KasSnippets - March 2015

REPORTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

by Ronda Lowrie

KAS South Africa enjoyed another successful Hobby X and it was so encouraging to have people we met at last year’s show bringing us the squares that they had knitted to this year’s show.  We even had a lady drive all the way from Harrismith to Johannesburg to bring us her squares – a 3 hour journey!

 In this report, we feature our visit to the Salvation Day Care Centre that took place towards the end of June 2014.  The Salvation Day Care Centre is, as you will see from the photos a very well-run school.

Full Report : 

HOBBY-X and THE SALVATION DAY CARE CENTRE

Previous Reports :

The Little Treasures of Finetown

Onwards and Upwards for Knit-a-Square South Africa!

 FURTHER NEWS ON THE

NAVY BLUE SCARF CHALLENGE

by Pam Antink

Current Total : 64 scarves

The current total probably doesn't reflect the true number of scarves winging their way to South Africa. Also, the postal service is now experiencing a work-to-rule action and the KAS office has experienced a reduction in the mail received these past two weeks........

However, the good news is that we have kitted out a busload of  kids with warm scarves!

To help inspire us to keep this project flowing along

Anne Powell has come up with the following ode to help us all!

THE NAVY BLUE SCARF

They’ve asked us to make navy blue scarves - Forty three inches by eight

Navy Blue?? OMG, you’re kidding, I thought! It’s quite boring - a colour I hate.

They’re for schools, I was told, to match uniforms, the colour just has to be navy.

All I could think is "Oh save me please , dark blue makes my eyes go wavy",

I finished my first and put on the fringe

And needed to go on a colour binge.

So I made a few squares just for relief, and while looking for colours bright,

I found in my stash a giant ball of "blue as dark as night".

Enough for some more.... so off I went, and though I am colour-restricted,

Scarves are fun to do and work up fast and now I am simply addicted!

The first few are gone. To Ronda they’re sent.

And it feels good to know....... they will help pay the rent!

I think I’ll keep going and make a few more

I’m getting to like them, they’re not really a chore.

I’m setting a goal, not making a fuss..

Fifty scarves in two years - I will fill up a bus.

So check out your stash, Girls - Got blue lurking there?

Make even one scarf for a school child to wear.

It will make a huge difference to KAS and a child

Then go back to squares when you need to "go wild".

To see the rest of the discussion and patterns please click here

KNIT-A-SQUARE APPEAL

Two new items are now in the KAS Shop.  Help KAS create a better world for the children through the power of learning.

The ability to express oneself in a creative manner through something as simple as colouring in, is an activity very many of the orphaned and vulnerable children we visit have not experienced.

Shop Link : Colouring Books and Crayons

Allow us the opportunity to spend time reading to these children and in turn to encourage them to learn the empowering skill of reading!

Shop Link : Reading Books

Let’s help these little ones on the path of literacy!

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Pay the Office Rent for a Day - Review !

So far this month 9 members paid towards the the office rent for a day!

A BIG thank-you to the those members who supported the “Fund-raising for Rent” appeal in KAS Snippets – we appreciate your help as the extra space is vital for our volunteers to efficiently open parcels, sort and bundle squares and other items and keep the system running efficiently.

We will need to put our collective thinking caps on this year, to come up with ideas to keep funding the operational side of KAS SA as it has grown to critical mass in terms of its relative manpower requirements on the ground.  If any of you have a knack for fund-raising, please share some of your inspirational thoughts with us!!!

[Ronda wrote in the Report from South Africa.]

For this appeal we are asking members to donate via the KAS SA website page : 

KAS SOUTH AFRICA

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 KAS REACHES GREAT HEIGHTS FOR CHILDREN

 A JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD !

This challenge is going to take us around the planet whilst reaching great heights & piles of squares - 178,000 to be precise, in order to reach the top of Table Mountain, Cape Town in South Africa!

We are going to need 50 squares for every foot climbed!

Since last month we have left Ireland, and visited Jordan, Indonesia, New Zealand and are currently in Dubai - this image truly shows the pile of squares sent by KAS members since we first started. Also during April we will be whizzing up the heights due to the backlog that has arrived in January & February!

Our current target is No.167 at 136,100 squares 

Here is the link to KAS Reaches Great Heights for Children

WHAT'S GOING ON IN

SOUTH AFRICA?

SORTED IN SOUTH AFRICA

- THE OFFICE

See more pics in Sorted in South Africa

DISTRIBUTION PHOTOGRAPHS

Link to recent : Distribution Photographs

Between these two schools in the Czech-Slovak region, the children have produced enough blankets to keep 8 more children warm and healthy! Quite brilliant work!

River John Square Knitters First Annual Knit-in - Canada 

contributed by Gloria Grandy

Thank you to everyone who joined us to make this an extra special day.  We appreciate the many donations of yarn and knitted and crocheted squares, and the generous donations to our postage costs which help us get these things to the children.  Today we were able to get two more packages wrapped and ready to send to South Africa.

To read and see more of the inspiring photographs taken on the day 

please click here

Do check out more of the interesting blogs from groups and members in the discussion category

Meeting you and Members' personal blogs

 

We have received an additional 294 Likes on the Facebook page so far during February-March period, taking our total to 9,474 !  We could hit the 10,000 mark in the next 3 months!

 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

No words needed!