Why I crochet for charity

I picked up a great bargain in our local Red Cross charity shop the other day. For the meagre sum of 5 euros, I came out with a big bag full of brand new yarn. Red, pink and white yarn, with labels still intact, 34 balls in all. My, was I happy! I smiled all the way back home, and then set to work.

As soon as I saw that yarn, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. I'd be crocheting items for Knit-a-Square. KAS, as it's also known, is a charity based in South Africa that collects knitted and crochet squares and sews them into blankets for AIDS orphans throughout South Africa.

There are many associations and organisations around the world that accept crocheted goods. Many of them are based in the US, but I hail from Europe and hadn't seen the same level of interest from hospitals, care homes and charities over here.

But why did I choose Knit-a-Square? Well, like most things, it was a chain of events that led me there. It's almost as if Knit-a-Square chose me.

Early in 2012, a close friend of mine who knows how much I love to crochet sent me a link via Facebook. It was a short article about a group of women in Denmark who knit blankets, hats and clothes for babies and children in Tanzania. At the same time, at work we had started getting busy preparing a huge congress that would be held at the end of 2012 in Durban, South Africa.

I knew I would be leaving for South Africa a few months later. And I decided to have a look on the Internet if there were any charities there to which I could donate some crocheted goods. A quick search for "crochet charity South Africa" ensued, and the first link was, yes, Knit-a-Square.

To quote from their website: "It is estimated that there are 14.8 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa. 1.9 million live in South Africa.
Many of these children are AIDS orphans or have been abandoned. Many live in great poverty in informal settlements. Some head up families of their siblings together with other children. Some live alone, without shelter, in hills and dumps around the cities.The knit-a-square project was started as a family project in 2008 and is now a world-wide community numbering an estimated 12,000 people in 54 countries round the world.
Together we work hard to help warm and comfort the children and we'd greatly value your contribution to this knitting project for the AIDS orphans of southern Africa. We ask the world's knitters and crocheters to send 8"/20 cm squares to South Africa, where we have them sewn into blankets for the children."

Local charities ensure the children are cared for, and Knit-a-Square works towards keeping them warm and happy. A group of KAS volunteers in South Africa collects the squares that are sent from all over the world and sews them into blankets for the children. KAS then deals with distribution. There are some beautiful photos on their website of the distributions, showing the children wrapped in their blankets. KAS also accepts donations of knitted and crochet vests, hats, pull-overs and baby sleeping bags, as well as toys, socks, gloves and stationery for the children. You can also make a financial donation via the website.

Why crochet for charity? After all, crochet can be a lucrative business. There is a market for patterns, and crocheted goods sell well. I make and design crochet toys, and even though my patterns are available for free, I do sell a few finished articles, mostly so that I can buy more yarn to make even more. Some people have made crochet their business and make their lives from it.

But I wanted to help. And I believe that's what drives people to crochet for charity. Here in the western world, we hardly ever see poverty. Of course there are people who are less well off than others, but a vision of real poverty is rare.

I knew how fortunate I was to live in relative ease. I was going to visit a country thousands of miles away. I would be staying in a comfortable hotel, and after the conference I would be going on a great safari. But away from the tourist routes and the posh hotels, there were 1.9 million orphans who needed my help.

So I started crocheting. And in the few weeks before I left for South Africa, I managed to crochet 15 squares and a hat. I also added six crocheted or sewn toys to my parcel. In December, I flew over to Durban and from there, I posted my parcel to Knit-a-Square. When I got back home, I carried on crocheting squares.

I continue to design, make and sell crochet toys. But I set aside some time and yarn to continue to crochet for charity. Making the squares is quick and easy and a great way to try out some new techniques and designs. And most of all, while I'm crocheting, I imagine the face of a child, far away, for whom my very small act of kindness may be making a huge difference.

www.knit-a-square.com

Remembering a special friend

Maria was an ex-colleague who had moved to Brittany several years ago. I'd always wanted to go and see the house and garden she was so fond of, but I didn't manage to until after she'd died, last month. So this is a special tribute to her. She was funny, creative, and also had a stubborn streak that I particularly appreciated. Special thanks to Maria's partner Mike who welcomed me in their home.

Here are some photos of Maria and Mike's house and garden. Let's start with the house. It's a beautiful big Breton house on three stories. I could see my friend all over the house, in the decoration and little objects she loved.

The staricase

Beautiful bathroom

The house is full of old French furnishings

Each windowsill tells a story

One of Maria's many tapestries

Another beautiful tapestry decorates the fireplace

A closer look at the fireplace tapestry.

More art by Maria and her friends in the hall. I love the little stencilled lizards!

More embroidery, and more lizards

Now let's visit the garden... It's a glorious walled garden, beautifully maintained. The day we visited, we were lucky to have sunshine.

The view of the garden from the first floor.

The view from the back door. Did you spot more stencils?

The apple tree

Beautiful yellow roses

The raised beds

Glorious.

The terrace.

And finally, the view of the house from the garden.

Meandering in May

Hello there!
In May in France we have several national holidays, well at least three. This year, two of them came together on 8th and 9th and I've taken today off too, so that means a very, very long weekend of five days!

We'd planned to do some furniture shopping and assembling. But the car is in bad need of repair and can't be used, so we've had to put the new furniture off for another day. Instead, I've been doing a little bit of crochet, some cooking and tidying up, but the best thing is that the weather has been sunny (at least for part of the time). So we went off for a wander.

I so love to see these bright yellow fields, they look so gorgeous against the blue sky.

A bit further down the path and the view changes. Can you see there's still some snow on the mountains?

I love the contrast of the thick ridged bark and the delicate leaves and dandelions. 

And these new leaves were calling out for me to take their picture. Rebirth. 

I took this one by accident as I was walking along. I like it.

And last of all, the green carpet of leaves and flowers. We had a lovely time. Pity it's raining again today. 

Spring at last?

I don't know if where you live it has been quite so cold and grey as it has been here. It felt as if winter had been around for months and months. And I was quite ill this winter, with a bad cough and cold that kept coming and going, and coming back again, and a horrible week with a very sore back.

But enough whingeing. Today I went out to the market, as I usually do on a Saturday morning, and the sun was shining! The sky was blue! It even felt a tiny weeny bit warm. Yay! The mountains I can see from our flat are still capped with snow, but with a beautiful blue sky above them. It's amazing how much a sunny sky can lift your spirits!

Here's something else that made me feel happy. Lovely, cute baby goats.

"Hmm what a tasty post"

This one kept jumping on its mum's back. It was so funny.

"There's only room for one"

On the crochet front, I'm desperately trying to finish off some crochet gifts that I'll be taking to England in April. Hoping to show them to you very soon!

I hope Spring has started to show its pretty face wherever you are. Keep smiling!

My trip to Paris

Yesterday I came back from a short but intense trip to Paris. The last time I'd been was a long, long time ago. I went with my husband when we were still just the two of us.  This time I went with the youngest of our children, my 15-year-old son. But Paris hardly changes. We had a great time. Would you like to see some pictures?

No trip to Paris would be complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower. I love it. And it was only a 10-minute walk from our flat, so we went to see it several times. I'll never tire of looking at this Iron Lady. So elegant, like all the Parisiennes!

Here's another famous Parisian tower, the Tour Montparnasse. This one is over 200 metres high, and the lift to the 56th floor takes only 38 seconds!  The view from the top is, I find, the best view of Paris. We were there at dusk, and this is what we could see:

Isn't that view something?

This is the courtyard of the Louvre. We didn't actually visit the museum because the queues were so long, and I'd read that you really need to plan to spend a whole day there. So we'll have to go back again, won't we? In the meantime, I just wanted to have an idea of the size of the place. It is huge (210 000 m2), beautiful and very impressive.

This is, for me, the symbol of French luxury. This huge Swarovski xmas tree is in the famous store Galeries Lafayette, famous for its luxurious French goods. Most of the items for sale are too pricey for me, but looking doesn't cost anything! And quite honestly, the architecture is so gorgeous, all the fancy goods just pale into insignificance. The different galleries are built around the central part, and just look up above - each arch is beautifully sculpted and decorated. Above the sculpture there are stained glass windows, and to top it all the most beautiful glass dome.  Here's the dome in all its glory:

Unbelievable!

And yes! I did find a yarn store! And not just any old yarn store.  La Droguerie is hidden behind the church in the Halles area of Paris. It is an absolute jewel of a shop, all wooden drawers and jars of buttons and beads.  The yarn is sold by weight, so you can have 50 g or 100g or, if you prefer, 32g or 456g...  All the yarn is exclusive and only sold by La Droguerie.  I picked up some gorgeous dusty pink 4-ply wool to make a shawl for my lovely Mum. It's the one just two skeins away from this lady's hand. I could have bought the whole shop! I met two fellow Ravellers in the shop and we chatted while we were waiting to be served. Each customer's order is dealt with individually so yes, you do have to wait, but it's worth it. A highlight of my holiday.

Before I go here's another photo of my Parisian friend. This time she's wearing her glittery robe. Gorgeous.

Crocheting for charity

Hi there! Look what I've been making :) Squares, squares and squares (and a hat, but I've not got a photo of  that here).

This all started a while ago when a friend of mine sent me a link to a Norwegian charity that sends knitted blankets and baby clothes to Tanzania. Hmm, I thought, I like the sound of crocheting for charity, I wonder what I can do to help? I'll be going to South Africa for work at the end of this month and it seemed a good idea to look for a charity there, with the idea that I'll be able to bring anything I make along with me and post it from within the country, saving both time and postage costs.

So to cut a long story short, a quick look around t'Internet brought me to www.knit-a-square.com.

Knit a square collects crocheted and knitted squares (20 cm - 8 inches square) to make into blankets for orphans in South Africa. Most of the children are AIDS orphans and they need the warmth and comfort that a hand-made blanket can bring. Knit a square also needs hats, rain capes and warm vests for the children. They also need cash donations to help with collection, delivery and other costs. 

Please consider making a donation or sending some squares or other crochet/knit items to South Africa. Knit a square also has a facebook page and an active group on Ravelry. Join in the giving!

Busy as a bee!

And here's just one of the things I've been doing. I'm very pleased with these new rattle toys but as I commented on the previous post, I'm just too busy to write up the pattern.

What am I doing? Well, lots of things. This week I have to finish off the items for a swap I'm doing on Ravelry. Next week we have the huge yearly car boot sale in our little town. I won't be selling anything this year, but it's something to look forward to. The following week, I may be holding my first official stall on our local organic market! I'm just wondering when I'll find out... I sent in my application but haven't heard anything back yet and it's in two weeks' time! In any case, I have to crochet, crochet, crochet so that I'll have enough stock, and I suppose that if I don't get a place, I'll just have to sell my items elsewhere or wait until the Spring sale in May. I've ordered some more organic yarn from the UK, including some Alpaca wool  that I'm trying out for the first time. I thought it would be nice for cosy winter hats. It's already getting a bit chilly around here.

On with my list... early November I'm organising a short trip to Paris with my son. Last time I went to Paris was almost thirty years ago! We're really looking forward to it. We've booked an apartment near to the Eiffel tower, and we'll probably visit the usual tourist places. I'd also like to go to the Cité des Sciences, and to visit the new Islamic art section in the Louvre. Then there's Montmartre, le Marais, the Arc de Triomphe, and my son wants to go and see Jim Morrison's grave at the Père Lachaise cemetry. If you know any other spots in Paris we absolutely have to visit, please let me know in the comments :)

Then towards the end of November I'm off to South Africa! It's a trip for work, where we'll be holding a conference. Once it's over, I'm going on safari with two of my friends. We all agreed that it was a pity to go so far without seeing some of the country. So we've organised a short trip to the beautiful countryside, with a trip both to a land safari and a day in the nearby wetlands. I can't wait!

When it was my birthday, I wrote up a list of 50 things I would like to do before my next birthday, a kind of bucket list but with a time limit. Visiting Paris is just one of them, as is holding my first real sale of my crochet goods. It feels good!

Happy Birthday to me!

Hello there! So, so sorry I've not been around for... almost two weeks. I'm back at last, and while I was away from my blog, lots of things have happened.

First of all I had a Very Important Birthday. I cannot believe I'm 50 years old. Eeek! How did that happen? Watch out, girls, those years seem to sneak up without us even noticing. Yes I do have a painful knee, the odd wrinkle and my body shape isn't quite what it used to be. But inside, I still feel exactly the same as I did when I was 25. And look what I got for my birthday. A new order of Debbie Bliss yarn from Alba Yarns, and, in the middle of it, what can you see? Yay, a brand new shiny camera! I love it! I've had my old camera since 2004 (yes, that's a pretty old camera). The old one, a Sony DSC-P100 is a great camera. All the photos on my blog (including the photo above) were taken with that old 2004 Sony. But somehow a little piece of lint or thread (or yarn?) managed to get inside the lense, so some of my photos were spoilt with a grey blur. I knew that technology has improved a lot since 2004 so I was ever so pleased to receive this little beauty. It's a Panasonic GF3, part of the Lumix range. Of course I had to try it out, so I went to our local market where there are lots of colours:

Our market is very expensive!

Mmmm, fresh fish

Photogenic radishes

Summer soft fruit

Lovely summer colours

I took the photos early in the morning, and before I left home I also took these two:

The view from our balcony - hay making :)

New strawberry flowers

I'm so pleased that my strawberry plants are in flower again. The first harvest was rather disappointing because they were so waterlogged! We'd had loads and loads of rain and hardly any sunshine. But this time around, the sun has been shining and my strawberry plants are happy.

I've also been putting that new yarn to good use, but more of that next time :)

Bye for now, hoping you are healthy and happy :)

Holiday memories no. 2 - Giant crochet lions at Chatsworth

Before I left on holiday I'd seen a link (I think it was on one of the Ravelry forums) about a exhibition of giant crochet lions that was travelling around the country before landing in London in time for the Olympics. So I clicked on this link, and discovered that the first part of the lions' journey would be at Chatsworth. Chatsworth is a gorgeous English stately home in the Peak District in the north of England. And it is not far from where my family lives. So of course, we arranged a trip to Chatsworth. We chose the first very sunny day, and enjoyed the drive among the green rolling hills, spotted with little white fluffly lambs. So cute!

Chatsworth House

Chatsworth has been the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire since the 17th Century. It is a huge estate, and the house and its gardens are only a part of it. I must say that it is extremely well run, very beautiful and a great day out!

We started by visiting the house itself. We missed the guided tour but in fact it was fine. The house had plenty of staff to answer questions and each room contained printed sheets with all the information and history. Sorry I didn't take any photos!  After lunch, we also visited the gardens.

The fountains

The waterfall

Bluebells

And then we went to find the lions. They were in a big glass case, just in front of the house but as we'd accessed it from the side we'd almost missed them. Because of the glass case it was a bit difficult to take decent photos... these are the best I could do!

The BBC very recently made a three-part documentary about Chatsworth (but filmed before the lions moved in). If you can see it, it's really worth watching.