Heartening news and a basket load of cuddles

Firstly, a snippet of an email from Christina (Japan Alive)  with a little guy called Shunsuke ..................  

Here's a pic of me with Shunsuke in his family's temporary housing and one of the teddy bears you ladies sent over.  He was born 2 weeks after the tsunami.  His name means "he will be a great help to many people".  His family's home was directly opposite the beach and so they lost absolutely everything.

We are hoping to visit an autistic children's home up north next week. Some incredible stories of survival. Will be handing out more teddy bears and blankets there!

How good is that?!

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Now for news a bit closer to home........

A basket load of toys, just waiting to go off to Japan, 

rolls of scarves and woolly hats and a blanket

Just look at this assorted basket of fun!

Teddies, elephants, seals, a monkey, 

an orangutan,seals, lions, 

octopi (plural?), owls, 

a cute little girl, 

a teeny tiny turtle, 

a baby, zebra 

and the cutest Siamese cat 

you have EVER seen!!

Thank you SO MUCH 

Gillian, Marta and Carol

Thanks to Heather C for all the crochet grannies to which I added a rather large anomaly I made a while ago and was flummoxed as to what to do with it! 

Heather's colours just worked beautifully 

with that over ambitious square.

Here are a few more 'mug-shots' of these little wonderful characters

I am sure they will make a little person smile :)

Close up.

If you do make scarves and hats,

please do not 

send them to me 

but post them directly to Kenta  at scarves4japan :

Kenta Shimohira

39-3, Nishikamaike, Ogawa, 

Higashiura-cho, Chita-gun,

Aichi, 470-2102

Japan

I do have other lovely news from Christina - another snippet from a different email - 

.........Also, Teddy wanted me to share with you that her group of women (Yarn Alive) that meet at the community hall in the temporary housing (refugee women) have been inspired by you ladies and are starting to knit blankets in a similar manner.  They have received, and now they want to also give to those in other hard hit areas! So please thank your group that not only have they given physically but also inspired and helped emotionally to these particular women who are now finding purpose once again.

Doesn't it make you smile? :)

All for now, will keep you posted, and remember please make scarves and hats and send them directly to Kenta, he asks if you do, to include a brief written note from yourself.

scarves4japan

I have been given details for this website via Japan Alive - please have a read -

http://scarves4japan.jimdo.com/english/

Their aim is to collect handmade scarves from all over the world and distribute them. 

scarves4japan say... monetary donations are a good thing but sometimes you do not really know what your money is used for.....

Just after the earthquake and tsumani it snowed and many people were unable to find shelter and froze to death. scarves4japan want to make sure this does not happen again!

Please DO NOT post them to me but send them directly to Kenta - even if you only post one - just think what a difference you make to that one person? Just imagine being cold and living in temporary housing which ranges from being under a tarpaulin to a quickly thrown up prefab building with none of your possessions or warm clothing......

PLEASE READ THROUGH AND REACH FOR YOUR CROCHET HOOK OR KNITTING NEEDLES! And spread a little love across the miles :)

All they ask that you write a little note and attach it to your scarf and post to:

Kenta Shimohira

39-3, Nishikamaike, Ogawa, 

Higashiura-cho, Chita-gun,

Aichi, 470-2102

Japan

We've been busy... look -

We might have seemed quiet 

but no! - quite the opposite! 

A special thank you 

to Heather C, who sent a wonderful parcel of squares (top right)

Marta, Carol, Jennifer, Lynnette, Margaret and Gillian

 for the cuddly toys,

 Lynn, Lynnette, Carol, Angela,

Ann, Marta, Harriet and 

not forgetting Claire 

for contributing to, 

sewing together and making blankets!

**All the items in the top montage have already arrived in Japan, I've just been so busy recently this is the first chance I've had to up load the photos!

Also, I've been in email contact with Christina in Japan 

and she has requested scarves and soft toys. 

So if you fancy joining in - 

please do!

Weekend events

Hello!

This weekend is our village garden festival and as part of the event, the Church invite flower displays from local groups. We decided that our knit and (k)natter group would put up a display of our crafting along with our most recent contributions of teddies and blankets explaining why we are making them and inviting any one interested to join in.

So, if you are visiting via our leaflets -

Welcome! It is lovely to see you here :)

This little lot will be off to the post office on Monday, but before they go, they are doing their bit in raising awareness - let's hope they drum up lots and lots of support from all the visitors to the garden festival xx

Lovely email, lovely squares and lovely blankies!

Just a quick update to share with you firstly a lovely email from Christina, whom I originally made contact with when I was trying to find an address to send our blankets to. She very kindly lets me know when the blankets have arrived. I thought I would share with you her latest email -

Hi,

Just letting you know that we received more of your blankets and kids toys! Thank you so much. At the moment, the weather is getting really warm and humid so we'll just hold onto the blankets for now and then hand them out in a few months when the weather cools down again. The toys on the other hand are darling and we are looking forward to handing those out. Will try and get some photos and send them to you.

Thanks for all your support and kind generosity.

Cheers,

Christina

How wonderfully typical of children - blankets are not high on their list of priorities! So for a while, we will be sending knitted and crocheted toys. My boys still love and need cuddly toys so can you imagine what it must be like for kids who have lost everything to be given something that belongs to 'them' . 

So, if you are inspired to join in, please please do and send some love in the form of knitted and cuddly toys!! Thank you xx

Now, my demon-hooking-friend - Angela, with the longest suffering anti-crochet husband on the planet has done it again........ 60 squares!

They are now all blankets and I shall be collecting them on Tuesday to post off - I will take photos before I send to show you just how good they looked :)

I have another demon-hooking friend who makes the snuggliest ripple blankets in jewel brights and zippy colours 

.

I took these photos inside on a rainy day so I am sorry to say that my pictures do not do these lovely blankies justice - but believe me they are gorgeous.

All for now, I will keep you up to date of any news, please think about knitting or crocheting toys and then reach for some stash and a hook or some needles and then before you know it you will be busy crafting a little love for a child who has lost every thing xxxxxx

Update and THANK YOUs

I have some lovely photos to share and some more glorious squares have arrived courtesy of Harriet from Catapilladesigns , she has a lovely blog with lots of inspirational photos. She posted about her squares here, please pop over and have a read and say hi.

Thank you Harriet :)

Last night these squares were stitched lovingly together and now just wait for 'their' teddy and the next posting 

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More blankies arrived at last nights knit and natter

A lovely warm ripple stitch

Warm and snuggly knitted blankie where the squares were knitted diagonally!

Another cheery granny square blankie

A super soft knitted blankie with a crochet trim

Thank you knit and natter ladies :)

There are more waiting to photo-ed but I am having to rush off to work. 

Will update you as soon as I can x

Yarn Alive - please read

We all know what pleasure and comfort we get from knitting and crochet at our knit and natter groups - but as a life saver? 


Well, after the tsunami and earthquake an increased number of suicides are occurring and an initiative to teach knitting and crochet and having 'Yarn-Alive' sessions are keeping women alive - now that can't be bad!!


Follow this link 'Yarn'Alive' to read the full story - it's so so full of hope.