2024 BARN ACTIVITIES

[Amy]

The first opening day for the KAS Barn in 2024 was January 9.  

This discussion will focus on all the weekly activities that take place on

Tuesdays as our volunteers gather together to open parcels, 

sort, organized, pack and distribute all things KAS.

[Sadie Bircher]

So many beautiful things!

Package from Japan - I wonder if that's the one I sent at the beginning of August (although I know there are other people posting from here too). Looking forward to the Squares List to find out.

[Estelle McLeod]

Sadie I collected beautiful Christmas blankets from Audrey yesterday. She told me that many of the squares came out of the box from Japan....came home and checked the packing slip. Thanks for the super 156 squares you and Yasuko sent. 

[Sadie Bircher]

Oh wow, thank you! I wasn't intending to make extra work for anyone to go check, but I appreciate it ❣️

[Karen Gordon]

Oh what marvellous eye candy!   Thank you to all involved xx

[Amy]

Here is an update from Estelle on October 22, 2024...

It’s been awhile since we got together for our KINT-A-SQUARE opening day it was great to catch up on all the news.

 Birthday girl and Audrey who met at KAS and have been friends for many years.

 

Celebrations all round today Liz’s birthday, being blessed with fabulous post and Liz’s famous egg sandwiches….eat your heart out  Amanda Kight.

Elaine, Liz, Sheldon and Estelle with lots of good food.

Thank you for joining us Ronda and bringing Tracy along to enjoy the morning and open some post.

Tracey, Sheldon, Ronda and Elaine

Once again we have beautiful blankets for you to feast your eyes on.

Christmas time

Estelle put this one together...already packed away for a Christmas distribution.

A 100% Mili Kus blanket stitched together by Audrey. 

And yet another Mili and Audrey bright and beautiful creation.

Gorgeous colours in this blanket.

Fabulous beautifully knitted one arrived in the post from Kath McKune.

Gorgeous Aran one from Cathy Riley.

Love the combination of all these squares…a really truly KAS blanket.

 

You can see all the blankets from this week in The Blanket Room.

 

Have to say the same things all the time but as you all know this would not be possible without our incredible contributors from around the globe and Sunny South Africa.

 

[Amy]

From Estelle on October 1...

This is why we LOVE opening post from our KNIT-A-SQUARE contributors.

Squares,blankets,toys, beanies and hand warmers just keep on rolling in.

Just in time for Christmas thanks, Mili Kus.

Hope someone from The Rotary Club of Orkney, Scotland  sees this and the following pic where all twelve teddies were distributed.

So many new designs from Antoinette Nothling's team. Well done ladies we love them.

Beautifully knitted and packed squares from Antoinette's team.

A kaleidoscope of colour…some of Liz’s blankets.

Everyone loves Winnie the Pooh don’t they Sheldon Bolle? Bev’s appliqué.

It’s been a three week break for us as it was Heritage Day last Tuesday a public holiday in South Africa however it doesn’t slow our wonderful team of volunteers down….they just keep on sewing squares together for our needy children.

A holiday or break in our fortnightly meeting = more blankets so once again please bare with us viewing our Show & Tell.

 

Now for some blankets that arrived in the post.

An absolutely exquisite complete Christmas blanket made by Patricia Underwood.

A hand knitted blanket from our beanie queen Karen Gordon.

Another stunning blanket from Sharon B…just love the colours almost like rainbow 

 

Some blankets from Liz...

We’re still using your appliqués Bev, the children love the pictures.

O is for owl.

 

Some blankets from Audrey...

Ada Breeuwer’s seaside squares.

Some of Elaine’s squares.

 

You can see all these blankets and more in The Blanket Room.

[Karen Gordon]

My goodness what a terrific selection of varied + really creative designs amongst these.   Every one a veritable festival on the eyes, + all full of such bountiful warmth too.   Love it ♥️

[Amy]

 

 

News from Ronda on September 26...

September has been another good month in the KASbarn ! We started off with a bump in the road as our fun-loving Wandi 2 found a permanent position at very short notice … but, cutting a long story short, along came Nathi to fill the gap and how delighted we are that he did so !

Welcome Nathi!

Last week Wandi and Nathi went to Soweto to collect blankets and deliver packs to Gogo groups … and this week they went to an informal settlement for Nathi’s first KAS distribution, involving 53 pre-school children!

Nathi and Wandi packing for their distribution this morning …

All ready to roll …

You can see all the photos in our Distributions discussion.

 

We are back on track

We have had post this month … square lists will be posted by Annetjie soon.

Apologies for the gap in reports from the Barn … we felt a bit “stuck” for a while - just waiting for our prayers to be answered … as indeed they WERE …

Having said that … we feel it best NOT to post every single week anyway but rather hold off until there is a bit of news to spark your interest

 

Baby clothes from my neighbour, Eileen’s group.

Two colourful blankets crocheted together by Bev K.

Viv completed this blanket made with LARGE squares.

Wandi also seeing blankets together !

Beautiful contents of a parcel from Clear Lake United Methodist - one of our earliest members  these teddies are SO SO soft.

Christmas blankets going to Estelle or a Dec distribution.

 Blanket pics taken, folded and packed for Wandi’s distribution on October 3.

Busy KASbarn …

[Pat Zimmerman]

A Year. Where does time go to . When you read the figures regarding the blankets your ladies have completed. Elaine and her knack for resizing and not to mention poor Sheldon's arms holding up all those blankets, all I can say is Thank you, Thank you. You are amazing people. When one reads your update it gives us an extra push to knit faster and send more squares. More for you to complete and more for Sheldon's arms to hold up the blankets. Well done.

 

[Amy]

Estelle reflects on the past 12 months...

Can you believe that it’s been one year since we have relocated to our new KNIT-A-SQUARE venue. We’re grateful that Ronda has encouraged us to continue with the passion we all have…to warm and comfort vulnerable children. Elaine is holding our candle to celebrate our first year…no candles to blow out on cakes since Covid!

Audrey, Sheldon, Elaine, Estelle and Liz

Such a pretty square.

Aren’t these gorgeous? I  the seahorse Amy.

What a treat…35 neatly bundled squares all the same size. 

A super large parcel from The Czech Republic. Thank you Šikovné Ruce Pomxi and your team for these 350 squares.

Sheldon has a way with arranging toys.

Blanket of the week. Wow Sharon B this is one exquisite blanket…the perfect choice of colours.

 

It has been a most successful year considering we only meet once a fortnight. Liz, Audrey, Ana, Sweetie and I have made 457 blankets, the majority coming from Liz and Audrey. Elaine has made and resized 422 squares and Sheldon must have held up over 600 blankets to be photographed.

All the way from Australia thank you Wendy Hinson we love your blanket.

Liz made good use of your squares Antoinette Nothling surrounding granny centre square.

Love your smiley face Bev Jeffery.

A happy blanket to put a smile on any child’s face.

My Christmas blanket thanks Elaine for the fluffy star squares and Sharon Bedgood for the PJ’s and squares in squares.

This one I just enlarged the exquisite center panel.

Without our incredibly talented and generous contributors this would not be possible.