WE DID IT!!!!

Dear Reader,

WE DID IT! We have supplied a cap for EVERY student who will enroll in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Head Start Program for the Fall of 2010!

The most recent shipment of hats went from Kalamazoo, MI straight to Durant, OK. M.S.'s store collected the hats and P.S., her beloved husband of more than 47 years, packaged about 100 hats for shipment.

I received the third Thank You note from Rebecca Hawkins in yesterday's mail:

From 310 Hats

(Click the link to see a bigger picture.)

Please: If you, your friend, family, or loved one contributed a hat or helped in some way or another, PLEASE send me a JPG so I can make a Hats Contributor Collage for the students in Durant.

Thank you ALL so much for pitching in and helping get 310 hats to Oklahoma before the school year starts! Blessings on every one who helped in any way --- making hats, sending hats, helping with shipping costs, & c.

Warmly, E2

shipment update, Kalamazoo updates, Thank You note update

Dear Reader, There is so much to tell you and words seem inadequate.

 Good thing I have PICTURES (!!!) because each picture is worth 1000 words (so they say).

Where did I leave off in the story? Oh yes, Valency's shipment of fleece hats sewn joyfully by children at her Church.

Receiving Valency's hats meant I was having "hat-valanche" again, so I  prepared another shipment. A second shipment of 100 hats filled an 18"x18"x16" box from Home Depot. I sent it out at the end of May. It included my hats #60 (or 61?) to 65 (or 66?).

Meanwhile, I heard from TLC in Kalamazoo, MI that there have been many busy hands in that area, making (knit, crochet, sewn) hats in honor of Elizabeth D in Charlotte, NC and her mom (MS in Kalamazoo).

I received today (6/8) photographs of many wonderful hats made in Kalamazoo. They are being shipped directly to Oklahoma. Please come see the photographs!

• Kalamazoo hats big stack
• Close-up 1
• Close-up 2
• Close-up 3
• Close-up 4
• Close-up 5

To my delight I received a second Thank You note from the Choctaw Nation Head Start today. Please read it. I assure you that you'll immediately want to get your knitting needles, crochet hook, or sewing machine and start stitching!

I figure that soon --- when the Choctaw Nation Head Start receives the hats from Kalamazoo --- the 310 Hats goal will EASILY have been met.

When I got home from my morning errands, I had a bag of hats from Linda T and her friend Emma (Holliston, MA) on my doorstep. They are the first few of the next group of hats!

It has been an honor and a pleasure to be part of such an endeavor.

Blessings and gratitude to each and every person who has participated!


[I have resumed my regular knitting for Saint Francis Knitters. I may post those pictures, just in case any one is interested.] I still owe you pictures of the latest hats from Linda T and Emma, plus pictures of the hats E1 has made and shipped.

- humbly and gratefully, E2

Quick! Somebody call Ripley's "Believe It or Not!"

That's it, folks. I cannot imagine that May 2010 could possibly be topped as a "Good Mail Month".

This morning I found a box in my yard.  I puzzled about the box, for I did not recognize it at all. I  turned it and turned it until I finally realized it was a package addressed to me!

Oh wow, what a delight it held!

The box came from my friend Valency in California. (Valency rhymes with 'vacancy'.) Inside: 22 fleece hats sewn by the 8-10 year old children at her church! She told me in her note that the children were delighted to have such a pleasurable task as making hats for sweet Kindergarten children! Gosh, it brought tears to my eyes.

I have a big box to ship out soon. I don't even know how many hats will be in it. D in California sent 39, and now Valency from California has sent 22, plus many more that didn't go in the first box of 100 hats... I may have another 100 to ship to Oklahoma!  I will keep you posted.

I hope you enjoyed looking at the hats from Valency's students at her church. I sure delighted in unpacking them. Valency even included the sewing pattern and instructions!

Write it in your calendar folks --- May 2010 --- You heard it first when May 2010 broke the record for Good Mail Month!

a good mail month

You know how you can have a good mail day if you've been "anticiparcelating" and the parcel finally arrives? You know how you can have a REALLY Good mail day if you get a check you didn't expect? You know how you can have a REALLY REALLY GOOD mail day if you get a surprise note from a friend?

How about a mail month so wonderful that you wonder if it could ever be topped?

The other day I told you about the box of 100 hats I shipped out in April, and the delightful Thank You note I received on Monday from the Choctaw Nation.

Well, E1 just shipped out a box of hats (85 hats / give or take) this week. (I still have to share the photos E1 sent me.)

Top this!
I received a box of 39 hats from D in California and her friend that are simply amazing! I showed you photos of most of those hats when she sent me digi-pics. But when they came, my youngest and I had to handle, try on, delight in, and photograph them all! My youngest was disappointed that the hats, one in particular, cannot stay here but are destined for Oklahoma. I knew before the box even came that my youngest would be particularly fond of one of them, and I was right. She was trying to think of ways to convince me to let her keep that one particular hat!

Let me show you the photos of the 39 hats that came the other day in a big box, all the way from California! (Please forgive the camera jitter in some of them. "Teamwork" is a tricky thing in the realm of photography. My team-mate was a seven year old child.)

• One to Four 
• Five to Eight 
• Nine to Twelve 
• Thirteen to Sixteen 
• Seventeen to Twenty 
• Twenty-one to Twenty-four 
• Twenty-five to Twenty-eight 
• Twenty-nine to Thirty-two 
• Thirty-three to Thirty-six 
• Thirty-seven to Thirty-nine

[Let me know if any of those links don't work.]

I am truly honored that D and her friend shared their time, talent, and treasure with me (I get to handle them!) and the students in Oklahoma. I'm especially honored because many of the hats were made with wool, and I know that D does not like to handle wool. I'm even more honored because I strongly suspect that I've seen some of that wool before.... I think E3 sent some of the wool from North Carolina to D in California to be knit in California and sent to me in Rhode Island to enjoy, and then off to Oklahoma to be worn, used, and cherished.

Do you agree? It'll be hard to top May 2010 as a Good Mail Month.

If I send out another box of hats in May then I'm sure that May 2010 could go into the record books as "unsurpassed good mail month".


Other note:
[I just finished my 63rd hat last night. I am behind on photographing those. I think it's hat 63. I'm not sure. Failing to photograph aids my inability to remember the count!]

updates of various sorts (with some --- but not all -- of the pic's I want to show)

Dear Reader,

On April 26 I came to the realization that I was having a "hat-valanche" in my bedroom and that 100 hats HAD TO GO to Oklahoma. So I secured a good size shipping box at Staples, some packing tape, a nice fat Sharpie, the appropriate address, and some plastic bags to keep hats dry if the box should get wet.

I filled the box with 100 hats. All the acrylic hats you've seen so far plus some new ones:
- hats from Anne of Saint Francis Knitters (1)
- more hats from Anne of SFK (2)
- even more hats from Anne of SFK (3)
- my 60th hat

The box was FILLED. An 18" x 18" x 18" box precisely held 100 hats.

I scanned and saved the letter I wrote to accompany the first 100 hats. (You can click to magnify the letter, then drag to move to other parts of the letter.)

Since then it has been REALLY BUSY at our house:
- the end of the religious education school year (testing, re-testing, planning, party)
- installation of new club officers at some Toastmasters clubs
- a Confirmation
- First Communion rehearsal
- ANOTHER First Communion rehearsal
- a big Toastmasters Contest (Division level)
- testing for a blue belt
- rearrangement of the family schedule because receiving a blue belt means attending a different class
- a big Toastmasters Conference (including my involvement)
- regular Toastmasters meetings
- being a club officer and a district officer for Toastmasters
- regular choir rehearsals, chorus rehearsals, variety show rehearsals, choir, chorus, lectoring, altar serving, martial arts
- making small presents for my First Communion students
- First Communion (beautiful!)

Gosh, just typing the list makes me tired.

Yesterday (5/17) I got a beautiful letter back from the Choctaw Nation Head Start program. (You can click to magnify, and drag to read it all.)

I have many more pictures to take and to share with you, but I cannot do it this morning.

Thank you to ALL the people who've pitched in towards The Great 310 Hats Project! You are blessing people far more than you will ever know.

God bless!
- E2

100 shipping out

One hundred hats are heading from RI to OK today.

What has been swapped, What's going to Seneca Santa, and the Lapghan

Just in case you were worried about it....

Here's the hat that has been swapped INTO the big bag of hats. Caron yarn in Cape Code Blue, seed stitch cuff. Yarn doubled. Acrylic.

Here are the items that are going to Seneca Santa:
From E1, a small child's hat
From E2, Lavender Leader acrylic never-inside-out hat and mitten set

Here's a picture of the lapghan I made for the Wounded Warrior project care of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Attleboro, MA. I dropped it off at the church today.

So, I'm pausing at 59 hats for the moment. I'm heading out to the Tatting Conference early tomorrow morning. E1 has a prime number of hats, too. I will post those pictures after I return from New York.

-E2

one for one swap and LOADS of new pictures

I will be heading to a tatting conference soon! (Yeah, me!) I will be bringing a set of mittens and hat for Seneca Santa when I go. I started a hat/mitten set in blue left over from the Wounded Warrior afghan. Hat: done. Mitten 1: done. Mitten 2: ran out of yarn at the top of the pinky! WAH! So I grabbed a skein of lavender and made a pair of mittens in lavender. I'll swap one of the lavender hats from the bag with the blue hat from the yarn mentioned above. E1 also mailed me a hat for Seneca Santa! So, I'll be finishing up my pre-conference homework and packing 2 hats and a pair of mittens in my luggage. (I can't wait! Is it Friday yet?)

E1 sent me a photo disk with the pictures of all her hats! I will be uploading them to the blog for your OOOOH-ing and AHHHH-ing pleasure as soon as I get a chance. You'll enjoy seeing them.

E2's 57, 58, 59

Hat 57, the goldenrod wool one, is in the BIG SACK O'HATS. I decided to heed the voice of Rowena A. that I hear in my head all time time and put the hat in the bag. What does Rowena A. say that is so powerful? She says,

"It's just _____X_____. They will make more. I promise."

Where 'X' is fabric, yarn, silk tatting thread, or any other consumable that one might be tempted to hoard. (OK, maybe only the Obsessive Compulsive hopeless thread/fabric/yarn junkies among us might be tempted to hoard. But the point is the same. Do not be afraid to cut the fabric, knit the yarn, or tat the silk. There will be more. Rowena promises.)

So, that is hat 57.

Hat 58 has been languishing for a while until I could darn in the ends. Gray LEADER yarn, seed stitch cuff. Simple and straightforward.

Hat 59 I finished last night. It's mint green LEADER yarn. The design was supposed to be trees, but surely looks more like arrows pointing heaven-ward. So, I'll call it the "Keep Looking Up" cap in honor of a dear friend from eons ago... Doug C of Penfield, NY, who is fond of saying "Keep Looking Up" when hard times come along. It's good advice. What's here is transitory. Keep looking up to what's eternal and truly important. So, even if they were meant to be trees pointing heavenward, they're more like arrows pointing heavenward, to remind all of us to Keep Looking Up.

I may make one more hat soon just so I have a round number like 60 instead of a prime number (59). [Although prime numbers are way cool, so maybe I should pause at 59 for a while.]

I've been working on a prayer lapghan for a wounded veteran, at the request of the prayer shawl ministry at Immanuel Lutheran Church. I'm nearly done with that. I've finished the green prayer shawl for the music ministers' friend. I have another, very special, prayer shawl in progress and I hope to finish it this century.

Flooding update:
E1 is fine and well and has weathered the storm well: home, pets, and all.

E2 and family are safe and fine although the house took a beating. There is a river in the basement. Literally. The flooring will have to come up and the paneling will have to come down. And some stuff-stuff is ruined (yarn, fabric, books). But the people are all well (other than strep throat, bronchitis, and other things that are putting a big crimp in Holy Week plans). Stuff-stuff, carpeting, and paneling can be replaced. Regarding yarn, fabric and books: They will make more. Rowena A. promises. So, toss out the ruined stuff-stuff and be thankful we have a home not submerged in nine feet of water; we have electricity; the wage-earner's business is still standing and profitable and keeping a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, clothes on our backs, and fuel in our cars, and internet turned on. While I'd prefer NOT to have a river in my basement, all is truly well.

Oh, and the back yard is a swamp with a stream running through. There's a stream running down our street, too. Water is still flowing so vigorously that the cover of some pipe is popping up and down, being bounced by water pushing its way to the surface. Amazing.

Daughter #1 and I did some sight-seeing yesterday after we went to the doctor. A local grocery store is submerged. The beloved Del's Lemonade shop is up to its counter in water. Dunkin' Donuts stands in a lake, and the high-rise apartment building for the elderly stands vacant in the water. We also peeked at the bike path. There were SWANS SWIMMING ON THE BIKE PATH. Now that is something that has to make even the most embittered person laugh --- to see swans swimming on what humans dare to call "the bike path". I guess I won't be biking there any time soon, nor even hiking there without first buying hip waders! We stopped to see the waterfall near Town Hall. Normally the waterfall is about 20 feet tall. Yesterday it was about two feet tall.

Our area fared far better than other areas. I wonder if the Warwick Mall (A whole MALL!) will ever re-open, or if it's destroyed and will have to be razed.
I went to look for photos of the mall, and found a shocking video. I didn't know someone had been trapped inside the flooded Mall for days! He's gottabe HUNGRY. Humans can only live on Cinnabon and soda pop for so long!

I'm glad it's not my car in this picture!

My friend, DA, could use prayers. She's in Hope Valley --- completely cut off because of the flooding --- and injured from an accident.

- E2

Exciting news!

I have heard from E3 (E3, as in "Praying for Elizabeth" box above left), that she has heard from Kalamazoo. The box of hats in the quilting shop in Kalamazoo now has MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED HATS!! Wow! Is that capital-w WONDERFUL, or what?!

I think we may have reached the goal of 310 hats! I have more than 100 here in my house. I bet E1 and her friend, P, have more than 100 in western Massachusetts. Add at least another 100 in Kalamazoo and I think we have 310 hats!

So, friends, fans, and fellow hat makers: Finish the hat currently in progress and then wait a bit before starting the next one. I will keep you posted.

I would love to ensure that every person who has contributed hats gets a proper thank you note. If you, or someone you know, has added to the 310 Hats cause, please make sure I have your (or the other person's) full name and address. Email generic Thank Yous are nice. Blanket blog post Thank Yous are nice. But this effort and this huge accomplishment warrants a REAL thank you note. Please send me your name and address at my email address:

esther SPAM BLOCK1 at SPAM BLOCK2 sombrereptiles SPAM BLOCK3 dot SPAM BLOCK4 org

Remove the spaces and the spam blocks, change the 'at' to an '@', and the 'dot' to a '.'. (Sorry for the inconvenience. I get way too much spam as it is. I don't need to invite any more. I know you're all smart enough to figure out how to turn that gibberish into an email address.) Please put something in the subject line that will make the message JUMP OUT at me from among the bajillions of messages in my (woefully cluttered) inbox. A good subject line would be "for the thank you notes project for the 310 hats project". :-)

If you and your needles, hooks, sewing machine, etc., just can't get enough of hat-making and you think you can't stop, we can start HATS ANONYMOUS (HA!) or you can donate to Knit-a-Cap: http://knit-a-cap.org/sendcaps.htm

From the bottom of my heart,
THANK YOU FOR HELPING MAKE THIS AMBITIOUS PROJECT SUCCESSFUL!

- E2

another amazing group of hats, lovingly made by another stitcher

E3 and I have a mutual friend, D in California, who knits and crochets. (Hi, D!)

She has made a beautiful collection of hats for the 310 Hats project. They aren't here on the east coast yet but they will arrive soon.

She has sent me some photos to tempt me. If these were food photos I'd be drooling. Instead, I have this "longing hand" sensation. I TOTALLY want to hold these hats!

Please share my "longing hand" feeling by viewing the photos she has sent!

The first picture of 20 amazing hats (some of these will appear again, closer up)

Hats made in the Knit-a-cap style

Striped beanie

This one SHOUTS "SPRING!!!" (crochet)

Two-tone beanie

Interesting ribs that go all the way to the top! (That's challenging.)

Crochet & knit - sky blues

Another truly pretty blue hat with ribs all the way to the top

Rib Cap in pinks and blues

Top Down Beanie (from Barbara Walker instructions)

Fun Stripes

"got diamonds and triangles?"

Like a field in spring's full bloom

Crocheted royal blue (GORGEOUS!)

CABLES! (I am physically allergic to knitting cables. Really. I don't have the brain power. Any one who knits cables is a Knitting Hero in my book.)

"Mistake stitch red cap" (Why do 'they' call this 'mistake stitch'? It's looks wonderful to me!)

More shapes in lovely royal blue

An interesting stitch in a dark happy blue (half way between royal blue and navy blue)

Pretty in Pink - crochet

Seed Stitch cuff cap in wool - Hot pink!

"Goosebumps hat" in Hot Pink!

Supple Ribs in color "Ocean"

Is this two faces of the same pretty blue hat? I don't know. (D, please tell!)

I joyfully anticipate their arrival. By then, I'm sure there will be more photos of lovely D-made hats to share with you all!


I am truly humbled by the outpouring of generosity from coast to coast! It brings tears to my eyes. Truly.

And to answer questions from the comments ---
Every time I try to total the hats, the number changes! :-) I need a calculator.

And no, E1 and I haven't figured out what happens when the total reaches 310!

- E2

Is it sick to love a hat?

I love this hat.

It's soft. It's warm. It's fuzzy. It's orange and yellow and so cheerful*. Plus, I actually (GASP!) paid full price for the skein of yarn.

Is it wrong if I knit a cap for the 310 Hats project and then love it so much that I cannot part with it?

Lamb's Pride Bulky, color Prairie Goldenrod (m240), from Knitting Addiction on the Outer Banks for North Carolina (Kill Devil Hills).

If I allow myself to put it in the giant bag of hats, it'll be my #57. If I put it in my dresser drawer (now that it's warm out), then I'm still at 56.

* The fact that such colors do NOTHING for me is irrelevant. So don't try to talk me out of loving this cheerful hat. The fact that it would go with absolutely NOTHING in my wardrobe -- summer or winter -- is also irrelevant. So don't try to talk me out of loving this cheerful hat.

photos of the Big Box from Kalamazoo

Remember the story of the Big Box from Kalamazoo?

I've been meaning to show photos of these fifteen fantastic, super-cute, super-warm hats for a while. Today I finally photographed them.

Here they are. Fifteen wonderful hats from Mrs. C.A. in Kalamazoo, sent in honor of Mrs. M.S. in Portage and E3 in Charlotte!

Hats 1-5

Hats 6-10

Hats 11-15

Thank you so much, Mrs. C.A.!
You are greatly blessing people more than you can imagine.

-E2

Dear Linda T.

Dear Linda,

Have I ever claimed that I can count? I am so sorry! Thank you SO VERY MUCH FOR THE THIRTY *EIGHT* HATS YOU MADE AND GAVE ME!

Aren't you glad that I haven't used my Physics degree to get a job in the Nuclear industry in any way??

Dear Reader - Please go see Linda's lovely hats!


1 - 10 from Linda T
11-20 from Linda T
21-24 from Linda T
25-33 from Linda T
34-38 from Linda T


Humbled when photographing and completely grateful,
E2

a (nearly) picture-free update

I have finished the prayer shawl for the F family to give to their friend. I made the prayer shawl in a pretty green yarn that Lion Brand no longer makes (sigh). It was Homespun in a color called Cyprus. I had three skeins and I used every last inch. I had it blessed at LaSalette Shrine on St. Patrick's Day, and gave it to the F family today.

I do have a photo of the prayer shawl I made, with Mrs. F wearing it. If I get it off my camera and onto the computer I can add the picture.

Meanwhile, my "I" hook became busy with a lapghan for a Wounded Warrior. How did that happen? Well, a few years ago I was blessed and privileged to attend a Prayer Shawl workshop with Victoria Cole-Galo and Janet Bristow, co-founders of the Prayer Shawl Ministry. The church that arranged that retreat workshop kept my email address. This past week I received a letter saying the church had an urgent need for some lapghans for the chaplain to bring to the VA. Gosh, if someone has bothered to keep my email address for YEARS and writes a heart-rending plea for help, how can I say 'no'? So, I picked up a pound of yarn and my "I" hook and started a waves afghan, about 38" wide. I'm at least half way to the suggested 50" dimension. I will finish that up for the church and drop it off as soon as I can.

I've started finished a hat (since hats are FAR more portable than afghans)! I'm doing a lavender Leader hat with that sand stitch/dotted Swiss stitch. (#56) (Acrylic) View of hat turned the other way.

E1 has done nearly 70 hats. Plus Saint Francis Knitters gave me some more hats this week. I have yet to take photos of the lovely hats that came from Michigan or the ones from Linda T, or even the last several from Saint Francis Knitters! ARGH! (Where DOES the time go????)

Also, K was telling her mother about the stress and miracles hat. Her mom is going to make some hats for the project, too! K, if you're reading this, here is the link to give your mom for the basic knit-a-cap cap. One skein of Wool-Ease doubled on 10 or 10 1/2 needles makes a very nice cozy warm hat.

[K logged in to the blog and found it quite amusing to find herself mentioned here. And so, I mention her again just to give her another chuckle. Good morning, K!]

... dancing as fast as I can! (updated with photo)

Wasn't that the name of a popular book a few years ago?

I'm WAY behind on photos and blogging. My knitting time has been consumed by working on a prayer shawl for a friend. (Additionally, my knitting has been slowed by a bout with tendinitis in my right arm. Heat, heat, more heat. It's on the mend, I think. I must have lifted something that was too heavy. That's usually the culprit. Couldn't possibly be TMK [Too Much Knitting]! No way. I won't even consider it.)

I finished my 55th hat. It's Lamb's Pride Bulky in aubergine. (I think I did a few too many rows at the top. It's a bit too 'peaky' for my taste. But that yarn doesn't un-knit ("tink") gracefully, so I let it be. I'm sure some child will find the the peak funny and relish that particular hat.)

Plus, there are some gorgeous hats coming from D in CA. She has sent me pictures and will send some text to go along with them. I am excited to share them with you.

As soon as I can. Promise.

-E2

BONANZA!

Wow! I went to St. Francis Knitters today and they gave me more hats. I think maybe 10. Then I came home after picking a child at school and found THIRTY THREE LOVELY HATS FROM LINDA T! Linda, Thank You So Much!

Fifty-four and MORE!

Friends and fans, I'm getting woefully behind on my photographs and blogging! I have to show you some from of the hats that came from Michigan. I have to show you some hats that came from Saint Francis Knitters. I'm behind!

But I can show you "54 and more".

My hat 54 is Lamb's Pride Bulky in color Charcoal Heather. A simple knit-a-cap in super-warm yummy yarn. How'd I happen upon so much Lamb's Pride Bulky? My favorite shopping partner, my seven year old, can spot the word "SALE" at a mile. I swear. My shopping partner found a bin of Lamb's Pride Bulky under a table at 50% off. Single skeins of various colors. But one skein does a hat so I bought a BUNCH!

... and more!
More from Delightful Dale of Toastmasters! She brought me three more last night at our mutual meeting in Foxboro, MA. See them!

(I'm particularly fond of the "springy ring" hat! It reminds me of some very special mittens made of very special yarn. Elizabeth D (see "Praying For..." box above) and I own matching "springy ring mittens" and socks to match our mittens!)

53 - The Never-Inside-Out hat

This hat has two personalities. One side is SAND STITCH. The other side is DOTTED SWISS STITCH. These stitch patterns are from a Barbara Walker book. The stitches happen to be opposites of each other, just as knit and purl are opposites of each other. Hence, while the hat is only one layer, it is never inside out. This is made of more yarn from North Carolina's Outer Banks' Knitting Addiction store. It is Brown Sheep Company's Lamb's Pride Bulky in the color "khaki", a plant green color.

slow progress and a big boost

I have made my 52nd hat, from yarn I bought at Knitting Addiction on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It's "misty blue" Lamb's Pride Bulky from Brown Sheep Company. It's a simple seed stitch cuff and stockinette top.

E1 is WAY ahead of me with more than 57 hats.
Her friend, P, has made at least 20.

I'm slow on the hats at the moment because I'm working on a prayer shawl for a friend of a friend who was recently diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer.

The Project has received a BIG BOOST! Ms. C. A. from Michigan has send a BIG BOX OF HATS in honor of Elizabeth D (of the "Praying for Elizabeth" box in the upper left) and her mother, Mrs. S. of Kalamazoo. (I will let you know how many hats and show some pictures when I get a chance.) Thank you SO MUCH to Ms. C. A. of Michigan!