WOW WOW WOW!!!
I've been in a knitting FRENZY lately and the squares have been coming every day! We're getting into the groove of having the big kids back with us, the babies growing bigger, having a busy family and me trying to teach knitting classes, knitting up classroom and store samples and socks socks SOCKS and trying to squeeze in some yarn dyeing and .... what... the kids want me to knit and sew for them (even Emeline demanded that we visit the fabric store last week!) and oh my word, I think every person I know is having a baby! Well, not quite but it seems like it. Why can't I knit faster? Why aren't there more hours in the day? Why do I have to sleep? Why must our clothes be washed and meals be prepared?? Margene, when it's time for Toasty Toes please remind me that I have no business joining any more swaps right now!!
Sorry about the lack of afghan updates the past week - I have been CRAZY BUSY and as you can well imagine and have experienced yourself, the busier you are, the less time you have to sit down and chat about it!
I just finished opening today's mail this evening (there was a bunch!) so the the lighting was terrible for taking pictures. I'll take some in the morning and post them because there is a LOT to see and way more than squares!!
I have got 300 emails in my in-box. All read but not all replied to - I'm SO SO very sorry - if anyone is waiting for a response from me I'm so sorry I haven't gotten to it yet. Let me answer a few questions:
- It is NOT too late to knit squares - not even too late to start knitting!
- Please try to get your squares in the mail by August 10th if you're inside the US and August 5th if you're outside the US. That way we'll receive the majority by August 15th and can begin sorting squares to put into packets for seaming.
- No, thank HEAVEN, our family has not had any flood damage. There are other people in town that have had flooded basements and some other damage but thankfully it's not us.
- I'm not able to send out personal acknowlegements of receiving your packages but please do watch the blog to see if your package is listed. I'm listing every last package even when it's from an anonymous knitter!! :)
Soooo.... let's get down to the knitty gritty, shall we?? hehe My last square report was for last Monday's squares. Wow. We've gotten quite a lot in the past week!! Even on Saturday at home! Cool!! Check out what was received in the past week:
- 270 squares (total received is currently 2687!)
- 3 Christmas ornaments
- baby layette of sweater blanket and bonnet
- baby afghan
- 2 winter hats
- 31 yarn needles
- TONS OF SEAMING YARN!! YAY!!!
Before I received seaming yarn I thought there would be some way to "count" it. Grams? Ounces? Yards? I'm happy to report that I've been getting way more seaming yarn than I can actually COUNT right now!! WooHoo!! Let's hope that when I start seperating squares into bags and then tossing skeins of yarn into each bag for seaming that we have enough. I can just hardly DESCRIBE how overwhelmed I have been by the generosity of people sending seaming yarn. There are just no words. Hopefully pictures of gorgeous seamed and finished afghans will be words enough! Thank you ALL ever so much for the squares and yarn and yarn needles and EVERYTHING!! I feel so happy and blessed to be able to see and touch all of this and be part of the process.
The squares and yarn needles and seaming yarn and SPECIAL STUFF this week came from the following people:
- Pam - San Miguel, CA (sender of ornaments and precious green layette)
- Amanda - East Lansing, MI
- Kimberly and Doris - Fort Garland, CO
- Nancy - Owasso, OK
- Mardeen - Cripple Creek, CO
- C.B. - Madison, WI
- Mariella - Fontana, CA
- Marisol - San Francisco, CA (HUGS!)
- Ginny - Twinsburg, OH (sender of the red Cotton Fleece baby afghan - SO SWEET!!)
- Sonya - El Dorado, KS (sorry I missed you at the church office!)
- Nicole - Canning Vale, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
- Polly - UNITED KINGDOM
- Francine - Saginaw, MI
- Margaret - Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA (HUGS! Thank you!)
- Kirsten - WALES
- Pat - Garden City, KS (I knew you'd love TWIST!)
- Heather - Watertown, NY
- Rashel - North Brunswick, NJ
- My Mom Carol - Woodway, TX (thanks Mom!! xoxox)
- Vicki - Algonia, IA
- Lana - Springfield, MO
- Carol - St. Charles, WV
- Maurine - Troy, MI
- Lillie - Slidell, LA
- Debbie - S. Pasadena, CA
- Aileen - Austin, TX
- Kathy - El Dorado, KS (sorry I missed you at the office - maybe I'll see you tomorrow?!)
- Ann - Ft. Collins, CO
- Alexia - Poughkeepsie, NY
- Lisa - San Francisco, CA
- Winchester - Cody, WY
- Candice - Austin, TX, for the Austin Knitting and Crochet Meetup Group!
- Heidi - Austin, TX, for the Austin Knitting and Crochet Meetup Group!
- Anonymous Knitter - Milwaukee, WI
- Kelly - Farmingdale, NY
- Kathrynne - Amherst, VA
- Imelda - Virginia Beach, VA
- Bobby - Shreveport, LA
- Susie - Grayling, MI (HUGS!!! Love ya!)
Oh there are so many repeat names now... people who have sent packages over and over and over. I'm so touched and emotional when I pick up a package with a familiar name ... Vicki and Carin... Maurine... Lana Polly Marisol Amanda Pat Susie SuzanneS.... everyone. Everyone!! I can't think you enough!! It's your enthusiastic support and encouragement that has made this project what it has become. It's all of YOU that have been so inspiring. :)
If anyone needs a little nudge to come to the seaming party on September 15th, how about the added bonus that Stephanie Pearl McPhee (aka The Yarn Harlot) will be in Wichita the very next day on September 16th!! Okay okay.... I know. You can seam afghan squares any time. I hope everyone that wants to will be able to come see Stephanie on September 16th! I've been such an internet hermit the past few days I don't even know if there's been a venue selected yet. When there is I'll be sure to mention it here because I'm telling you.... I will be there. She's been to St. Louis, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Dallas.... all within reasonable driving distance. But every time there was a reason I couldn't make it. Now she'll be here in our back yard and I just can't WAIT!! After the craziness of the afghan seaming party I know I will be SO HAPPY for the sweet reward of having a wonderful RELAXING time with knitters at her book signing! YAY!! I've got MY copy of her latest book.... do YOU? :)
I'll be back with pictures on Tuesday!!
Take good care of every little thing. XOXOX
I always know someone that's having a baby too. There are three on my list for October. I'm sure most would be happy (maybe happier?) with a store bought gift, but I usually end up knitting something.
Posted by: Wool Winder | July 31, 2007 at 08:50 AM
I just don't know how you do it all, even if you feel like you're not getting enough done. Life is so full, there is so much to do that you want to do and that needs to be done...we do need more hours in a day (or the need to sleep should go away).
Posted by: margene | July 31, 2007 at 09:03 AM
lol, yes, I can seam squares anytime, so I'll be seaming them on Sept. 15th!
I really can't wait for that weekend to get here. Both days are going to be amazing!
Posted by: Faren | July 31, 2007 at 10:41 AM
Congrats on the baby!!
Posted by: Spinning Jenny | July 31, 2007 at 10:54 AM
Hmmmmm. Sounds more like Knitting Olympics now - Haha! - with the Yarn Harlot herself in the neighborhood. You knew I would think that, wouldn't you? Amazing how many squares and items you have received!
Posted by: Pat K | July 31, 2007 at 02:12 PM
flood??? holy crap what did I miss???
I'm off to search news stories.
WOOO WEEEEE More and more squares and delightful knits!!! Awesome!
Posted by: Kelly | July 31, 2007 at 05:09 PM
Wow Laura, it is so nice to see your project doing so well! It's really amazing!!! I wish I could muster up a couple squares myself for you, but I am barely knitting right now. Instead, I am up most of every night with a "bit"of anxiety. You'd think that it would be a perfect time to knit, but I just haven't gotten into that yet.
Congrats!
Posted by: Allegra | August 01, 2007 at 03:35 AM
Oh YAY!! You get to meet the Yarn Harlot! You are going to love her. She is so Real.
I love that you are going to be having such a great knitting weekend. What a thrill to be making those squares into afghans after all this time.
Amazing.
Posted by: Miss Scarlett | August 04, 2007 at 04:44 PM