THURSDAY THREADS - Back to the Mitten Tree

 Good morning, crafty friends!

One of my Reindeer Club goals is to get the scarf/had sets finished for the Mitten Tree. When our bank closed over a year ago, we lost the mitten tree so I didn't keep that crochet project at the top of the list.

Since then, another bank has purchased the building and brought back the 'home town' feel, including one of the gals who has spearheaded the Mitten Tree project for our local grade school. We usually turn them in just before Thanksgiving so I have less than the 52 weeks I need to empty this bin. This may be the last year I do this project. Time will tell.

This is the bin of yarn all divided up with matching mittens:

Under the bed storage box

Full of yarn and mittens waiting to be turned in to hats/ scarves

Sets I've done in the past

Next week I'll introduce you to a dear friend of mine who has learned to overcome her disability and is building her crocheting business. 

Until then, 

Creative Blessings!

~ Kelly

THURSDAY THREADS

For my first Thursday Threads post of 2017, I wanted to show you the beginnings (or maybe the leftovers) for the Mitten Tree project. As a refresher, the Mitten Tree is a Christmas tree placed in our bank foyer every year right after Halloween. Patrons drop off socks, mittens/ gloves, scarves and hats for the local school children. Bank employees take them to the grade-school office a day or two before Christmas break. Shannon Co, MO ranks in the top 3 poverty counties in the state. 

While we can drop off individual items, I remember being one of those children and wished I had matching sets like some of the other kids. So I purchase hats/ gloves in sets then crochet a matching scarf for each set. Last year, there were almost no hats to be found on clearance so I purchased enough yarn to use the Knifty Knitter to make those as well. Winter items are going on clearance now so when I go shopping later this week, I'll try to pick up as many hats as I can. 

The stash in the picture above is stored in one of these:

This is an Under the Bed Shoe Bag. The 22.75" x 28.5" x 5.5" is designed to hold 12 pairs of shoes. And that is originally what I purchased it for last year. But I've since turned a 5-shelf book case into a shoe/ purse cabinet so was able to re-purpose this. Mine is now holding the gloves I purchased last 

year:

28 pr. Cream

21 pr. Brown

3 pr Hot Pink

2 pr. Black

5 pr. White

4 pr Gray (with hats)

And all the yarn needed to complete the sets. These are what I did last year before things went haywire around here. I decided to hang on to them as 'seed' for this year's:

Because I know the arthritis in my right hand will give me fits if I just crochet, I'll be mixing the Thursday Threads post with updates on the Mitten Tree, Embroidery Projects and Rug making. I have some rugs I've wanted to make for the house for awhile now and I've decided this is the year some of these projects get completed. 

What is in your Un-Finished Objects project basket? Please share and let's encourage each other!

Creative Blessings!

Kelly

TANGLED THREADS & TECHNIQUES - 2015 Mitten Tree

For the past three years, I've been donating to the Mitten Tree at our local bank. Between mid-November and mid-December, a Christmas tree sits in the bank lobby awaiting to be decorated with hats, scarves, mittens, gloves, even socks. A couple of days before school lets out for the Christmas holiday, the employees take the donated items to the grade school where they are handed out to students.

I came from poverty and I remember wanting clothes like the other kids wore - but more importantly I craved for my clothes to match. So I make a point of creating 'sets' for the kids. I package them up with a tag that says 'Warm Winter Wishes' and cute snowmen.

I start the process in February when hats and gloves/ mittens go on clearance for .50 each. Then I purchase yarn in colors to match. The next eight or nine months are spent crocheting scarves to complete sets. This is my tv time in the evening, when the cats allow.

This year I delivered 26 sets to the Mitten Tree. My goal had been 50. While I fell short of my goal, there were still some very warm youngsters as a result. I also have the beginnings of 26 sets here for 2016. So far I've crocheted 6 sets.

My Thursday posts will be sporadic for awhile as I strive to put the final items away in the studio. I swear that room is like a clown car. Just when I think I've found the end... something else appears to be put away. But I'm getting there :-)

And Enjoying the Journey .... most days hehe
Creative Blessings!

TANGLED THREADS & TECHNIQUES - Mitten Tree Project continues

The mitten tree project is an on-going project. While I was in Springfield last week I had to stop in at Walmart and they had hats/ gloves marked down to $1 each. I picked up 4 sets of each of these three colors then took them back to crafting to pick out yarn tht would match. I'm not thrilled with the true red but red is one of those colors that is just hard to match perfectly. I couldn't match the teal blue at all - EXCEPT in this varigated. The varigated is working up nicely. I've done one scarf (minus fringe) and started a second.

Since winter stuff is beginning to clearance, I have pulled out one of each of the sets of gloves below (purchased last year) to see if I can match them to hats. Otherwise I'll be crocheting a lot of hats. Buying the hats is a lot cheaper than buying the yarn... and faster.

There are 26 pairs in all:
Gray - 7 pr
Hot pink - 3 pr
Teal - 1 pr. (think this and the burgundy will be the easiest to match hats too)
Chartreuse (top right) - 4 pr
Cream - 3 pr
Burgundy - 1 pr
Black - 4 pr
Purple - 2 pr
Pink stripe - 1 pr.

These, combined with what I have done already only gives me 41 sets for The Mitten Tree project so I'll need to pick up 11 more pair of hat/ gloves if I want to do 52 for the year.

TANGLED THREADS - Mitten Tree Project

Here is a shot of the hat/ glove/ scarf sets I donated to the Mitten Tree at our local bank. If you've missed previous posts, this is a project our bank does every year. We decorate the tree with hats/ scarves/ mittens/ gloves/ socks. A few days before Christmas vacation, the items are taken to the local grade school and the office distributes them to students they see the need.  Several communities in our area do this for their local schools.

Here's a close up of one of the sets:

I buy the hats/ gloves usually on clearance at the end of the season then pair them with a yarn color and crochet the scarves. Each set is tagged with this gift card:

I haven't changed my GOALS on the side bar from 2014 yet. You'll see my target was for 52. I wound up with 25. And for some reason, when I got to the deadline I couldn't imagine what I'd been thinking. I didn't have 52 pairs of gloves... or so I thought.

In searching for my crochet hook keeper the other night I found 2 gal zip loc bags full of pairs of gloves. So I have a stash to start on for this year. So far this year I've completed 3 full sets. I have a glove/ scarf set but need a white hat and they seem to be sold out everywhere I look. While at the library the other day I picked up a pattern book with several different hat varities.. thus the purpose in searching out my crochet hook stash.

Over the weekend I'll change my GOAL bar to reflect my targets for 2015.
Creative Blessings! 

TANGLED THREADS - January Mitten Tree Project

Okay... as I type this, the pictures are side by side. When I post they come out one above the other. LOL
Interesting.

I have completed FIVE sets for the Mitten Tree Project. The picture on the right shows a complete set. I purchased the hat and gloves so all I had to do was crochet the scarf. I used a simple single crochet rib stitch (only crocheting on the front loop) and added the fringe.

I have 11 or 12 sets of hat/ gloves to work with. I need to count the number of orange gloves I have. I decided since we live in 'hunting' country, I'm going to get safety orange hats to match those gloves. The color will be a slight variation but the safety orange hats are required when hunting and many kids do youth hunt in the fall.

I still need to print the bag tags for these and find a 'holding' bag. I'd like to find a red collapseable laundry basket. I stamp the front of the tag with a snowman and 'Warm Winter Wishes' then 1 hat/ 1 scarf/ 1 pair of gloves is printed on the back.

I'll finish the 3 remaining black sets then move on to a new color.

Warm Winter Wishes!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hello Everyone!
I wanted to take a moment to close out 2013 and wish everyone a very Happy New Year!
My life has been just crazy the past three months with the impromptu bedroom remodel, having the granddaughters for eight days, hosting a luncheon for the Polish Sinfonia of Krakow Poland, dealing with a chest cold, traveling to TN for Christmas with my daughter and her family, the last we will see them for over a year. Let me tell you, knowing I will not have my granddaughters here in the summer or close enough for weekend hug trips hurts a lot. But I know everything happens for a reason and I will move forward - with a plan.

They are moving to WA state. The West coast is one of the most creative areas when you are talking about Mixed Media. There have been a couple of retreats in the OR area I would love to have attended in the past. But my main goal is to go in as a requested speaker/ instructor. So while I will still be making cards, getting albums caught up ( you know, the ones I didn't do last year) I will also be focusing strongly on art journaling and mixed media techniques. I will need to network with that circle more to get my name and work known.

While my GOAL list did not go as planned, I did make 15 hat/ scarf/ mitten sets for the local Mitten Tree. All of the items go to the local grade school a couple of days before Christmas break. I can do a scarf in a couple of days so my goal for 2014 is to make 1 scarf/ hat per week. I've already purchased the treat bags on Christmas clearance. Each scarf and mitten set tucks nicely into the hat then I put them in a treat bag, stamp a bag header and attach.

To back track, hosting the Polish Sinfonia was amazing!
I totally spaced taking pictures of the buffet. Everything was made from scratch. That's just how I cook. Bob made Chili and I made corn bread, chicken /w homemade egg noodles, dinner rolls, ham, mashed sweet potatoes, vegie tray and fruit bowl. There was Apple Pie (Steven's favorite) and Pumpkin Pie (Bob's favorite) for dessert. A simple centerpiece down the length of the seating table consisted of 5 silver trays with homemade turtles and chocolate cheesecake bites - both of which Adrian helped make.

I could not have done everything without the help of my loving husband, Bob.

Never mind that he was still in T-shirt, gym shorts and slippers when I welcomed International Maestro Steven Byess and his fiance, Sara Graef (an accomplished composer) into our home. They are down-to-earth people and accept us for who we are ~ country folk.

Bob was hard at work cutting fruit. He also hung back after the event to clean up and put leftovers away while I took Adrian to hear the Sinfonia play. They were scheduled for the annual performance at Birch Tree Elementary but school closing changed their presentation to Birch Tree Place, our local nursing home facility. The residents loved the event and hope the group will return next year.

As soon as the performance was over, I said goodbye to my friends and hurried home to load up the girls and head for Nashville. Talk about a crazy day! But I would repeat it every year to enjoy the blessing of family and friends. 

I will be back later in the week to recap my 2013 and talk about the new/ old goals for 2014. Regular postings will resume on Monday January 6th.  

Creative Blessings for the New Year!

Kelly

The MITTEN TREE PROJECT

One of the items on the Side Bar Goals list is to complete the Mitten Tree items I started a couple of years ago. Completing this project will serve 2 purposes...

1) LOAD up the tree in November with hat/ scarf/ glove sets for local school children
2) Empty a HUGE tub of yarn out of my sewing room.

In case I've not discussed it here before, the Mitten Tree is sponsored by our local bank. Right after Thanksgiving, they put an artificial tree up in the lobby. People are encouraged to bring in hats/ gloves/ mittens/ scarves... even socks... and place them on or under the tree. A couple days before Christmas break, representatives from the bank take take them up to the school where they are distributed. I'd really like to make this an annual project.

What I've done is purchased the one-size gloves on clearance at season's end for around 50 cents per 2 pair. Then I crochet a simple hat an scarf to match.

The tan and maroon set on the far left is a scarf with the hat in progress. All I have left to do is gather one end to close it up and add a pom-pom. The second grouping is a sample of a larger collection. I have 8 black sets and 5 white sets consisting of hat and gloves. I just need to crochet scarves for those.. You can see the beginning of the black sets on the far right. As well as one completed black hat. I'd actually made that one before I bought the black sets off clearance. I have 5 of the white hats /w/ black stripes. They need gloves AND scarves.

The colum of purple leopard and the pink ones. They have gloves to match but need scarves. Then there is the collection of black scarves. I think I counted I have 6 of these done. I need to make two more of these and add the fringe, then they'll be ready to pair up with the black hat/ glove sets.

My challenge has become I can't really work with yarn projects at night while watching TV unless Bob is home. If he's home, the cats will curl up with him in the recliner. Otherwise they think my lap is the only place to sleep during that time. I love them and wouldn't be without them... but like kids, they make accomplishing things a bit interesting at times.