'Thoughful Thursday' Knit for 'Lily'- Love In the Language of Yarn

The charity featured today on Thoughful Thursday is 'Lily'-Love In the Language of Yarn set up in memory of my grand-daughter Lily Iris Gibson. Our Mission is To bring love and a smile to all children in need around the world. We provide hand knit and crocheted items for children, mainly orphans but any child in need.

  We need your HELP!
At the end of September  I will be visiting an orphanage in Kayseri Turkey with a group of volunteers.The orphange is home to 115 children at the moment. I hope to take with me a parcel for each child. I am busy knitting a 'Lily' Bear for each child. Knitters and Crocheters I need your help! Age groups are 3-6yrs, 7-10yrs and 12-14yrs. Boys and Girls. Hat, scarf, glove sets for each child. Our volunteers have been wonderful but we are a little low on scarves and gloves (mittens) especially the 7- 10 age group. To help you there is a free knitting pattern  on our facebook page. Please help if you can.




Also  Please consider making a square or two with your odds and ends. It's a great way to bust your stash. The squares will be joined to form blankets and  given to IHH- Humanitarian Relief Foundation to be taken to Syrian refugees in Turkey. Turkey has seven camps housing more than 48,500 Syrians  the highest number taking shelter in Turkey at one time since the start of the uprising some 17 months ago. 'Lily' - Love In the Language of Yarn has been asked to help provide blankets especially for the many children refugees. In the short time we have been established we have made a staggering 347 blankets - enough to give one to each child in just one of the camps in Turkey near the Syrian border, but WE NEED MORE!. A gift of a handmade blanket will bring comfort and warmth to Syrian people especially children who continue to suffer from oppression and war. Your lovingly made gift will send a message of concern and hope to these refugees. Your participation is important.!  Any spare wool you have can be knitted into eight inch squares and then we'll stitch them all together into a blanket. No waste and someone gets a warm and colourful, cover for their bed! Can you help?

Knitting Instructions

FOR ONE 8"/20 cms SQUARE, you will need:
Yarn from a 100 gram (3.5 oz) ball of yarn or scraps of yarn 
 worsted weight , double knit or 8ply

Size 4mm needles  10 (USA)
A yarn sewing needle.
 Cast on 32 stitches (try to make your stitches neither too loose nor too tight to help ensure uniform squares)
 Row 1: knit
 Row 2: knit. These two rows form the 'garter' stitch knitting pattern for your square but you use any stitch you prefer, beascreative as you like. Continue knitting  until you have knitted a square
 To ensure you square is 8"/20cm either use a tape measure .

 Cast off
 Use your yarn sewing needle to sew in all the yarn ends using a darning method
VERY IMPORTANT 
Leave a one metre length of your yarn attached to your work after you have cast off. This will be used to join the squares together. but if you're changing colors work in your other tails.  DO NOT TIE AND CUT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE KNOT, THAT IS GUARANTEED TO COME UNDONE.  Knot if you want, but leave a tail and work in your ends.

And last but by no means least  we have teamed up with several non profit organisations in Turkey helping to raise awareness of premature births, and have been asked to help provide knitted garments for several neonatal intensive care units in Aydin, Izmir and Bodrum.  Premature babies are amazing – they can grow and thrive despite huge obstacles, and catch up to full-term babies in both size and development. Please Help us to knit for premature babies especially hats, bootties and blankets. We have some patterns available for your use on our facebook page.

Please Help If You Can!

You can also find us at:  https://www.facebook.com/LilyLoveInTheLanguageOfYarn where I will be adding more knitting and crochet patterns, links to patterns and information updated daily.

'Lily' is supported by businesses and individuals in Turkey, whether it be donations of yarn, Knitting and Crocheting or transportation of completed blankets and garments to receiving agencies.

'Lily' has no paid employees.  All the good work is done on a strictly volunteer basis.

'Lily' wishes to thank all those private individuals and businesses which support us.  Without you, there would be no 'Lily' - Love In the Language of Yarn.  We work hard for the day when we are no longer needed to help keep Children warm.

Dianne Jones - Founder of  'Lily'- Love In the Language of Yarn.