Knitters and Crocheters Care is attending the Homespun Yarn Party - hope you can join us there!

Sunday, March 15, 2009
Second Annual Homespun Yarn Party! March 15, 2009
We had a great time last year - this year will be bigger and better!

What: Yarn Party! Check out local yarn vendors, sit and knit, meet new people!

Who: All your favorite local yarn dyers and spinners, plus some extra crafty goodness! And all our knitting/crocheting/spinning friends (you!) of course!!

Where: Historic Savage Mill |8600 Foundry Street, Savage, MD 20763 | Just off I-95, plenty of parking!

When: Sunday, March 15, 2009 - 12 PM to 4 PM (watch the blog - hours may be extended)

Why: Who needs an excuse to get together and craft?! We wanted to get together and spread some fiber love!

In addition to some great crafty vendors, we'll also have:
free lessons on knitting, crochet, spinning, and maybe more
fabulous door prizes to be given away throughout the event
crafty goody bags for participants (while supplies last)
weather-permitting, a sit and spin/crochet/knit area out on the deck
And we'll be collecting knitted and crocheted items for local charities!

http://homespunyarnparty.blogspot.com/2009/02/second-annual-homespun-yarn-party-march.html

Summer Charity Events

Join Knitters & Crocheters Care for charity knitting & crocheting night at Aylin’s Woolgatherer on the 3rd Thursday of every month from 6:30 to 8:30 pm (entry at right) May 15, June 19, July 17, August 21 and September 1

and

Charity Day at Uniquities on the 4th Saturday of every month from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm (entry at right) May 24, June 28, July 26, August 23 and September 27

Charities in need of donations:

TAPS – Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors - a support network for the families of those who died in military service. We are collecting knit/crocheted stuffed animals and memory pillows. http://www.taps.org

ALTERNATIVE HOUSE - supports at-risk children, youth and families, provides crisis intervention and neighborhood outreach. We are collecting baby/toddler clothes and blankets. http://www.thealternativehouse.org

CAPITAL HOSPICE - providing hospice care to DC, NoVa and Prince George's county, MD. We are collecting chemo caps for this organization. http://www.capitalhospice.org

FAIRFAX HOSPITAL Women's Center - provides suport and health services to new mothers and their families. We are collecting preemie and baby hats and blankets for this organization. http://www.inova.org/inova_fairfax_hospital/services/

Can't join us? You can drop off finished items at either of the shops, clearly labeled with the charity's name, and we’ll deliver them. Enclose a stamped, self address envelope if you want confirmation of your donation.

Thanks for the donations!

Your yarn has gone to N Street Village in DC, groups that teach kids to knit, Iraqi refugees, Georgetown University Hospital Lombardi Center and groups that knit for the DC homeless.

Local crafters have donated items for the clients of Food & Friends (DC), Alternative House (VA) and Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (VA).

Now that spring is here, we will turn our attention to the 14th Annual
TAPS National Military Survivor Seminar & Good Grief Camp for Young Survivors, held Memorial Day weekend in Virginia. Last year Claire offered Memory Pillows to participants. Please help us support these families who have lost a loved one in military service.

Details will be posted here shortly. Please contact us at Knitters.and.Crocheters.care@gmail.com for more inforamtion.

Got warm stuff to donate?

Food & Friends has enough warm handknits for all their clients. Thank you!

Please consider donating items to other local charities. Post their information in the comments.

We are still looking for items for Alternative House, a Virginia shelter for teens and their children. They can use warm items for all their residents. Their wish list includes: "Baby & toddler clothing; Girls and boys clothing; Teen clothing; Fleeces & jackets; Gloves, hats & scarves" Their website is http://www.thealternativehouse.org/

MichelleKnitter@gmail.com

It's time to knit warm things for several of our charities.

Food & Friends' scarf drive deadline is February 6. Hats, scarves, gloves and earwarmers are all welcome. They need to be unisex, and labeled with fiber & care information. Items will go in the Valentine's Day meal delivery with no time to match item to recipient. They can be mailed to Food & Friends, Attn: Scarf Drive, 219 Riggs Road NE, Washington, DC 20011.

Include your name & address (or a SASE) within the package so that we can send you a thank you note. You may also deliver your donation Monday - Saturday, or join us on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at Food & Friends.

Food & Friends has a few babies among their clients. If you like to knit for babies, please contact MichelleKnitter@gmail.com for more information. Their website is http://foodandfriends.org

Alternative House is a shelter for teens and their children. They can use warm items for all their residents. Their wish list includes: "Baby & toddler clothing; Girls and boys clothing; Teen clothing; Fleeces & jackets; Gloves, hats & scarves" Their website is http://www.thealternativehouse.org/

Whatever you donate, will be used by the clients.

MichelleKnitter@gmail.com

Virginia Tech - Reema Samaha



Nell Benton created, and Susan Blair delivered this afghan to the family of Reema Samaha. They are having a celebration in her memory on June 23rd which would have been her 19th birthday.

Here is a really nice article about this young woman:

http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=May&x=20070501123402eaifas8.578128e-02

This link is a tribute - in the form of a slideshow containing pictures of her:

http://yalibnan.com/site/tv/2007/04/reema_samaha_remembered_in_pho.php

Currently two more afghans are being assembled - and we have yarn for more - if anyone is interested in contributing to this project, please let us know.

Knitting for our Neighbors, crochet too
begins June 13

2nd Wednesday of the month
(7/11;8/8; 9/12; 10/10; 11/14; 12/12; 1/9; 2/6)
6:30-8:00
Food & Friends
219 Riggs Rd NE
Phone 202-269-2277
Metro is Fort Totten. F&F operates a shuttle (white, with F&F on top & sides). Shuttle driver cell is 202-669-6437.

Class is free. $5 for supplies, or bring your own. Absolute beginners, including kids age 10 and up welcome. Please contact Michelle, Michelle64AThotmail.com or join our yahoo group, KnittingNeighbors

Oh - I almost forgot - we brought donations to the TAPS event.

We donated:
23 scarves
39 hats
1 neckwarmer
1 pr of socks
3 blankets
and we brought and made memory pillows - we ended up distributing approximately 50 memory pillows! We hope to have 350 to distribute next year.

We also raised some money for TAPS. We asked for a $5 donation for each student - and each student got a skein of yarn, a crochet hook or a pair of knitting needles, instruction sheet and lessons from our volunteers. Additionally, some people gave us donations for memory pillows. We also donated some items for the TAPS final auction. We raised over $200 for TAPS!

So - donation total: 117 knit/crochet items and $205

But, wait . . . here's more pictures of our volunteers teaching at TAPS

Here are more pictures of the people Knitters and Crocheters taught at TAPS:

Knitters and Crocheters Care's participation at the TAPS event was truly a success! We have been asked to participate again next year - and I was thrilled to tell the people at TAPS that we would definitely be there (www.taps.org for anyone who would like to check them out).

I have lots of pictures and stories from the event - so I'll upload them over a few days, as I don't want to overwhelm anyone (including myself).

The exhibit hall was much quieter and more serious on Friday - and was much more cheerful and lively on Sunday. At one point on Sunday our booth was surrounded by people talking and laughing and learning to knit and crochet. It was very interesting to see how people attending the TAPS event changed over the three days. We taught a few people on Friday who looked lonely, sad and confused. When these people stopped by again on Sunday, we noticed a change in mood and attitude. The participants were more positive and proactive in the way they approached things. Generally, they were also showing more pride in their own appearances and were taking much better care of themselves. I am not naive - I know that the program as a whole is what helped these people to begin healing - but for some of them, we were a part of that healing.

Almost everyone at TAPS is a volunteer. The first year, you participate as a survivor. However, when you come back after the first year, you are a survivor and you are also a volunteer. While many of the stories we heard were heartbreaking, it was also uplifting to see how the TAPS program gave people the skills to cope with their loss. Knitters and Crocheters Care was part of the Exhibit Hall - and most of the exhibits concerned creative ways to deal with grief. The TAPS program is truly amazing and I'd like to do whatever I can to continue helping.

Next year, I'd like to bring approximately 350 memory pillows and more donations for the silent auction. I'll be posting about these goals throughout the next year.



I taught this woman to crochet 3 years ago, at a TAPS event. She had lost her husband and her mother both within a short amount of time before that year's TAPS event. She told me she wanted to honor her mother by learning to crochet. So, I gave her and her friend a quick lesson. When she got home, she bought a pattern book and made this aghan. She called it her grief afghan

Three years later, this woman is totally addicted to crocheting! She made the following beautiful afghan and donated it to TAPS for their silent auction

Knitting for our Neighbors, crochet too
begins June 13

2nd Wednesday of the month
(6/13;7/11;8/8; 9/12; 10/10; 11/14; 12/12; 1/9; 2/6
6:30-8:30
Food & Friends
219 Riggs Rd NE
Phone 202-269-2277
Metro is Fort Totten. F&F operates a shuttle (white, with F&F on top & sides). Shuttle driver cell is 202-669-6437.

Class is free. $5 for supplies, or bring your own. Absolute beginners, including kids age 10 and up welcome. Please contact knitting networker, Michelle or join the yahoo group, KnittingNeighbors

Projects:
For new F&F clients, we’d like to deliver pot holders (hot pads, oven mitts, etc). That means we need 100+ a month!

To knit or crochet, use wool or cotton (not acrylic, which melts). When quilting use cotton fabric & batting. Minimum finished size: 7” x 7”. Remember to add a loop for hanging. Potholders knit with loops are also welcome. The wilder, the better.

Send to: Food & Friends, Attn: Potholders, 219 Riggs Road NE, Washington, DC 20011.

Be sure to include your name & address (or a SASE) within the package so that we can send you a thank you note. You may also deliver your donation directly to Food & Friends, Monday - Saturday.


Scarf Drive for Food & Friends' Clients begins in December.

In 2007, Food & Friends collected enough items for each of our 1,100 clients to receive one. We plan to do the same this year. Donated yarn, knitting needles and crochet hooks are available at Food & Friends.

Scarves should be handmade and unisex, 5” to 8” wide and 48” or longer. Hats and afghans welcome, they need to be unisex. Please add a note to each item, attached with a safety pin or with a piece of yarn, on fiber content and washing instructions.

Send to: Food & Friends, Attn: Scarf Drive, 219 Riggs Road NE, Washington, DC 20011.

Be sure to include your name & address (or a SASE) within the package so that we can send you a thank you note. You may also deliver your donation directly to Food & Friends, Monday - Saturday.

Deadline is February 6, 2008. The Food & Friends knitting project is one of the ways that Food & Friends enhances the lives of the people we serve.

You can make a difference over Memorial Day Weekend.

Volunteers are Needed to teach knitting and Crocheting at TAPS over Memorial Day Weekend - on May 25, 26, and 27I need to get quite a few volunteers in a pretty short period of time - so please pass this along to your friends and group members - to all knitters and crocheters who might be interested!

The amazing people at TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) have asked Knitters and Crocheters Care to teach knitting and crocheting at the 13th Annual National Military Survivor Seminar being held Memorial Day Weekend, 2007 in Crystal City, Virginia. They have asked us to discuss the therapeutic benefits of knitting and crochet and also to teach crochet/knitting from the point of view of a healing hands type of craft and from a community building perspective.

We will have a booth in their support area - and the booth needs to be staffed on
Friday, May 25: 9-5
Saturday, May 26: 9-5
Sunday, May 27: 9-2

Knitters and Crocheters Care is seeking volunteer knit and/or crochet teachers who would like to teach garter stitch (knitting lesson) or single crochet (crochet lesson) at these sessions. Kits will be provided by Knitters and Crocheters Care. If you're interested in teaching at this event, please contact Claire Wudowsky as soon as possible at Knitters_and_Crocheters_Care@yahoo.com or call her at 571-332-3804.

TAPS (http://www.taps.org) provides a wide variety of programs and information to survivors, military and casualty personnel and others. Each Memorial Day weekend, all those affected by a death in the line of military duty are invited to Arlington, Virginia to attend three days of sharing, coping, and healing with some of America's leading experts on trauma and grief. We are honored that the people at TAPS have asked us to participate in this program.This event is being held at the DoubleTree Hotel, 300 Army Navy Drive, Crystal City (Arlington), VA