100 Challenge!!

.K., folks, here's the deal. You can pledge 100 items for the rez, 100 bars of soap, 100 toothbrushes, 100 diapers, 100 sweaters, 100 crochet, knit, or sewn items, etc.....ANYTHING that will help the rez out. And the good thing is that you have all YEAR to do it! No time limit except for the end of this year! Is that super or what! So you can pledge and take you time getting your things together as time and money allow. What could be easier! Anyway...

As soon as I learn how to put progress bars in my blog, I will be tracing 100 hats, 100 scarves, and 100 ponchos I pledged. Also, I will be tracking a seperate project, 1,000 hats, yes, I said one thousand, just to see if I can do it! they will go to a couple of different places. So if anyone has advice on how to put in these blasted, dratted progress bars, let me know. Let the challenge begin!!

Native American Reservation Info

Hi to all!

As I put in our newsletter, I am going to enclose more info in this blog. Some personal thoughts but more of needs, hows, and where's. Also, if there is enough interest shown, or enough need, I am setting up a sister blog with literally hundreds of crochet, knitting and sewing patterns links, free on the internet, simple, easy, quick and inexpensive. But so very appreciated. So let's get to the info.

The links to the actual sites are in the newsletter but I will repeat them here,

http://www.friendsofpineridgereservation.org/

the Yahoo group, who is so very helpful with needs and any questions is here

FriendsofPineRidgeReservation@yahoogroups.com

The needs are so varied and so immense that it can seem overwhelming. But look at the different organizations, here's the link

http://friendsofpineridgereservation.org/organizations/

These are the different sections of the reservation services. They are well-planned and welcome questions.

It's really unbelievable how the Native Americans live. The suicide rate among the young people are at least triple on the reservation than general population.
PLEASE, take a minute of your busy day and look through the site. Yes, it is my heart charity, I will readily admit it.

Anything is welcome. Anything. One pair of gloves, one pair of socks, a baby blanket, one book donated to the school. It doesn't have to be a lot. But as I read thru the living conditions, my heart broke. The shelter for battered women, the attempt to break the circle of despair and hopelessness and poverty.

I know people are hurting all over the world. But these are OUR indigenous people and they suffer silently. Please at least read thru the site. Books are readily available at Amazon.com, in used form for a fraction of the price and they will ship directly to the rez. If you can't help with products or physical items, perhaps you could help with a dollar or two to help defray shipping costs. If you can donate a couple of skeins of yarn, I will be glad to crochet a blanket or sweater out of it and send it in your name. Anything is appreciated. Anything at all. Thanks s o much. Thanks for your hearts and your time
Lisa

Get ready for some new stuff....

I am going to attempt to clean up this blog a bit and change some of the appearances, add some links, a lot more pics, a lot more blogging. So hang on, here we go!

It's been a LONG time....

But I am back. So I am crocheting for a new cause, a Native American reservation up north that really actually uses warm weather items! LOL! so I am glad about that. I hope to be posting much more often.

Me and Rachael

Here's the shawl link....

http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/lffunt/allshawl.htm

the picture does not do it justice. the edging is my own with a little help from a book. E-mail me if you want the pattern.

My "lasagne" scarf

There is a scarf on a blog, I believe it is knitted, but it is called "Lasagne" and it is wide with a ruffled edge. I want to give credit to whomever designed it. anyway, I can't knit but loved the wider look, so this is my experiment. I'm going to make it wider, tho, and put a ruffle on the other side as well.

Experiments in smaller yarn ruffles

I was doing scarves last night and since I live on the southern coast, I wanted something more like a lacey jabot thing.....know what I mean? So I had some Red Heart skinny yarn, Lustre Sheen and I started experimenting with it. Did a regular scarf pattern with it just in black, then added a ladder yarn with it and this is the result:

Anyway, that's the update.

I have to get the ends woven in, tags on and these little things off to the apprpriate places. That's the tedious part! But I have some dolls that are almost done as well, and the modified legwarmers and gauntlets, too. So check back!
Enjoy your day!!

And lastly, sweaters

A few of the sweaters.

Blankets

Stacks of baby blankets..... these are a few

Caps

Stacks of caps. Dozens and dozens, this is just a little!!

Shawls

I have done some more shawls, the same pattern as the blue one shown in previous post. Two are in the same size needle, but the light one...I used a Crystalite needle, a large one, but it does not have a size on it!! So I don't rmrmber what size it was. But it came out much lookser, as you will see.

Homespun shrug

I took some really bad, fuzzy pics of this but maybe you can make them out. I did this shrug by the generic shrug pattern of measuring, and depended on the yarn to do the talking. I am going to add a couple of more inches to the back, hence the "tail"! LOL! Modeling...my daughter, Rachael.

What's up lately....

I have been busy, new job and trying to complete some of the billion projects I have going. So here's the status. Two ripple round blankets, one isn't complete but will be by tonight. I FINALLY got the pattern to work for me and love the outcome.

Hi to all, new stuff!!

O.K., here's the deal. I'm showing 2 pics of my daughter's photography in this swing, because I think it's beautiful and it conveys how she feels about her music perfectly, I think. She plays symphonic flute.

who knows how to spin?

Cotton time in Alabama! Lots left after the machines go thru and I hate to see it waste. Anyone know how to spin it? Can you use the little drop spinners? I know NOTHING about spinning so any input, blogs, sites, etc. are welcome!

A threat....and a plea

This is a pic from today. People trying to keep their few things they have left. click on the small sign, and read the sign. They can't put the stuff back in the building because the buildings are condemned or damaged. As much as I love New Orleans, they were not the only ones to get hurt. Where is our government? They can launch a military attack in 72 hours, it's been TWO MONTHS.....what's their excuse?

This is donated clothing in a vacated shopping center lot. Just thrown out on the ground. Left to rot in the damp and rain and people come here to dig thru this mess to try and find clothes. Who is responsible for this? This is why I don't donate to any organization. I do contribute to the Red Cross because the people I spoke to said the Red Cross has been supportive and kept them fed, the if it hadn't been for the Red Cross and the churches, they, the vitims of the hurricane, would have become street people, nothing to eat and without even the little they have now.

Let BUSH come down here and live like this for a week. Then it would be done right.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Today is my anniversary! Eight years and still going strong!

I went to Pascacoula, Mississippi today to apply for a job at Northrup- Grumman, Engle's shipyard, and went for a drive through the community where I hadn't been before. And I was totally stunned.

Two months after Katrina, there are still people living in TENTS, no running water, no showers, no heat (it's been around 45 at night here) for small children, and no money. I couldn't believe it. I stopped in one of these communities and spoke to some of these folks today. Just to let them know someone gives a damn and ask them why? What Is their main problem and what can be done? Here's a couple of pics. The one above, too. They said that while Fema was SLOWLy getting the trailors down here and set up, that most of the time they would bring the trailor but not hook up the power, or not hook up the sewer or just NOT LEAVE THE KEYS!! These people have no pnone, no power ot charge a cell-phone, no money, and I mean NO money, because their jobs have been blown away, they have no place to receive any assistance checks, no money for gas for their vehicles where they could go and get jobs cleaning up debris, it is just amazingly bizarre.

We have better prison camps in this "war against terror" than our own citizens have shelter TWO MONTHS after this hurricane. They are forgotten now. And there are HUNDREDS. Babies, toddlers, old people, everyone.