VIDEO EZINE - DECEMBER 2012 - times remembered!
The Square Circle Video Ezine received a good deal of favourable attention and drew some wonderful memories with regard the tremendous effort KasFolk made in order to ensure the visit of the Soweto Gospel Choir to Philadelphia in February 2010 was a remarkable success!
Linda (Canada) commented : Nice to be reminded of the Soweto Gospel Choir concert in Philadelphia. Debbie did a wonderful job of co-coordinating everything and especially coming up with the idea !! We were all madly knitting/crocheting squares and in many cases sewing them together well into the night so that they were posted in time to arrive before the presentation. Blankets came from the US, Canada, the UK and NZ.
Debbie (USA) replied : Thanks, Linda! Yes, the sewn-up blankets came from people like you from all around the globe. I was moved to tears every time a box arrived and I handled the blankets with awe and admiration for the women who stitched them and for the children who would receive them. Jackie Sousa from Massachusetts and her employer were key in mailing the blankets to Soweto. It was a team effort all around and I have such wonderful memories of the process and the presentation/concert. What a wonderful experience!
PATTERN OF THE MONTH by Linda Maltby
The February Pattern of the Month is Grace's Ribbed Vest. This versatile vest has become one of our most popular patterns for knitters. Grace Weir (UK) designed this lovely vest with growing children in mind. When made with soft yarns the vest is perfect for a child to wear against the skin. It is also very stretchy which means the child will be able to wear it for a number of years. The added length provides much needed warmth for the tummy and back.
This pattern is such a favourite that it has its own Photo Album. Here you will find many lovely examples.
The pattern is such fun to make that even the teddy bears receive their own matching vests.
This is one of the many patterns to be found in The KAS Pattern Book .
If you see another pattern you would like to try, please do ! All garments and squares are appreciated.
KAS - WHAT'S GOING ON IN SOUTH AFRICA?
Blankets and their distribution
Lorinda's team's contribution has risen from 95 to 122 completed blankets towards the Blanket Album distributing to the Bushbuckridge settlement, near Sabie in Mpumulanga Province. Maudie in Tasmania (Australia) only recent discovered the Blanket Album and commented : I have just clicked through 39 pages of sheer love and joy.
Ready for Lorinda's brilliant and hard-working stitchers!
Liesl-Anne Pienaar is developing a strong team of square bashers and they have produced 6 blankets already. Liesl-Anne lives in Paarl - Western Cape and hopes to encourage school children in this project. This is another step forward as the blankets are being made and created in South Africa and will reach even more children, this time on the West Coast - and quickly! Liesl-Anne commented : We've identified the kids we're giving these particular blankets to:- the kids who end up at our local criminal court, and the teen victims rescued from human trafficking by The A21 campaign, who are starting a shelter in Cape Town.
Is a recent discussion post, with photos that Ronda has managed to take on opening days. Quite a few members have spotted their work!
Knit-a-Square has sent 5 cartons of squares, blankets, beanies, tops, soft toys and stationery for distribution to Baphumelele Children's Centre in Khayelitsha in a few months' time when it gets cooler in the Cape. Thanks to Sian and Maryna for their loving dedication to orphaned and vulnerable children - and here's to many more KNIT-A-SQUARE distributions taking place with their help in Cape Town !
Maryna Cursi from Cape Town KAS - South Africa reports :
BAPHUMELELE CHILDREN'S CENTRE in Khayelitsha. What an amazing place. they look after 180 kids there, from new born to 18 years of age. Running a pre-school, respite care centre, as well as a training school for the older ones preparing them to go into 'the big world'. They rely completely on private funding and donations. Mama Rosie started this centre in 1989 and it has grown massively since. Its well worth a visit, not deep in the township, so perfectly safe to drive, I do it on my own and with my kids as well.
KAS MONTHLY CHALLENGES
The January 2013 Wish List Challenge - Ronda's Winter Drive has gone extremely well, here are a just few examples of the wonderful contributions that have been posted to ensure that they are received for distribution during the early cool weather April, until the extreme cold in July/August period. To see more, please go to the Forum Photo tab
Future Challenges!
After the Moderator team trawled through all the suggestions and ideas received from members we came up with the following list as the 'consensus' of membership support for these particular challenges. However, nothing is set-in-stone, and, we can respond to additional Wish List Challenges from Ronda when needed! We hope you will enjoy the various choices and the list will provide members with the chance to plan their stashes to meet the challenges! Above all, the challenges are only a light-hearted attempt to make 'square bashing' fun, all squares are welcome at any time! The 'plain janes' are wonderful for framing the slightly fancy squares.
FEBRUARY CHALLENGE - Transportation Squares with Anne Powell
MARCH - Four Seasons Squares
APRIL - Sea, Seashore & Shells Squares
MAY - Variegated Yarn Squares
JUNE - Christmas Squares
JULY - Mandela Month & African themed Squares
AUGUST - Stripes, Zig-zags, Textures Squares
SEPTEMBER - Educational Squares
OCTOBER - Music/Notes/Instrument Squares
NOVEMBER - Toys and Games Squares & Knitted Teddies
DECEMBER - Squares for KasCare Aids awareness month - December 1st Worlds Aids Day
The Wish List Red & White Hat Challenge is now closed as we reached our target of 600. We will report back when the distribution takes place, hopefully with plenty of photographs! Ronda is extremely grateful for everyone who took part.
TALLY or ITEM COUNT
HOT NEWS - during early January Kasfolk contributions have reached 500,000+
squares since Day 1 of Knit-a-square!
Squares received in November & December 2012 totalled 32,482 ! Therefore the final total for the Knit-a-Squillion Challenge started in July 2011 was 261,936 !
Hats started January-December 2012 total 14,053
Vests & Tops January-December 2012 total 5,992
Click here for the 2013 Tally and November & December Square Lists
Linda (Canada) has put together a lovely feature outlining the development and progress of KAS since it first started.
When the first blankets were given to Jamey (in wheelchair) and the twins, Knit-a-square could not imagine the flood of squares that would arrive from around the world.
PICTURE OF PROGRESS - PARCELS
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A BIG THANK YOU KISS !
SPREADING THE WORD & GROUP DEVELOPMENT
Monica turns T-shirts into dresses by adding a flounce to the bottom as her contribution towards the Swap Shop goodies. This gives little girls who would like a dress to twirl and dance around in during the hot summer months the chance to buy them with their tokens (moolahs). A simple, but very creative and valuable idea!
The Stitch Witch Group supporters of the JBay Recycling Project
The group continues to go from strength-to-strength and are now producing their own blankets for the local community children to purchase with their tokens from the Swap Shop. Here are some of the recent contributions :
ANDREA SQUARED - My KAS Commitment
I'm writing to tell you about a blog I started called Andrea Squared. I've made a public commitment to crochet one square a day for KAS. My goal is twofold : spread the word for KASCare and warm the children with enough squares for almost 11 blankets. I'm also going to be sending at least one hat per 35 squares and, whenever possible, KASCuddles and GO-Overs.
You may read Andrea's weekly updates on the Forum, but here is a taster of the January blogs!
Week 1 - Introduction
Week 2 - The Intent-zen of Crochet
Week 3 - Hotel Hope
The Knittlestoned Group (fans of Tom Hiddleston) - 7 blankets
[Angela, Camomum, Kay-Mika, Defiant Dolly, Nicole and Jypsi.]
Last year Jypsi Mabbott (Australia) started a group called Knittlestoned on Tumbir.com in order to bring together like-minded fans who also knitted or crocheted. Tom Hiddleston is an up and coming actor who studied Classics at Cambridge (UK) and then went on to study drama. However, he is an actor who cares, and is using his position to raise money for UNICEF and is now one of their Roving Ambassadors.
Tom Hiddleston in West Africa for UNICEF
Fans of Tom have raised over £15,000 ($25,000) for UNICEF. Since its beginning in the second half of 2012, "Knittlestoned" (fans of Tom call themselves Hiddlestoners, so it's kind of a made-up compound word) have knitted and crocheted 219 squares (6 blankets) for KAS - since this report was first written in December, Angela has produced a complete blanket in January, raising the total to 7! The Tumbir website has sixty followers, and 6 of those including Jypsi form the KAS Knittlestoned Group, plus several other people have joined the KAS Forum through Tumbir.
[PS Jypsi has just become engaged to Joel - congratulations!]
TRANSLATIONS OF KAS FLYER
Thanks to dosydon, a friend of Dawson (USA), we have now been able to add a third translation of the KAS Flyer, this time in Japanese (Nihongo) to help spread-the-word of our work even further. Dawson is also working on a Spanish version which we hope will be available in the next month or two! Here are the links to all three translations :
[JAPANESE - Nihongo] - 日本語 - KAS FLYER
[FRENCH] - Français - KAS FLYER
[ITALIAN] - Italiano - KAS FLYER
SQUARE HEART AWARD
The January 2013 Square Heart Award went to :
Helen Flagg of Houston, Texas.
Helen joined KAS in 2009, and has since been an active member of the US Group. Among other things, she has been responsible for raising funds for an Adopt-a-Crèche fund raising program which to date has adopted 5 crèches! She also designed the KAS Cuddle - a knit or crochet sleeping bag for young children which has become an enormous success both with the crafters who make them and the children who receive them.
Many thanks to Helen for everything she does for KAS!
To read the full report go to Square Heart Award discussion page.
The number of "Likes" broke the 5,000 barrier mid-January and currently stands at 5,202 ! We also copy the messages etc received on Facebook to the Forum for anyone who is not a member of FB.
SCHOOLS - Beaulieu College
In early December, Ronda and the team took a small van load of parcels to Beaulieu College for the 8th grader students to help with unpacking and sorting as part of a community service project. As you will see from the pictures they were kept very busy - and the astonishing count of squares was 12,000+ ! This was a excellent day for all concerned, but especially KAS as it meant Ronda's living room wasn't overwhelmed.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Sunshine Association
In November 2012 Lindiwe received this certificate on behalf of KAS from Linah of the Sunshine Association in South Africa, a special needs school at which KAS distributed blankets and hats a few months ago. The certificate is inscribed : for your generous contribution to the development and inclusion of children with disabilities in partnership with their families and communities.
Knitting Behind Bars : Inmates Escape Prison Life with Yarn - USA
The article from ABC News starts - "I'm arrested for armed kidnapping and I love knitting."
Every Thursday around dusk, a group of men, hardened criminals sentenced for a variety of violent crimes and incarcerated at the Pre-Release Unit in Jessup, Md., can be found with knitting needles in hand and balls of yarn in their laps. Lynn Zwerling and Sheila Rovelstad started the "Knitting Behind Bars" program at Jessup two years ago. In that time, they and their all-volunteer group have taught more than 100 prisoners to knit, while dozens more remain on the waiting list.
One inmate said he enjoyed knitting because it gave him something else to focus beyond the barbed wire fences and watchman towers. "I feel calm," he said. "It gives you a peace of mind. It can definitely do that, give you peace of mind. It can take you away from prison."
Since "Knitting Behind Bars" was introduced, Jessup's facility administrator Michele Jones said she has seen a difference in the men's behavior. "They have different affiliations, maybe someone's a Muslim, maybe someone's a white supremacist, they leave all of their differences at the door, and they sit together and they help one another," she said.
Letter received on a recent Parcel Opening Day
This beautiful letter arrived during a recent January opening parcel session at Ronda's home from Sally, one amongst many that are received, but we are sure you will agree that this one is 'extra' special.
Last, but not least, do not forget to purchase your
KAS 2013 Calendar!
From the Square Shop for only $9. The calendar is a wonderful source of fund-raising for Knit-a-Square and KasCare. Once the order confirmation arrives in your mailbox, the calendar will be available for downloading. Then you are free to email it to as many of your family and friends as you wish!
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