition at last!

brunch


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Sunday Sevens #71

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series started by Nat from Threads & Bobbins. Why not pop over and see how you can join in?

  1. Disaster – my hand knitted socks have a hole in them! My big toe is so much longer than any of the others that all my socks get thrown away eventually because they get holes in them. There’s no way I’m throwing these away a) because I made them b) because I invested a considerable amount of time in their creation c) because they are quite simply the most comfortable socks I have ever worn.

Guess I’ll have to buy a darning mushroom:(

socks

2. We had some late Christmas presents in the post all the way from America (thanks Robin!) – The Boys were thrilled as you can see from their expressions.

The Boys

3. This beautiful pheasant has decided it’s safer in our garden than in the fields beyond. I managed to snap it on my iPhone on full zoom, hence the poor quality.

pheasant

4. I’ve started another bobble hat for a cousin who saw it on Facebook and fancied a pink one.

Bobble hat

5. Mr H-L’s father died on Friday. He waited until we popped out for lunch and we got the call whilst we were eating pudding. We toasted his memory with a glass of his favourite whisky.

Holbrook

6. I’ve got a bit behind with my sewing so spent all weekend up in my sewing room trying to catch up. It’s good therapy, too.

sewing room

7. No, it’s not a dress, it’s the lining to my new green velvet coat!

lining

8. Mr H-L has been keeping me supplied with refreshments. Not sure that red wine, Pringles and sewing are a good combination…

refreshments

9. The hens decided that it was far nicer to be inside than wading around in acres of mud outside. They loathe the wind and rain and, if the door is left open for a millisecond, they’ll sneak in.

hens

10. The dogs detest aren’t that keen on sharing their food with the girls so, as soon as they see a hen in the house, they race to their bowls and down the lot as fast as they can.

Sometimes not fast enough.

Amber

Right, back to the sewing room for me – just the hem and buttonholes to do!

 


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Cable Knit Bobble Hat With Alpaca Fur Pom Pom

I’m not sure when I first noticed the trend for hand-knitted bobble hats with a fur pom pom, last Winter I think, but I know I was grateful for its return.

As any child of the Seventies will attest, the bobble hat was a staple of our Winter wardrobe and was invariably knitted by Grandma whilst we made the pom pom ourselves the traditional way – with two polo-shaped cardboard circles.

70s bobble hat pattern

Looking back at this vintage 70s pattern (above), why do I think the models look embarrassingly outmoded compared to the same style today (below)? I mean, the yellow cable hat is virtually identical in both photos and yet, somehow, the models look ‘cool’ in the modern photograph.

Debbie Bliss Bobble Hat

No doubt we’ll look back in another forty years and laugh but, for now, I embrace the return of the bobble hat.

The hat I had in mind had to be cable, which meant it had to be a knitting pattern rather than crochet, and it had to be written for Aran weight yarn because I had a huge ball left over from a jumper project.

So, having Googled and Pinterest-ed my way through hundreds of bobble hat patterns, I decided on the one above which is a free pattern on the Debbie Bliss website.

Sometimes I work straight from the digital pattern on my iPad but, in this case, I printed it out as it was only one A4 page long.

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The tweedy yarn was Stylecraft Special Aran With 20% Wool in ‘Oatmeal’ which is a neutral, goes-with-anything shade of beige.

I chose an Alpaca fur pom pom from Toft in ‘Stone’ to match, rather than contrast with, the hat. It’s the lightest, softest pom pom you could ever imagine!

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I gave you a sneak preview in my #sundaysevens post, but here it is again under construction.

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The pattern called for straight 5mm needles which meant a seam would be necessary – I remembered to reverse the seam for the part of the ribbing that would fold back and be on show!

Can you knit cable in the round on a pair of circulars? I don’t know.

Anyway, before seaming I would normally block my knitting but this time I hesitated as I like the raised texture of the cables and thought blocking might flatten them to a degree.

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I asked No.2 Son to model it for me so I could see what it looked like on the head without having been blocked.

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I like it – so it’s staying unblocked:)

Ready for some photos?

bobble hat

Just look at the size of that pom pom!

bobble hat selfie 1

I love the band of wide 2×2 ribbing.

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The cables are suitably reminiscent of the 70s when they were the height of fashion and the fur pom pom brings it bang up to date.

bobble hat selfie2

A quick ruffle through with the fingers and all signs of hat-hair are banished!

bobble hat selfie

Yup, this is a new favourite and I can see myself making several more in different colours to go with different outfits.

Has anyone else succumbed to the lure of the pom pom bobble hat recently?

 

 


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Sunday Sevens #70

Linking up with Nat over at Threads & Bobbins for another #sundaysevens – a blog post containing seven (in theory) photos of your life outside the blog.

1. Had a cosy breakfast with No.1 Son who was working from home.

 2. This utterly gorgeous alpaca fur Pom Pom arrived from Toft….  3…….and this is the hat that it will sit on.

4. I like to make samples in advance of a project for my students to show them what they will be making next and how they can make it individual to themselves. I chose a patchwork cotton and trimmed it with some vintage lace from my stash.

 

5. I managed to track down another Janome 3300 to match the other three in my sewing school. They were discontinued (and therefore discounted) at the time, and I could only get three. I have been hoicking mine down from my sewing room for each class, which has been a right royal pain in the bum.

 6. My latest project for the Minerva Crafts Blogger Network – a bottle green crushed velvet coat with dark red Paisley lining and horse head buttons. Nothing run-of-the-mill about this!  7. His niece from Hong Kong sent my father-in-law a sensory activity cushion designed for dementia sufferers, specifically tailored to his interests in which music played a huge part.  8. Took the family out for a meal to celebrate No.1 Son’s 23rd birthday (top right with the beard).  9. Daughter’s boyfriend managed to actually eat every last morsel of this ENORMOUS double burger! 10. No.2 Son got tired. Luckily, daughter was wearing a blanket scarf and N0.3 Son brought his cowboy hat with him. Don’t ask.  11. Uncle T was over from France so they all went to watch the latest Star Wars yawn film.  12. I would rather eat my own liver than suffer even five minutes of Star Wars, so I spent a lovely couple of hours listening to La Traviata whilst cutting out my coat pattern in front of a roaring fire. Heaven!  

Oh yes, nearly forgot to mention that I’ve also bitten the bullet and joined the Instagram revolution as “Sewchet” – come and say “Hi” if you like:)


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#stitchingsanta Reveals!

It has been totally brilliant, not to mention ridiculously exciting, to watch all your #stitchingsanta parcels coming together over the last couple of months.

I’ve loved seeing how thoughtful and creative everyone has been, really getting to know their recipient through their blog and sending the most appropriate gifts possible.

For those of you new to this concept, and for anyone considering joining in next year (yes, I’m going to organise another one!), here’s the link to show you what it’s all about – #stitchingsanta 2015.

I took part in both the knitting/crochet swap and the sewing swap but, before I show you all the amazing things I received, I thought I’d show you the final handmade gift that I included in my sewing swap parcel.

A hexagonal French ‘Cartonnage’ sewing box (pattern by Tialys on Etsy) which nearly didn’t get sent as I only finished it an hour before the deadline for Christmas post!

Cartonnage sewing box 3

It took quite a few hours of construction over a week or so to complete, the glued parts needing overnight to dry before moving on to the next bit.

Cartonnage sewing box 1

It’s a lovely pattern though, and I thoroughly enjoyed making it – I first saw it on Lucie’s blog as she was a tester for the pattern before its release and it is designed by the talented Lynn who blogs over at Tialys.

Cartonnage sewing box 2

The box made it into the parcel along with the other things which I blogged about here and was posted to the loopy-but-lovely Ali, better known by many of you as THIMBERLINA.

stitching santa

Below is the bundle of presents (blogged about here) that went off to my knitting swap recipient, Pippa, from Beads & Barnacles.

The first I knew of Pippa was when she signed up for the swap, so I spent some time looking through her blog to see what kind of things she might like before deciding on a few. There are fewer handmade items obviously, as knitting takes so much longer than sewing.

stitching santa gifts

I took a chance by not adding sender’s details on either parcel so they would be a surprise until the last moment, as I had blogged in detail about all the handmade elements in the run up to Christmas.

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Ali, bless her, hadn’t even received my parcel but had already sent me these lush quilted coasters as a ‘thank you’ for organising the swap!

coasters

The fabric she used was ace and had funny, and perfectly apt, little quotes in speech bubbles all over it. Thanks Ali – I love them!!!

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Now, onto the myriad of gorgeous things that I was gifted.

As the organiser, two people had to draw the short straw and have me as their swap partner, so neither were able to blog about their parcels.

I chose Joey, from Littleblackdogsa, to be my knitting partner as she lives in South Africa and the post can be notoriously unpredictable. It wouldn’t matter if her parcel didn’t reach me for a few months but, in fact, it arrived in plenty of time!

yarn stitching santa

The outer bag was quite badly damaged when it arrived, but the contents were intact so I put everything in the bright red bag that she sent with it and it stayed under the tree until yesterday.

Yes, you read that correctly, yesterday – Boxing night to be exact. Why? Well, it certainly wasn’t because I have masses of will power or patience (quite the opposite, in fact) but because we host Christmas for the family and I spend two days cooking, tidying and making sure everyone is having a good time. I wanted to wait until lunch was over and they were all watching a festive film in the lounge so I could open and photograph my parcels at leisure.

Boxing Day lunch

And this is what Joey sent me!

yarn stitching santa 1

Would you like to see them in more detail?

Firstly, there are two Indian cotton tea towels onto both of which Joey had crocheted a beautiful border. Far too nice to use, really, but I will.

yarn stitching santa 2

A pretty pin cushion in the shape of a pear. Can you believe I only have one pin cushion which I keep in my sewing room? This one will be used on a daily basis by the children in my sewing classes – I think they’re going to love it.

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Four fab cakes of organic cotton yarn, local to South Africa, which I am thrilled with and can’t wait to use – crochet hooks included!

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A length of festive cotton tape featuring the music of “Jingle Bells”, some hand sewing needles and an atmospheric South African sunset disguised as a fridge magnet.

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I love the little rustic angel that she included, too – I am guessing it is handmade from recycled materials?

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Finally, there were some sweets, a project bag and a card with a lovely message inside. Thank you so much Joey – I am thrilled with all the thoughtful gifts that you obviously spent a lot of time putting together for me!

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By the time I had finished opening and photographing Joey’s parcel, I was dying to open the one from my sewing swap gifter and almost forgot to take a picture of the parcels themselves!

sewing stitching santa

Teresa, the smiley one who blogs over at Navybluethreads, sent her gifts in two separate packages which arrived a day apart – I only knew there was going to be another parcel when the first one arrived labelled ‘Part 2’!

Look at all this!

There were Christmas cards and a letter – Teresa, you should be a doctor with writing like that, beautiful but illegible!!! No.1 Son and I worked it out in the end though!

sewing stitching santa 1

With the help of the newly-translated letter, this is what Teresa sent: –

Loads of amethyst-coloured knit fabric which WILL be made into the dress on the pattern that she included. She knows that I like strong colours and, being a lady of ample bosom herself, obviously knows that the wrap dress is perfect for that. I will make the long sleeved version and wear it with long boots during the Winter.

sewing stitching santa 2

I simply cannot resist any pretty vintage lace, fabric or doilies that I come across in charity shops, so when I opened these I was beside myself with excitement! I believe most of these came from Teresa’s stash so I am doubly grateful – I wouldn’t be able to part with any of mine!

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With my new sewing school, The Stitch Academy, in mind, she kindly sent me a publication that would be ideal for the children to use as their skills improve. The stocking pattern is brilliant, too, but I already have it so I hope she won’t mind if I pass it forward to somebody else to enjoy?

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Teresa even thought of The Boys – they will absolutely LOVE making these fox brooches and fishy keyrings!!

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So many generous and thoughtful gifts but my favourite from Teresa has to be this one – a beautifully soft infinity scarf, handknitted by the lovely lady herself, in a self-striping yarn of various jewel shades which looks exactly like it does in the photo. I just love it!

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What more can I say, except a huge ‘Thank You’ to Joey and Teresa for all the fabulous gifts, and a massive pat on the back to all the #stitchingsantas that signed up for this swap and made it so successful and enjoyable.

I hope you all had as much fun as I did – judging by the blog posts I have seen so far, you did and I wasn’t the only one who was more excited about this present under my tree than any of the others!

Look out for the swap again next year when I get the feeling we’ll have an even longer list of participants than the thirty-five that took part this time.

Happy New Year to you all!

 


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Handmade Christmas Presents – Progress

Q: What do you get if you cross seven jewel-coloured balls of Drop’s Kid-Silk…….

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…..with 266 of the finest Swarovski crystal beads?

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A: Seven of the softest, lightest lacy scarves you will ever come across!

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Using the FREE ‘Party Lace Scarf’ pattern by Lisa Sisk on Ravalry (available here), I thought these scarves would make perfect Christmas gifts for the women in our family.

The yarn is 75% Mohair and 25% Silk (so no itching) and weighs just 25g per ball. Each scarf requires just one ball which means you end up with a superwarm scarf that is so lightweight that you barely know you’re wearing it at all!

In case you are interested in making your own, you can buy the yarn from The Wool Warehouse or Love Knitting.

From the top, the colours I chose are: – Beige, Pink, Off White, Light Beige, Lavender, Medium Pink and Sea Green.

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I bought mine with an introductory 15% discount at Love Knitting, getting each ball for just £3.91.

I also used 300 Swarovski 3mm Xilion Bicone Crystal Beads (£2.50 for 50) from The Bead Shop, which equates to £2.14 per scarf.

Assuming you already own a set of 4.5mm straights, each scarf works out at a £6.05 and takes about ten evenings to complete – a bargain, if you can spare the time!

Would you like a closer look?

Party Lace Scarf 4

Party Lace Scarf 6

The lace pattern is a two-row repeating pattern, alternating with a row of purl – very easy to memorise and a great one to start with if you are new to lace knitting like I was.

Party Lace Scarf 5

Party Lace Scarf 7

It’s so hard to photograph the crystal beads, seen here along the edge, but they sparkle in the light and add a subtle glamorous touch.

Party Lace Scarf 8

Party Lace Scarf 9

The beads can, of course, be omitted for a plain scarf…..but why would you?!

Here they are again – don’t they look lovely piled up together like that?

 

Party Lace Scarves

This one was reserved for a follower of the blog and is ready to be sent in time for Christmas.

Party Lace Scarf

I think they make a great present, a real touch of luxury at a ridiculously low cost.

You’ve still got time to make a Party Lace Scarf – who do you know that would love one?

 


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#stitchingsanta Update

Just a quick post to show you what I’ve been putting together for my #stitchingsanta swap. This is the knitting/crochet category, although I have more to show you from the sewing swap, too, in a later post.

This blog was new to me and I spent a lot of time reading through the archives, researching all about her likes and hobbies. She is a very skilled knitter and I’m hoping I haven’t embarrassed myself with my comparatively amateur offerings!

I spent my budget on something I am pretty certain she will appreciate – two skeins of utterly gorgeous 100% Superfine Alpaca 4ply yarn, perfect for socks, in a lovely shade of blue that reminds me of the sea.

Artesano yarn

Artesano yarn detail

I found a free sock pattern and printed it out as a suggestion of what to make with it.

Artesano free Tiffanie sock pattern

I knitted this berry-red cowl in a chenille yarn which is so cosy and soft to wear that I will find it hard to part with!

Knitted Rib Cowl

This fair isle headband was fun to make and the reverse side is very neat, I am proud to say, with all the yarn carried across the back tidily. It coordinates nicely with the cowl, picking out the red.

fairisle headband

I will probably add an appliquéd something to these tweedy fingerless gloves, just to liven them up a bit. Maybe in red to tie in with the cowl and headband.

gloves

I am hoping to find some bits and pieces to add to the parcel as I have a pound or two left in the budget. It will have to be clever shopping though, or more homemade things at that budget!

How are you getting on with yours?


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Crochet For Calais Update

This is the first pile of fabulous blankets made by all you wonderful people that are going out to Calais and Lesbos this week!

From Sarah, who helped stitch the squares together: –

“Jane popped round earlier, so I now have all of the amazing blankets, hats and other yarny goodies to give to Lee Godwin tomorrow. Just “Wow” everyone, so proud of what we have achieved in such a short space of time. Thank you, thank you.”

pile of crochet blankets

Jane, the organiser of this refugee effort, posted a lovely comment on my blog – here it is for anyone that missed it: –

“Hi everyone, I am Jane, the person behind the squares. I just wanted to thank each and every one of you who has so kindly sent me squares. The current batch are being feverishly stitched together and are going to refugee children in Lesbos this Friday. This is an ongoing crisis and I intend to make this an ongoing project and will always welcome your squares. The nurse who is taking the blankets out with her says that the hand made blankets mean everything to the refugees as it sends a message of hope to them that someone really cares. I will forward photographs to Sheila so she can show you how amazing you all are. Please keep sending them 😊“

Here follows some of the photographs Jane has since sent of the finished blankets. Can you spot your square in there?

I think I can see Ali’s from Thimberlina in there!

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I can see four of mine in this one!

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These two cheery blankets are on their way to Justine Corrie for her refuge for traumatised women and children in The Calais Jungle: –

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Message from Lee Godwin who is travelling to Lesbos tomorrow: –
“Jane you and your wonderful knitter friends are doing something truly amazing! There is something very special about knitted blankets because not only are they massively warm but they are also made with so much love and the refugees appreciate this more than you could believe. Anyone can go and buy a blanket but it takes a lot of commitment, motivation and skill to knit them. Thank you to all of you for your time, love and dedication. All my love Lee. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx”

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Knitted squares mix quite happily alongside crocheted ones.

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crochet blanket

Simple garter stitch squares from lots of different people make a lovely blanket when joined together, proving that anybody can contribute – the squares don’t have to be fancy!

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A touch of bright red lifts these gorgeous shades-of-blue squares to make it even more cheerful for those poor refugees.

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Some ladies have had the time to make an entire blanket, but don’t let that put you off – every single square is so important!

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Jane says: –

“Your skill level does NOT matter one bit, any knitted square will keep a child warm and they will care not about colour, pattern, or the odd slipped stitch, they care that they have something of their own and something to keep them warm in the cold. Please no one worry about their skill level, every single square is very valuable and very gratefully received xx”

Look at these lovingly knitted squares sent in from a beginner who was desperate to help – they will all be used in the next round of blankets.

knitted squares

Donations of hand made items such as hats are also gratefully accepted, especially so at this time of year. These have been received and are already on their way to the refugees: –

hats

Finally, an important message from Lee: –

“I am collecting blankets for least the next 5 years. The refugee crisis is not going to end anytime soon. I go to Calais every 3 weeks and plan on going to Greece every 3 months so your blankets / squares will be very well received. All my love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx”

The Facebook group can be found here if you would like to follow the progress.

My original post, including details of where to send your squares, can be found here – Crochet for Calais.