Charity knitting hero: Kerry Paris, creator of the knit-a-square forum

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Celebrate a charity knitting hero

Kerry Paris, UK – creator of the knit-a-square forum

 

Kerry lives in Essex. She first wrote to me in early March 09 to let me know about a knitting festival in London this coming September called i-knit London. She volunteered to hand out flyers, but also came up with this innovative idea.

knit-a-square on the go

She wrote: "Also there should be many stitchers wandering around looking for activities, perhaps if we could gather some donated wool and offer a cup of tea they might be willing to take a break for 15 mins and stitch a bit! We could have squares on the go that people can just pick up and do a few stitches on while they chat?"

Brilliant. We should instigate this idea at every knitting and crocheting festival around the world. Any volunteers?

knitting forum

Then she wrote a few days later to make this generous offer:

I was also thinking, what do you think of having a forum?

You have a blog which is very good, but I find it a little inaccessible (not a complaint, I'm not the best at technology). A forum might be a great place for all the lovely people who are helping you out to chat and exchange idea's and get to know each other.

I don't know quite what it is about this project that has really struck a chord with me, but I feel like I want to help and be a part of it. Crocheting squares with beautiful wool is relaxing and uplifting and its wonderful knowing how much a child will love what my squares will make.

She offered to spend the time to both investigate what was available and to set it up as she said: " This project is wonderful for the children but also don't forget it is marvelous for those taking part. I'd love for a forum to bring us all together."

Within six days she had set it up and very shortly it had 75 people contributing to it.

Given that Kerry is not technological (by her own admittance) this is an amazing feat. She is moderating the UK region of the forum and is administrator of the site in her own free time, which will be an ongoing commitment as more and more people find knit-a-square.

And she has been willing to spend many hours communicating with me through the setting up issues of the forum. I hope you will support her in her endeavours and, of course by doing so, support knit-a-square to make this a world wide crocheting and knitting project.

Please also join Square Circle for more stories of our heroes and their efforts to help keep the children warm.

Charity knitting hero: Veronica La Du, founder of her own knitting charity

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Celebrate a charity knitting hero

Veronica La Du

 

So, to all of those people in Africa who are sewing together the blankets, expect a whole box load or more of squares to come your way soon!

Veronica's mother wrote on February 22 2009:

I am the MOM of an avid knitter, Veronica, age 12. She has been knitting since she was 8. We donate a portion of the proceeds of her sales to Animal Rights organizations and would like to expand our charitable contributions. We love your organization and are in the process of alerting our church groups to help with this endeavor.

It was so inspiring to think of one so young already immersed in the act of giving, I wrote back and asked if we could feature Veronica on the site to illustrate how empowering the act of giving for a young person can be.

girl knitting written letter

Better than that Veronica wrote this letter:

To: Sandy of Knit-A-Square
From: Veronica

Hi! My name is Veronica. I am 12 years old and I have been knitting since I was 8. I now have my own little knitting business. I donate a portion of the profits to the SPCA. We have 3 cats, all were homeless. Some of the things I knit are: cat toys, scarves, bags, hats, bracelets and more recently, 8” x 8” squares.

I first learned about the Knit-A-Square project from my mother. She had gotten an email from Lion Brand Yarn and thought that she would check the website out. Knowing how much I love to knit and help out, she showed it to me and now I have my church and my school involved.

We made a flyer where we put a couple of options for people who want to donate. For people who can knit or crochet, we asked for 8” x 8” squares. For people who can’t knit or crochet, we asked for yarn to knit with or gently-used blankets or sweaters that we could felt. After we felt them, we would cut them into the 8” squares.

I really hope that I can make a difference to the many children in need. So, to all of those people in Africa who are sewing together the blankets, expect a whole box load or more of squares to come your way soon!

Sincerely,
Veronica

It is wonderful to read of one so young, so actively involved in charitable work. But what is so special about this letter is that Veronica has thought beyond just knit-a-square's request to knit or crochet a square. She has considered how to involve people who do not knit or crochet.

No better illustrated then by her most recent letter offering to use the $100 she has raised for knit-a-square.com. She and her grandma " have single-handedly made a blanket and a half and more people are knitting/crocheting squares.

We are all privileged to have someone so young, like Veronica, thinking, working and acting on behalf of the children we seek to help.

Please make sure that you join Square Circle for more stories of our heroes and their efforts to help keep the children warm.

Charity knitting hero: Kyla Austin, Pledge a Square a Day

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Celebrate a charity knitting hero

Kyla Austin, Toronto, Canada

So that's my pledge to you – a square a day.

Already well versed in charity knitting, when Kyla found knit-a-square she made this amazing pledge.

She wrote: My name's Kyla, and a family friend taught me to knit when I was about five years old. I didn't enjoy it a great deal and never really kept it up. Then two years ago I found the knitting charity 'caps to the capital', where knitted baby hats were sent all over the world to keep little newborn heads warm. Determined that I could make a couple hats, I picked up knitting again, teaching myself off the internet, sitting in front of my computer in residence.

After finding knit-a-square, I gathered up all the spare yarn that's been sitting around my apartment, and whipped up a couple squares over two days. It doesn't take me long to knit up a square, and when I realized this,
it hit me all of a sudden perhaps I can make a square a day.

 

charity knitting

I have a long commute to school and spare time between classes. We don't have tv but we do watch movies, so there's another few hours there. It wouldn't be that difficult to make a square a day. So that's my pledge to you – a square a day.

Kyla didn't stop there though. Soon she wrote again:

Anyway, since I am knitting in class, my professor and classmates have caught on. I emailed my professor the website address, and this was her reply:

"Kyla, Thank you for this….you know, after I asked you about it last week, I spoke to my mother this weekend who, as I mentioned has been knitting for babes/children for years and she's getting me going with all kinds of wool! Sometimes we just need another reminder of what's in front of us."

So there you go! Got another one hooked just by knitting in public. I think I could start a chain.

And indeed that is exactly what Kyla is doing:

I taught my classmate to knit yesterday. She sat down next to me and asked if I could show her, so I gave her a knitting 101 introductory lesson then just let her run with it. She was really proud of herself, saying that she could start knitting her own squares as well.

She too has a long commute to school, and she said 'there's no reason why I can't do something with that time – I mean, there's children out there in the world that unfortunately make the clothes that I buy in stores, I think I owe children a lot more than a blanket,"

Many of my classmates have asked me. "why are you knitting every day in class now?" And so many of them have asked me that I sent an email out to everybody explaining the goal and the program and including a link to the site. Now they ask me "hey which number square is this?" and "how many are you going to do?" and my favorite:

"I wish I could knit," to which I reply "I'll teach you any time you like."

Finished square 14 tonight. tomorrow is square 15. (15 March 09)

Kyla has also put up her own live journal, squareaday.livejournal.com . The journal is finding all sorts people interested in contributing, Brownie troops, students and knitters and crocheters thrilled to find a project as a 'stash buster". As Kyla said: "gotta love the grapevine over the interwebs".

 

 

 

Recently Kyla wrote to explore the idea of visiting South Africa in a year when she has completed her 365 squares, help put them together and do some volunteering. We are currently in contact about how this may work.

Kyla embodies a spirit of compassion which has moved us all greatly. I hope you find her story inspirational as we do. I look forward greatly to her updates and will keep you all in touch with her progress through the Square Circle ezine.

We hope too, very much, that she will get to meet some of the children she is working so diligently to help.

And we are grateful to her college mates and tutors who have become involved as well.

Please make sure that you join Square Circle for more stories of our heroes and their efforts to help keep the children warm.

Celebrating charity knitting heroes

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Celebrating charity knitting heroes

 

world knitting

 

Simple. Profound. Life changing.
Giving is Living presents a clear, practical guide to making generosity a part of our everyday lives. It shows us how small efforts to reach out to help those in need can make a real difference.It explains that generosity does not have to be about giving money. It can start with a smile, cost nothing, and it can do so much good.

JUST AS OUR HEROES PROVE.
While charity knitting or knitting for kids may have been of interest for some of these knit-a-square heroes, they have taken to heart the plight of the AIDS orphans, and are championing this crochet and knitting project with a passion.

It is this commitment that will continue to drive interest and ensure that we reach our goals.

The goals are modest, given the scale of this unfolding tragedy, but as each of you takes ownership of this project, or spreads the word, we are more likely, to not only achieve the goal of
10,000 blankets in 2009, but beat it.

Every additional blanket keeps another abandoned child or AIDS orphan warm.

You are all charity knitting and crocheting heroes
The map represents all the states and provinces of the countries around the world from which you, and many hundreds of knitters and crocheters, are sending squares.

Over and above charity knitting, for every square you knit and every person you tell about it, you are all contributing to changing the world's awareness of the plight of these children.

There are many people who deserve mention on this page and to whom knit-a-square and the children who will benefit as a result of their work, owe grateful thanks. We hope too, that there will be many people in the future who we can add to this growing list.

Please take the time to read some of these inspiring and heartfelt commitments to this project as we post them to the blog over the next few weeks.

Just a few knitting stitches everyday, anytime, anywhere

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Just a few knitting stitches everyday, anytime, anywhere

Just a few knitting stitches, that is all it takes, everyday, anytime, anywhere, and you will quickly complete an 8 x 8" square.

Knitting for charity has never been easier as these committed knitters prove. Use our free easy knitting pattern or whatever knitting stitches you love to work with. As long as your square measures 8 x 8", it will soon be in a much loved and unique baby blanket wrapped around an AIDS orphan in Africa.

The goal is 400 000 squares in 2009, many hundreds of millions of stitches.

 

knitting stitches

The showgirls of Glamour Puss Studio, backstage during their annual tap dancing extravaganza.

This would be an impossible goal, except for all the wonderful people knitting for charity around the world.

We would love to acknowledge you all, so we challenge you to send us pictures and stories of your wonderful efforts to knit squares for these children, and we will publish the best ones in each next issue of the Square Circle ezine.

 

knitting for charity

It's going to be an amazing collection and tell the story of all of you, who have so generously contributed to making a unique baby blanket for the abandoned children and AIDS orphans of Southern Africa.

So please knit a square anytime, anywhere and take a photograph to upload with your story in the form below.

Click here too for your super easy knitting pattern and the postal instructions to make sure your squares reach Africa safely.

And if you planning to visit South Africa , you may want to consider filling in our survey regarding an accompanied tour. Thank you all.

 

Here I am knitting anytime, anywhere . . .

Please add to our collection of fabulous photos to tell us your story of knitting anytime, anywhere – watching the tennis, backstage, onstage, in a bar, up a mountain, on a boat, camping . . . or perhaps you knit just a few stitches everyday, like a prayer or a mantra, before you go to bed.

So take a photo and upload it. You know what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words! And it demonstrates your generosity too, in helping the AIDS Orphans.

Make a beautiful baby blanket out of knitted squares

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Make a beautiful baby blanket out of knitted squares.

unique baby blanket

Knitting squares to make a baby blanket it not only a great way to learn how to knit, but you can make a beautiful and unique blanket which will be with a child for many years.

You can also be very creative using a variety of knitting stitches and the beautiful yarns available today, as you can see from the laid out squares here.

This is another one of my mother, Zanny's blankets, which she has just completed but is yet to sew up.

Traditionally baby blankets have been made in whites and pastels, but babies are stimulated by colours and are able to detect subtle shifts in shades as early as two months, so surround them with a palette of beautiful colours.

baby colours

Pretty patterns and rainbow colours
Make it unique too, by varying the knitting stitches to create different textures and surfaces for them to touch and feel. Many of the yarns today are so soft and gentle to touch, so chose them not only for colour but for feel as well. Yarns that are a blend of wool, silk, alpaca and even bamboo are warm and delicate to the skin.

Like all craft work, it is best to plan your baby blanket carefully from the start. Start with two main colours, as shown in the blanket pictured – purple and turquoise. Then add another two to three colours which either tone in – the dusty pink and the dove grey – or are blended in by a mutual colour, in this case the multicoloured pastel wool which contains tones of most of the other four colours. Four to five colours is usually enough. Any more can make such a small blanket look messy.

These square knitting patterns, like all our square instructions, use 8 ply yarn and 6mm (4UK/10 USA) needles. There are 24 squares, 6 x 6 inches (15 x 15 cms) arranged in six rows of four squares. Despite choosing 8 ply yarn, there will be some variation in the square sizes. Don't worry about this, it is easy to slightly stretch the squares to fit each other when sewing up. Also as demonstrated here, changing needle sizes dramatically alters the size and feel of the square, so you can experiment with this as well if you want more or less squares in your baby blanket.

If you are learning to knit, then perhaps try the simpler knitting stitches to start, although once you have mastered knit and purl stitches, there is no end to the wonderful knitting patterns you can make.

And when you are finished knitting your beautiful and unique baby blanket, please use your wool scraps to knit one 8 x 8" square (or more) to send to Africa to make blankets for AIDS orphans.

Please also join Square Circle ezine for stories of your efforts to help keep these children warm and for new baby blanket patterns.