Kindness

Last autumn I discovered knitting podcasts.  I like to listen as I make things and I got fed up with my regular radio shows and wanted something more than music or TV.  Crafting along to a podcast is like having a friend with me who is as enthusiastic about creating and fibre as I am!  I am now an avid listener and subscriber to several channels and have quite a few favourite podcasters.  I get so excited when I learn they have uploaded a new episode!  I love that I can listen when I have time to knit or crochet or felt or embroider....

At the beginning of 2016, instead of making resolutions, there seemed to be more of a trend amongst the creative podcast community to chose a word for the year.  Helen at Curious Handmade, Louise at KnitBritish and Jo at Shinybees are some of the folks who chose inspirational words for 2016.  I liked the idea of a special word as we all know how easy it is to break a resolution by January 3rd! The word I chose was 'kindness'.

My neighbour gave me this pretty wee handmade picture as a thank you gift a couple of weeks ago. She said when she saw it that she knew she was going to buy it for me.  I was so touched.  I was also delighted to see the word 'kindness' appearing in this unexpected way.

Last year I took part in my first crochet along (CAL) and made the Spice of Life Blanket by Sandra of the blog Cherryheart.  It was a lovely experience and I learned a lot of new stitches as well as having the discipline of the weekly CAL updates to keep me on track.  I always intended to give this blanket away and I sent it to the charity Woolly Hugs for its Christmas Charity auction.  

I loved the blanket but donated it as I already have a crochet blanket which spends most of its time folded over the chair in the bedroom!

Look!  There it is in the background.

So, in the spirit of my word for this year, I decided that I would use my crafting skills to make something each month and give it away.  A random act of kindness - but made of wool!

In January I started crocheting a shawl for a very lovely lady called Phyllis.  Each day when I am working she brings me a cup of tea.  She never asks - it just appears.  I am due to finish this job in June after 6 years so I am giving Phyllis this shawl as a thank you after she admired a similar one I was wearing.  Here it hers as a work in progress.

Through Instagram in February I learned about the 1000 Kind Minds Campaign which is raising money for Mind, the mental health charity.  A lovely lady called Sarah Louise Roberts is creating a crocheted blanket from donated squares which is then being auctioned.  I decided to make a couple of squares, in blue as she asked, and donate them to her project.  Tickets can be purchased here on Sarah Louise's Just Giving page.  They cost £2 each and she hopes to raise £10,000!  Here are my squares.

In March at Edinburgh Yarn Festival I handed over the premature baby hats which were requested by Louise of the Caithness Craft Collective Podcast and which she is donating to Raigmore Hospital Special Care Baby Unit in Inverness.  Here's the wee hats I made.

So now it's April and I have to decide what to make to give away this month.  As I've been using yarn I already have for all these projects so far, I think I'll go and take a look at what I've got in my wool stash.  This list  by the UK Hand Knitting Association is inspirational too.  I'll let you know what I decide!