April Newsletter from Handmade Especially for You

APRIL NEWSLETTER
April 28, 2009

Lots of news to share. Here’s a brief outline.

In April we distributed 468 scarves. We donated to 4 shelters new to us, in addition to the 6 already on our list. The responses have been particularly heartwarming.

The Handmade Especially for You website (www.handmadeespecially.org) is up and running.

We bought a swift, a yarn meter, and a yarn winder, which makes kit making easier (not easy).

The number of people who participate in every aspect of Handmade continues to grow. We couldn’t make so many scarves without everyone’s contributions.

And now for the details.

We distributed 209 scarves at the end of March (in addition to the 200 at the beginning of the March reported in the March Newsletter), and 64 at beginning of April, in time for Easter. Today we delivered another 195 in time for Mother’s Day. Richstone Family Center plans to photograph each of their women (wearing one of our scarves) with her children for a meaningful Mother’s Day gift. Really! What more can we hope for!

Sr. Anne Kelley from Good Shepherd Shelter wrote a very moving note to us after receiving her second shipment of “comfort scarves”: “What a thoughtful gesture from you and your group to make such beautiful and personal comfort scarves for the courageous women here at our Shelter. Each scarf was so unique and obviously made with love. The mothers had so much fun trying them on and choosing the one they liked the best……You have done a fabulous service to the women by giving them permission to think of themselves, care for themselves and feel the love, support and comfort of others who care about them…..You have given them great hope to continue in their efforts on their difficult journey. Know that you are being remembered daily in our grateful hearts…..” This is a tremendous appreciation. I hope it inspires you as it did me.

Piero Berlonghi, VP of Advancement at Laura’s House (www.laurashouse.org) expressed his excitement about receiving 50 of our scarves: “Thank you for creating some beauty and love for the women and children affected by domestic violence in time for Mother’s Day. That’s an incredibly wonderful gift, at just the right time. Who can measure the effect of these scarves? It’s priceless.

Janine Limas, Community Education Director of Interval House (www.intervalhouse.org) was similarly enthusiastic. When I offered to donate scarves to Interval House, she replied: “We would LOVE to receive scarves from your organization. They sound absolutely wonderful and I know that the women in our shelters would be thrilled to receive such lovely gift.” I delivered 20 scarves today. When she saw them, she told me they have 7 shelters and could use 100 scarves. I told her I would do what I could to deliver more next week.

We delivered 35 scarves to Layla Abdul at Human Options (www.humanoptions.org) and 30 to Karen Earl at Jenesse Center (www.jenesse.org). I hope to have comments from them in our next newsletter.

In addition to the women from Woodland Hills Community Church and Temple Menorah in Redondo Beach (mentioned in prior newsletters), I’d like to acknowledge the women in the knitting/crochet classes at Rolling Hills Covenant Church. They meet every week to make prayer shawls but several in the group were so moved by what we do, they have made scarves for us as well.

Yarn companies are still sending donations. In addition to the yarns companies mentioned in previous newsletters, we received two huge boxes from Kollage Yarns and more modest contributions from Kertzer Yarns and Muench Yarns . These contributions allow us to make exceptionally beautiful scarves for abused women, many of whom have never before received a personal gift, much less a handmade one. We appreciate the tremendous support of these companies.

To our group of OVER THE TOP KNITTERS (Annie, Auntie “D”, Leslye, Lisa, Sharon, Tammy, Vicki, Wednesday Night Knitters at Concepts in Yarn), we welcome Cindy H., Diane, Janet (who shipped us 80 scarves!!!!), Kathy and the women from the Meyler Family Literacy Program. Keep up the good work, everyone. We need every scarf, as you can see from the number of shelters we supply.

www.handmadeespecially.org is up and running. We have received a lot of nice comments about it and I have shared them with Keith, the designer. He has taught me (and Phil) how to add to and change the site, which we will do, starting with this newsletter. We’d like to add PayPal as an easy method for donating instantly. We’d also like to add a chat room where we can share knitting and crocheting tips. If you’d like to find anything more or different on the website, let me know. We’ll do what we can to incorporate your suggestions.

We have received a few cash donations, which enabled us to buy the (pre-industrial) swift, yarn meter, and yarn winder. Mitch, my son, donated a second yarn winder, which I hope to put to use soon. Beth and Karen still measure yarn on the tool Beth devised. I put the skeins Beth creates on the swift and wind them into balls. Kit making has become much faster, but then again, there are so many more kits to make.

Chris, Beth, Bette, and Ellenore wrapped all the scarves—a tremendous effort. The scarves looked so beautiful and colorful and special when they were individually ribboned and ready for delivery to really special recipients.

Handmade’s future looks very exciting. We have made connections with a few more yarn shops. Giselle saw a flyer at one of them, contacted me, and took a box of 30 scarves to Jenesse Center the next day. If you know a shelter that needs “comfort scarves,” let me know. We’ll get scarves to that shelter as fast as all of you knit and crochet them.

We depend on each one of you for Handmade’s continued growth and success. We couldn’t have delivered 400 scarves in one month if you didn’t make your contribution. We understand not everyone can make 80 scarves, as Janet did. Whatever you do counts and adds to the total. Whether you have knitted or crocheted a scarf, donated money, equipment, time winding or wrapping, it all is important. Many, many thanks.

If you want to donate scarves or yarn or if you want to send a check, please mail to:
Handmade Especially for You c/o Leslye Borden
30065 Grandpoint Lane
Rancho Palos Verdes CA 90275
Maybe we’ll have some news about the 501(c)3 in the next newsletter.
Till then,
Leslye

Military Knitting

I read an article in the Winter 2008/2009 issue of knitsimple about Operation Helmetliner.

When I checked out the pattern, I knew that it was something that I could knit without any trouble. I used the provided pattern to knit a helmet liner and a neck gator, using wool reclaimed from a thrift shop sweater.

If you have appropriate wool (color, weight, and yardage), please consider making at least one item for this cause.

I'm new

Hello to all of you.

I have been a fan of this site for some time and just want to say how encouraging it is to see all the beautiful things made out of a heart of love.

I have crocheted for Charity (mainly baby items) for a long time but only recently have I begun to try my hand at knitting so here is my first baby sweater and hat that I will donate to a group called Newborns in Need.

Patten for sweater here ....note: I created the hat on my own.

Twitter

Hi everyone,

I wanted to let you all know that I've started a Twitter account with the goal of using it to keep crafters aware of where and what they can work on for charity. The account is @ HomespunHelpers. I'm also going to use it to update stuff regarding Homespun Helpers, but my primary purpose will be to be a reference for other charity crafters.

Please feel free to join me over there!

a long time gone

Sorry I haven't posted in a long time, life sort of smacked me with a lot of things at once - a hysterectomy, a broken leg, death of my grandmother and older sister...
enough whining from me... Here's what I've crocheted since the first of the year: 52 preemie hats for the NICU at University of Maryland Hospital, 6 scarves for V-Day, Frostburg State and 10 preemie hats for Isabel's gifts.
That's as of today, April 4, 2009.
I'll try not to make it so long between visits.