Carolyn H of Ottawa

Hey everyone,
So I dropped by Yarn Forward last week, and they present me with three big new bags full of stuff. As happy as I was, I am dearly hoping that you folks dropped off the items after our deadline, 'cause I just got them. They will certainly go into the September shipment.
So first, here's CarolynH's stuff. She has a great blog and takes her knitting to a level I will never be capable of (I'm also not capable of good grammar - check the dangling modifier).

On the left are Elann Peruvian socks made out of Highland Wool.

I took a close-up of this hat because it was so pretty. The reverse is wayyyy neater than any intarsia I am capable of - 0 lumps! This is "Mireille" using Cascae 220 Wool.


And below is a picture of the intricate Serenity pattern, again with the Cascade Superwash. The hat is a pattern called Filiage mde with Andy's Merino and lined, no less.

I took the picture below because I think I've got a thing for noro. These are Mitered Mittens in Noro Silk Garden. Okay, I admit, I tried them on. Its like being swathed in handcreme.

Thanks Carolyn H - Don't know how you fit this in, in between the kitchen reno (done that, never again), but you're amazing!

So What Happened?

I'll tell ya what happened:

Amy and Anita got crazy busy and didn't update the blog. So here it is:

1. We dropped off the stuff in Montreal (thanks again to Provincial Airlines and the lovely Ed Fude who can't understand me because of my accent - too central Canada apparently. We spent a lot of time on the phone, saying "pardon me?" and "come again?"). The total amount shipped: an insane 163 pounds. I will post on the contents of the boxes soon. Every single thing that you sweet people sent to us was shipped.

Which means we're now back to 0 inventory!

2. We've kicked off the new campaign for September 2010. The deal this time is that we want to focus on blankets and socks. There are a bunch of reasons, but here are a couple:

1. blankies: the community wants to give a new blanket to each newborn. Its a great way to get new moms into the community health clinic, and also ensures the littlest ones get some warmth.

2. socks: As a mother I can tell you that every kid needs 1 hat (or maybe 2 if the lose one), but kids need multiple pairs of socks. Combine that with many children who don't have boots, and you can see why warm dry socks are very much appreciated. This time, we shipped about 60 pairs which was amazing. The community tells us the more socks the better.

Personally, I have a soft spot for sweaters for the same reasons, and I'd be open to adding sweaters to our campaign again. Of course, if your a die-hard hat person, we won't say no, but we're going to make sure that absolutely all blankets and socks get priority this fall. We're also working on the boot front, trying to figure out how to move that project forward, which does take up some valuable weight in our shipment!

3. For the American knitters and crochet artists, Terry at Wool-Aid has put together an incredible set of instructions on the project within their Rav site, and what she will be collecting and shipping. Wool-Aid has been a tremendous American partner for us this last shipment. Terry, if I missed anything please comment on this post or send me a message. Given the costs to ship to Canada, Wool-Aid also appreciates it if you send in a couple of bucks with your items to help with the shipping.

4. Check this out: Terry also sent me a link to a project that Colin Firth is promoting that involves the (guess!) Innu! Basically its the promotion of a book that is published by a group called "Survival" that focus on tribes all over the world that need to survive for the better of everyone. In Canada, its the Innu. Here is a link to a section on their website. There are a series of photos at the bottom of this page, that I think are in the book as well, and they give you a real mental "picture" of the Innu - the pictures may be of the Quebec or Labrador communities - its not clear, but they are very moving nonetheless. Here is a picture from the website (and, I believe, the book):

Okay I will post more later, but I want to say thanks so so so much for the tremendous campaign contributions. Please know that the items will go from your needles onto the bodies of many many little ones.