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This was one of our few visits to the Alexandra which is a poor, angry area situated alongside one of the most affluent northern suburbs of Johannesburg and established as a dormitory township for maidservants and other workers serving local domestic households. It has now degenerated into a badly designed, over-populated hot-bed of xenophobic violence.
Find Ronda's full report [here]
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PRODUCT OF THE MONTH - FEBRUARY
Sponsor a Child for a Distribution - $10
Shop sales have been down this month, probably because of the Forum/Website issues we were experiencing, but there is still lots of time to go and make a purhase.
By purchasing our featured product Sponsor a Child for a Distribution, you will cover some of the wide range of expenses involved in getting your squares from the unpacking room when they arrive to being wrapped around the shoulders of a vulnerable child on distribution day.
Or browse through the KAS Shop and choose something from the many items there - including some exciting new ones.
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YOU CAN ALSO FIND US ON
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It's never too late to join our
February 2016 theme
CELEBRATE AFRICA
Bev (Australia) is hosting this month's fun theme!
Just look at some of the gorgeous squares and items our talented crafters have created for the children's blankets so far ...
We would love to have you join us! You can participate by producing squares or other items for the children,
or just browse through the pages of our theme.
This month we are focusing on the children's world in an attempt to help them
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Check out
You'll be amazed to see the mountains of parcels that are finally arriving.
You might even spot one of your own!!
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!! IMPORTANT NOTICE !!
The Packing Slip has been revised for 2016 to match the needs of Knit-a-Square for:
Squares, Hats, Hand-warmers and Soft Toys.
Please print off and use the 2016 Packing Slip.
The slip is available in the 2016 Packing Slip discussion.
Thank you from the Knit-a-Square volunteers who open our parcels :-)
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THE JANUARY SQUARES LIST IS AVAILABLE
Visit www.knit-a-square.com and click on “Received Squares”
During January, 246 parcels with goodies from all over the world were unpacked by the team in SA!
These parcels contained 13,247 squares - almost equal to 378 blankets. Three months to go before Winter comes in SA, and the Gogos will be pleased to join the squares into blankets to protect the children against the cold days and nights. As well as the squares, there were 878 hats, 276 pairs of handwarmers, and 95 toys. Thank you all so much for your wonderful contributions.
In the graph below, January 2016 is marked with a red dot.
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Don't forget to check the Blanket Room Collection
where Christine keeps us up to date with stunning photographs of our squares ...
all stitched into blankets and ready to warm and comfort the children.
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As always, [here] is where we find beautiful photos of the children
all wrapped up in the love and warmth we send to them!
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MARCH PATTERN OF THE MONTH
Heart Squares – crochet and knit patterns
We all lovingly create squares to be made into warm and cosy blankets for the children. Imagine how special a child would feel to see
a beautiful heart portrayed in their blanket.
Here are examples of the knitted and crochet heart squares,
by Christine Johnson(UK) and Rachel Andrus(USA), that can be found in the
Please take a look at the beautiful heart created by Anneke (The Netherlands) to adorn a plain square. I’m sure you will agree this is a lovely way to warm the children and let them know that people around the world care.
The pattern for this adorable crochet heart can be found [here]
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From The Ruth Mailbag Group
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KNIT-A-SQUARE DELIVERS !
The Van is cruising towards the home stretch. Since the last Snippets, the Van has zipped ahead by 2,000 squares. The Van only needs a little over 5,000 squares to reach the Office. Can we get the Van to its final destination before the March Snippets is published ?
Please add your squares to the Knit-a-Square Delivers challenge HERE
Please note:
We are no longer recording our sent items in a tally. Our items will be noted in The Squares List when our parcels arrive.
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for February 2016
is awarded to Cath Riley
edited by Susan Gillman
Champion blanket maker Cath is from Liverpool UK. She reached her personal goal of 100 blankets on January 5th 2015 !
Please read about the amazing contributions of this wonderful KASsister [here] and when you finish oohing and aahing over her beautiful creations,check out the article below.
Cath is our Guest Writer this month!
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Please check our Writer's Guidelines to find out how you can become a Guest Writer in our monthly newsletter. We would love to hear from you!
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VOLUNTEER FOR A DAY
by Cath Riley
For me, the KAS experience started nearly 2 years ago when I found the Website and started making squares. Recently retired, I had lots of time so I got stuck in - and it took over my life!
In July last year I broke my arm, which meant we couldn't go on our annual holiday in the Dordogne in France. This year, we decided to visit the Knit-a-Square offices in S.A. to meet the people I had seen in the Forum photos. Ronda and Estelle encouraged me, and as we have family in SA we combined it with a holiday.
After a great time with family, staying in game lodges, Safari drives etc., we went to the KAS S.A. office on opening day. My dream had come true! It was surreal to actually be there, an emotional experience.
PLEASE CONTINUE READING CATH'S DELIGHTFUL STORY
Replies
Bless you dear Cath ... it was great to have you with us for the day and to meet your family! Thanks for writing about your day at KAS SA and giving such a clear picture of the way things are. We are happily receiving MASSES of post each week now as the backlog clears again ... square lists will reflect this of course.
And the weather is still VERY hot and steamy in Johannesburg !
May I say here that we are still receiving requests for emails of acknowledgement, even for as few as a dozen squares, but we regret to say this is no longer possible for us to manage, so we truly hope people will understand and take the trouble to check the squarelists for their names instead.
xoxoxo
Thank you, Glo, for the wonderful read. Cath, you have really seen everything that KAS has to offer, last summer at the UK getogether, and now in SA. What an experience!!
Thank you Gloria for a great Snippets and Cath for your insightful article, such an interesting read :))
Thank you Cath for your heartfelt and honest thoughts and observations. There is only a certain percentage of knitters who are on the forum and the people who don't know about the tails and packing in 10s and 5s are hard to reach it seems.
Imagine if all the knitters could access the KasShop, or realise that each blanket costs $10.00 to distribute. It is however amazing that they are supplying the squares in such quantities.
You were there for all of us on your amazing visit. Congratulations on your Square Heart award too.
Thanks Gloria, a very interesting month .
Cath's experience is truly delightful.
You did a great job on Snippets this month, Glo! Thank you.
A great read, thanks, Glo. As always, so many interesting items to catch up on. :))
Cath's story really is delightful.