Further Adventures In Dyeing

I re-dyed another two skeins with the stronger dye -- it definitely makes a difference! I've started knitting a scarf with the first two skeins. The second ones are for a hat and possibly mittens.

The collection of washcloths for the women's shelter is going well -- counting the one I'm currently knitting, I've got 19. That means I only need 11 more before I'm ready for the first delivery.

I was a bit annoyed with a poster on the 'Peace Work' group last week. She posted in the thread for the washcloths for the shelter, asking if once I have enough washcloths, would I be okay with sending future cloths to Hurricane Ike victims. Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against helping victims of the hurricane. What annoyed me is a) hijacking the shelter thread and b) assuming that once I have enough for a delivery I'd be finished, especially since I stated at the beginning that this would be on-going, not just a one-time thing. So I told her to do the research, find out where things should be sent and start a new thread for it. And that yes, sending the washcloths to hurricane victims would be fine, as long as people didn't forget the women's shelter. She didn't bother to reply, or set up a new thread, although someone else brought the topic up again several days later. When I asked them to start a new thread, they did.

And that brings me to a public service announcement. The Houston Food Bank is in desperate need of monetary donations to help purchase food so that they can meet the demand in the wake of the hurricane. They're estimating that they will need to distribute 700,000 pounds of food every day for the next several weeks at least. No, you didn't read that wrong -- 700,000 pounds of food daily. If you can spare even a little, please donate!

Perhaps Not Such A Failure

So, the yarn has begun to dry overnight, and I took it outside and looked at it in the sun this morning. It's not as bad as I thought, although the russet and vermilion will definitely need to be dyed again. And I may touch up the burnt orange a bit -- depends on how it looks once the yarn is completely dry.

On a bright note, I got more washcloths and toiletries for 'A Fresh Start' yesterday. Counting the washcloth I'll be finishing today, that's 8 washcloths so far. The shelter's maximum capacity seems to be 20 women, so I want to have 30 bundles before I make the first delivery. That way, if they're full up, every woman there will get a bundle and they'll still have some left to give new arrivals as other women leave. No toys for the kids yet, though -- that part of the idea may not pan out.

Is anyone even reading this?

Washcloths For Women's Shelter

So, in my last post I mentioned a charity I'm starting up. It's called 'A Fresh Start', and it's to benefit my local women's shelter.

See, when women come into a shelter, they're frequently fleeing a really bad situation and don't have time to grab even the basics, like toiletries. So the goal of 'A Fresh Start' is to provide handmade washcloths and small toiletries for the women to keep. Right now, the women are given a washcloth when they enter the shelter that they have to return when they leave. I'm also collecting small toys for the children.

Yesterday, I received my first package of washcloths and toiletries. The washcloths were gorgeous and the toiletries were generously sized. I'm so excited -- it looks like this may actually work!