Canadian Oddball Knitters

UPDATE:

2009-12-20T21:43:00.000-08:00

I am not sure if any of our members are aware of the accident I had on August 15th, 2009. I went for a nice calm horseback ride. Some fool spooked my horse and he threw me, then stepped down onto me, then when he removed his hoof from my elbow he fell over sideways and landed on my midsection. There are twelve broken bones, four of which are spinal fractures. I had to relearn to walk and am having a hard time of it at this point. A lawyer has been hired and we (my husband and I) will be suing the horse ranch. I had x-rays a week and a half ago to see how things are healing and found out I have arthritis in my right knee and lower spine.

I am grateful to be alive and not a parapelegic. I will have a walker and canes for quite some time to come, but at least I am here. If anyone wants to take over running the group for the time being please let me know. Otherwise you can count on at least another six or eight months before I can do any knitting at all.

Happy Christmas and New Year to each and every one of my kind and generous knitters, who gave from their heart for the love of strangers! Bless you, one and all! I hope 2010 will be a better year for all of us.

Hugs,
Christine
(a.k.a. The.Knitter

Hiatus.....

2009-03-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

As you all know, a week after I delivered the blankets to Sick Kids in October, I had an accident while closing my trailer for the season. The result of the accident is whiplash and frozen shoulder, which I am still working on trying to heal from. Our group has been on hiatus because of the fact that I cannot work on anything larger than a sock and then only two rows per day.

I will try to get the group running again by the summer (or at least that is what the medical specialists tell me at this time).

I hope to have you all participate once this time comes. At that time I am going to post a list of blankets that are outstanding and then have people pick which ones they want to work on. I believe we will probably have enough blankets to do a delivery when we take stock of what blankets are outstanding right now.

Thanks for your patience. See you soon!

Hugs,
Christine

Super Heroes goes to Sick Kids!

2009-03-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

On March 10th, 2009, I had the pleasure of hand delivering the Canadian Oddball Baby Blanket "Super Heroes" to a little boy in The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario. A member of our group, CMRab", asked that this little boy receive Super Heroes. This little lad is three and his name is Nolan. He is being treated for Leukemia. We got to actually go to his room and deliver the blanket directly into his hands. He is a sweet brave little man.

We were not permitted to take pictures anywhere in the hospital on this visit, for privacy reasons and because this was a single private delivery. I want to thank all the knitters that made it possible for Nolan to receive this blanket. Hugs to you all!

The Hospital for Sick Children meet Canadian Oddball Baby Blankets!

2008-10-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

Ladies:

The first ever delivery of our Canadian Oddball Baby Blankets has been accomplished. The lady was very nice in person, seemed totally grateful and was very pleased and friendly once the case was opened and the blankets were coming into view. She loved the idea of the journals once she saw them. The blankets are going to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) of the hospital. They will be well loved there. The blankets are given to a child, who can then take it to tests or surgery, keep it with him/her and when (if) he/she goes home, the blanket and journal goes with him/her.

I was told to convey heartfelt thanks from the Hospital to each and every knitter!

Without further delay, here is what Crycket (a KH member and friend who came and took pictures for me) and I saw when we entered the hospital.

The donation is complete!

Ladies: Once again I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for helping me to make my dream come true! Your work is beautiful, the blankets will now be in the hands of little ones who can really use them AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!!! Thanks so very much!

Eight blankets make their final trip!!!

2008-10-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow some of our blankets are travelling to their final destination, The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario.

The list of blankets going to the hospital tomorrow is:

* Princess Power
* Mud Pie
* Soft Hugs
* Fluffy Clouds
* Flower Garden
* Powder Puff
* Sky Blue
* Bold is Beautiful

Life's a Beach already went to a small baby in my town (with permission from the knitters) and Teddy Bear Love already went to Austin at the Shriner's Hospital (with permission from the knitters).

I have Snails, Whales and Puppy Dog Tails and Sugar and Spice here but they are not finished yet. The rest of the blankets are spread around Canada!!

Ladies, once again thank you so much for all your hard work. I will post some pictures tomorrow when I get back from the hospital!

Princess Power is Finished!

2008-09-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

Ahoy There & New Member

2008-09-01T05:17:00.001-07:00

Here is the latest new blanket that has been started. It is called "Ahoy There" and the starting knitter has sailboats floating across the blanket. I think it's awesome.

We have a new member. Please welcome Mickey to the group.

BOLD IS BEAUTIFUL IS FINISHED.

2008-08-01T15:41:00.001-07:00

Sky Blue is Finished!!!

2008-07-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hear ye, hear ye, oh kind, generous and loving members of the Canadian Oddball Baby Blanket KAL, it is with the greatest of pleasure that I present to you all another finished Oddball Baby Blanket. This is Sky Blue! I hope you are all pleased with the way it looks and how it turned out.

Also: Austin received his blanket, Teddy Bear Love, and I was asked to tell you all that he is very pleased with the lap blanket and the toys he received from us. He received his blanket last Friday, but I was away at the cottage so I did not get the chance to post. I did receive a text message on my cell phone telling me he had gotten his package and was thrilled with all it contained.

This is a direct quote from the message Austin's Mom sent to me on Wednesday:

Please tell each & every one of the women who worked on it thank you for me! He did smile when I described the blanket to him & told him someone sent it all the way from Canada to him.

Teddy Bear Love is Finished!

2008-07-12T12:03:00.001-07:00

Teddy Bear Love is Finished!!!
Here is a picture of the finished blanket, Teddy Bear Love. I just love this blanket. Do you know what I noticed? The section below mine (mine are the hearts) the knitter has put the words "teddy bears" right into the blanket. This is one really terrific blanket. So much love and knitting knowledge went into this one. I just love it!!!

Ladies, I am sitting here surrounded by a rainbow of knitting. I am so emotional right now, totally overwhelmed by all the support and help you have all given to me, so that I could realize my dream of helping the hospital that saved the life of my daughter when she was only 9 weeks old! I can't thank you enough, each and every one of you! Tomorrow I will have blanket #8 in my hands and all it needs is a border. Monday the post office is bringing me #9 & #10, one just needs a border and the other needs some knitting and a border. When those are finished I will be taking a trip downtown to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario.

Once again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Keep up the good work!!!

Love,
Christine

P.S. the whole blanket picture is the one closest to the real colours of the blankets. Sorry, I have to take the pictures inside where I can lay the blanket flat to photograph it and the flash goes off, changing the colours. The picture of the whole blanket is the best shot for true colour!

Finished Blanket & New Member!

2008-07-10T16:58:00.001-07:00

Finished Blanket!

2008-07-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

Hear ye, hear ye oh kind and generous loving Canadian Obball Baby Blanket knitters, I am proud to introduce another finished blanket. This is "Life's A Beach". Isn't it beautiful?

2008-07-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

These blankets are Sky Blue and Sugar, Spice and All Things Nice. I am pleased with how they look. You ladies are doing a fantastic job!

It looks like I might have 10 blankets to deliver to the hospital on the first delivery. That deliver should take place during the first week of August. I will post pictures when I get home!

2008-07-04T12:44:00.000-07:00

Check out Teddy Bear Love & News

2008-07-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

This blanket is FANTASTIC! Ladies you are all doing such a good job.

We have separated the West from the East. All Western members will now have a different Assistant Manager. I am sure she will be in touch with you soon.

Sky Blue & new members!

2008-06-23T18:40:00.001-07:00

This is Sky Blue on it's second last knitter. Thanks Sue, it looks great!

Ok ladies we have two new members. Please welcome winkwink and woolewe to our knitting family. Both ladies come to us from Ravelry and we are glad to have them join us.

Flower Garden is Finished!

2008-06-21T22:34:00.001-07:00

Hear ye, hear ye, oh kind, generous and loving members of the Canadian Oddball Baby Blanket KAL, it is with the greatest of pleasure that I present to you all our third finished Oddball Baby Blanket. This is Flower Garden! I hope you are all pleased with the way it looks and how it turned out.

Mud Pie is Finished!

2008-06-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hear ye, hear ye, oh kind, generous and loving members of the Canadian Oddball Baby Blanket KAL, it is with the greatest of pleasure that I present to you all our second finished Oddball Baby Blanket. This is Mud Pie! I hope you are all pleased with the way it looks and how it turned out.

Blanket pictures

2008-06-16T18:26:00.001-07:00

Here are more great pictures of our blankets in production. This is Soft Dreams of Spring and Popsicle Delight. CMRab, these look wonderful. Thanks so much!

Teddy Bear Love

2008-06-16T05:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Teddy Bear Love, doesn't it look great so far?

FIRST FINISHED BLANKET!!!

2008-06-05T11:50:00.001-07:00

Hear ye, hear ye, oh kind, generous and loving members of the Canadian Oddball Baby Blanket KAL, it is with the greatest of pleasure that I present to you all our first finished Oddball Baby Blanket. This is Powder Puff! I hope you are all pleased with the way it looks and how it turned out.

Blanket pictures

2008-06-03T08:27:00.001-07:00

This is Princess Power, a blanket done in all garter stitch with pastel pink and pastel lilac only. Next is Soft Dreams of Spring. Last is Mud Pie.

We are doing well now with the blankets coming back to me.

Now all I have to do is learn to crochet so I can put borders on them and then I will be ready to visit the hospital!

Keep those blankets coming Ladies!!!

Blanket started!

2008-06-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

Here's another blanket. This one is called Soft Dreams of Spring and it is very pretty. It was started by sue in canada and I think it looks fantastic!

New Member!

2008-05-28T16:52:00.000-07:00

Ladies: Please welcome Bloody Marie as our newest member. She comes to us from Ravelry. Marie is starting a new blanket called Princess Power, which will be all garter stitch and all either pale pink or pale lilac in colour. She is very excited to get started.

Welcome Marie and Happy Knitting!

Blankets and A New Member!

2008-05-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the pictures of our blankets. Teddy Bear Love, if you look closely at the picture, actually has teddy bears knit into the pattern of brown. Powder Puff is on it's way home to me, where I will finish it up. It has the distinction of being the first finished blanket our group has done!

I am so very happy with the blankets and with all the work you Ladies have been doing for our KAL.

Please welcome Jeannettefromcanada. Jeannette is new to our KAL and comes to us from KH, where she is also new.

Welcome Jeannette and thanks so much for your interesting in becoming part of our knitting family.

New Member

2008-05-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

Please welcome Brella to our little knitting family. Brella comes to us from Ravelry.

Thanks for your interest in our knitting and welcome to the group brella.

Blanket Pics and New Member!

2008-05-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here are a picture a of blanket we have on the go right now called Bold is Beautiful.

Also, please welcome CMRab to our group. This member comes to us from Ravelry. Welcome Cheryl.

Blanket Update!

2008-05-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

Here is an update of the blankets we have in production and where they are right now.

Powder Puff: is with Sajomaro.
Flower Garden: is with STV.
Mud Pie: is with OhMary.
Sky Blue: is with STV.
Bold is Beautiful: is with Celtic Cat.
Soft Hugs: is with Donna (MM employee).
Fluffy Clouds: is with Paulette (MM employee).
Canadian Flag: is with Shirley (Wasaga Pines resident).
Teddy Bear Love: is finished be knit by Gina and should be going in the mail this week.
Candy Store and Life's a Beach are waiting to be started by people that have spoken for them.
Snails, Whales and Puppy Dog Tails: is being started by Dangles.
Sugar, Spice and All Things Nice: is being started by Celtic Cat.
Soft Dreams of Spring and Princess Power are in the planning stages right now.

Thanks Ladies!! Let's keep those blankets moving!

Teddy Bear Love & Long Weekend!

2008-05-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Teddy Bear Love. This blanket was started by Gina and is going to have Teddy Bear colours in it. I think it is really nice. Thanks Gina!

I will be out of town from Thursday morning until Sunday night. If you need assistance, you can contact knitgal. She has all the information you would need to know.

Thanks and have a great Victoria Day weekend!

Christine

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

To all our Members: to those who are mothers, grandmothers, or are planning on being a mother some day; I wish you a Happy Mother's Day filled with love and joy, happy times with your family and memories to brighten your days in the future!

New Member

2008-05-08T17:42:00.000-07:00

Members: please welcome _Lydia_ to our knitting family. Lydia comes to us from KH and we are very happy to have her onboard.

This brings our membership up to 25 people after only 2 months of being a in exsistence. I am so proud and pleased!

Thank you one and all for helping me to help the babies at The Hospital for Sick Children!

Sky Blue picture

2008-05-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Sky Blue. It's looking good!!

New Member!

2008-05-04T21:56:00.001-07:00

Please welcome Mary to our KAL family. Mary is the wife of a co-worker of my husband. She lives in the next town to me. She is very excited to be a part of our KAL and she can't wait to knit her part on a blanket for a sick child!

This brings our membership number to 24. Two dozen members!!!

OK, so now it's time to knit some blankets!!! Let's go Ladies!!

2008-05-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry it's been so long since I last posted. I was away for a week and when I got back I caught some kind of bug and have not even been knitting (and that means I was really ill). I will try to do better in the future.

OK here is a list of the blankets we have in planning or production and where they are right now:

Powder Puff: is in the mail right now to Sajomaro.
Flower Garden: is in the mail right now to Daddysgirl.
Mud Pie: is with MommaG and will be going in the mail some time this week.
Sky Blue: is going in the mail to STV some time this week.
Bold is Beautiful: is with kknitter.
Soft Hugs: is with Donna (MM employee).
Fluffy Clouds: is with Paulette (MM employee).
Canadian Flag: is with Shirley (Wasaga Pines resident).
Candy Store, Life's A Beach and Teddy Bear Love are all waiting to be started by people that have spoken for them.
Snails, Whales and Puppy Dog Tails: is being started by Dangles.
Sugar, Spice and All Things Nice: is in the planning stages right now, as are Soft Dreams of Spring and Princess Power.

Yes, we have 15 blankets either in production or in the planning stages of production.

Ladies, we are doing a really good job! I hope to have several blankets ready to take to Sick Children's Hospital at the end of May.
Let's make the first delivery REALLY special and memorable for the hospital and for the children!!!

Bold is Beautiful Blanket

2008-04-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

This is Bold is Beautiful. I love the bold colours, they are great for a bit older baby who recognizes bright colours. This is a beautiful job and I think it looks really good!

Powder Puff

2008-04-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Powder Puff. It's coming close to being finished now. MommaG only had it one day and is ready to ship it off again. I am so proud!!!

Sky Blue Blanket

2008-04-09T17:13:00.001-07:00

Here's a picture of Sky Blue Blanket.This one is in the mail right now, headed out west.

2008-04-09T15:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Mud Pie. The second knitter, knitgal, is finished with this blanket and will send it out west to MommaG on Friday. We will then have two blankets out west.

Also, the Mary Maxim employees and the Wasaga Pines residents are now included in the Member List, bringing our grand total of members to TWENTY THREE!!!

I am so proud to be a part of this group as we watch our vision grow and grow!

Thanks Ladies!

New Member!

2008-04-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

We have another new member in our KAL.

CathyB comes to us from Ravelry.

Welcome to our KAL family Cathy! It's nice to see another GTA member joining our group.

New Members

2008-04-08T02:57:00.000-07:00

We have two new members, bringing our numbers up to 16.

Here we grow again.

Our KAL would like to welcome CelticCat and STV to our little KAL family!

Our blankets so far...

2008-04-08T02:39:00.000-07:00

Top left is Flower Garden, top right is Mud Pie and bottom left is Powder Puff. These are all the pictures we have so far.

Six new members! Blanket List!

2008-04-06T18:47:00.000-07:00

Our KAL is thrilled to announce that we have six new members today! We are now 14 strong and we are going to knit those babies lots of love and warmth. I am so pleased that there are many Canadian knitters willing to participate in our project!

Our new member list is:

* The.Knitter
* Knitgal
* Sue in Canada
* Sajomaro
* MommaG
* khaosx5
* Dangles
* Gina V
* kknitter
* dyanne
* crazyknittingmom
* Daddysgirl
* mandyzmoon
* flyfish

Here's the list of blankets and where they are right now:

Powder Puff:
The.Knitter - finished knitting
knitgal - finished knitting
sue in canada - finished knitting
MommaG - waiting for the mailman
Sajomaro - next in line
The.Knitter - waiting to finish blanket

Flower Garden:
The.Knitter - finished knitting
Gina V - knitting
Dangles - next in line
Daddysgirl - waiting
sue in canada - waiting
The.Knitter - waiting to finish blanket

Mud Pie:
sue in canada - finished knitting
knitgal - knitting
MommaG - next in line
Dangles - waiting
Sajomaro - waiting
The.Knitter - waiting to finish blanket

Sky Blue:
knitgal - finished knitting
Sajomaro - waiting for the mailman
Dangles - next in line
MommaG - waiting
sue in canada - waiting
The.Knitter - waiting to finish blanket

Bold is Beautiful:
Sajomaro - knitting
kknitter - next in line
dyanne - waiting
mandyzmoon - waiting
crazyknittingmom - waiting
The.Knitter - waiting to finish blanket

Soft Hugs:
khaosx5 - finished knitting
Tinkerbell (Mary Maxim employee) - finished knitting
Mary (Mary Maxim employee) - knitting
There will be three more Mary Maxim employees knit on this blanket before I pick it up (and get to go shopping at the same time, BONUS!).

Fluffy Clouds:
khaosx5 - finished knitting
Renate (Mary Maxim employee) - knitting
There will be four more Mary Maxim employees knit on this blanket before I pick it up (and get to go shopping at the same time, BONUS!).

Candy Store:
The.Knitter - starting to knit soon
kknitter - next in line
knitgal - waiting
mandyzmoon - waiting
dyanne - waiting
The.Knitter - waiting to finish blanket

Canadian Flag:
Donna - waiting for her online purchase of yarn to arrive
Shirley - next in line
There will be four more Wasaga Pines residents knit on this blanket before it is mailed to me.

Life's a Beach:
This blanket is on hold for the Wasaga Pines residents.

Teddy Bear Love:
This blanket is on hold for Gina V.

This is incredible. One month ago there was no such thing as the Canadian Division of the Oddball Baby Blanket KAL - KnittingHelp.com. Now we have eight blankets in production.

Every one of you deserved a huge hug!!! Way to go Ladies!

Canadian Oddball Baby Blanket KAL

2008-04-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone:

My name is The.Knitter and I am the organizer of the Canadian Division of the Oddball Baby Blanket KAL at KnittingHelp.com. Here is what our group does:

I have a list of names and suggestions for blankets that we use when deciding what blanket to start.

One of our members chooses and starts a blanket by casting on 130 stitches with soft worsted weight yarn onto a US Size 9 - 29" circular knitting needle. They also start a small journal and write in it to tell the child and their family the date, and what journey the blanket travelled to get to their child. The member then knits three rows of garter stitch. After that they knit six inches of whatever pattern they have chosen to use, keeping the first and last three stitches in garter stitch to use as a border. When they have finished their knitting, they contact me and I give them the name and address of the next knitter and mark them finished on my spreadsheet. They mail the blanket to the next knitter. The next knitter then has two weeks to knit his/her six inches and then mail it to the next knitter. This goes on until there are thirty six inches knit. The blanket is then mailed back to me. Each time I have six blankets, I will hand deliver them to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario.

Please note: This is a charity. Each knitter is responsible for paying for the yarn they use, the postage they use and whatever stickers they use in the journal. If a member starts a blanket and requires their needles to be returned, please contact me and I will make sure that the next time I sent them a package, their needles are included in that package.

Also please note: Some of us like to include small gifts that we send on to the next knitter, with the blanket, when it travels. These are usually knitting related gifts and are always small. This is NOT mandatory but is a nice treat for the next knitter. If you do choose to send the next knitter a small gift, please DO NOT include perishable food items because they may leak into the box and damage our blanket.

The hospital has a few requirements that we MUST meet or they will not accept the blankets!

1. We MUST NOT use green or yellow yarn because they feel that this makes sick babies look more ill.
2. The blankets should be 36" X 36" because that size fits perfectly over the isolette to protect the baby from light so that it can sleep during the daytime when all the lights are on in the nursery.
3. There must be NO religious comments written in the journal because some families have different religious beliefs and we would not want to upset anyone if their beliefs are different to the knitter's.
4. There must be NO get well wishes written into the journal because some of these children will never get well.

We have not made a delivery yet, but we are getting closer and closer to that each day. We have eight blankets in production as of this week. I think this is fantastic considering we only started this project a month ago!!!

Three cheers for our devoted members!

Here's the list of blankets we have in production so far.

Powder Puff:
The.Knitter - finished knitting - white
knitgal - finished knitting - lavendar
sue in canada - finished knitting - pink
MommaG - waiting for the mailman - grey
Sajomaro - on waiting list - peach
The.Knitter - on waiting list to finish blanket - white

Flower Garden:
The.Knitter - finished knitting - brown/beige/pink
Gina V - knitting
Dangles - next in line
knitgal - on waiting list
sue in canada - on waiting list
The.Knitter - on waiting list to finish blanket

Mud Pie:
sue in canada - finished knitting - brown
knitgal - knitting - brown
MommaG - next in line
Dangles - on waiting list
Sajomaro - on waiting list
The.Knitter - on waiting list to finish blanket

Sky Blue:
knitgal - finished knitting - blue
Sajomaro - waiting for mailman
Dangles - next in line
MommaG - on waiting list
sue in canada - on waiting list
The.Knitter - on waiting list to finish blanket

Soft Hugs:
khaosx5 - finished knitting - pink
Tinkerbell - finished knitting - pink
Mary - knitting - pink
There are three more Mary Maxim employees that will knit on this blanket before I pick it up. The good news about picking the blanket up is that I get to shop in Mary Maxim at the same time. This is a huge bonus for me!

Fluffy Clouds:
khaosx5 - finished knitting - white
Renate - knitting - white
There are four more Mary Maxim employees that will knit on this blanket before I pick it up.

Canadian Flag:
Donna - waiting for her online purchase of yarn to arrive - red
Shirley - next in line - white
There are four more Wasaga Pines residents that will knit on this blanket before Donna mails it to me.

Bold is Beautiful:
Sajomaro - knitting - red
There will be five more knitters working on this blanket. I have not had time to organize this one yet, but I will be doing it within the next few days.

Life's a Beach:
On hold for the Wasaga Pines residents!

Candy Store:
On hold. If one of the members would like to start work on this blanket, feel free to get in touch with me and I will get you started. This blanket is going to be any candy colour (except yellow and green) including chocolate.

That is our list so far! I am so pleased with all of these blankets and with all the hard work each of our members has put into our project. We are all having so much fun and getting a really warm and fuzzy feeling working on blankets that will help a small baby to be more comfortable.

I want to thank all our members for helping me with suggestions, names for blankets, knitting, encouragement, setting up the blog and agreeing to knit quickly so that our first delivery of blankets can happen as soon as possible. I want to thank Shandeh (US organizer for Oddball Baby Blanket KAL) for helping me to get this Canadian project up and running. I want to thank the Hospital for Sick Children for agreeing to accept these blankets for the babies. The enthusiasm and excitement this project has generated is wonderful and restores my belief that there truly are good people in this world, people who expect nothing in return when they do something to help someone. This is the way I was raised and I am so happy to be associated with other people who feel the same way that I do.

Keep up the good work Ladies. We are doing so very well, and I am proud to be watching as this project grows. I think we will find life long friends within our circle and I am so happy to be a part of this!

I will post pictures as soon as I can get someone to show me how to do that on here....

Now, is there anyone that wants to start Candy Store? LOL! Can't blame a girl for trying to get a little free advertising now can you?

Thanks again everyone,
Christine