Hello everyone!

I am from Knoxville, Tennessee, and have two grown daughters. One in Atlanta, GA who is quite crafty and gives me all her leftover yarns, and one here in Knoxville who is laid off and having difficulty finding new work. My mother recently started slipping mentally, and I moved her here from New York state to live with me. She is now in an independant care facility and in the early stages of Alzheimers. She has been looking for a craft she could do with her arthritic fingers, but didn't find anything she liked until one day asked me what were all these squares I kept knitting. I showed her the photos from some of the old ezines on the computer and she was "hooked!" She is a left-handed knitter and she has to stick to garter stitching because if she tries a pattern, she inevitably forgets where she was and turns the pattern around completely! She's impatient and will tear it all out and start over in the safer garter stitch! She has been averaging about 12 squares per week (!!) since she started a couple months ago, and I have to share with you all how it has helped her in so many ways! She is happy that she is contributing to something worthwhile and actually helping children. She feels NEEDED. She adores children so she feels so good that there is something she can actually do for them! And we have been hitting the yard sales around here and she recently spent $3.00 on a HUGE box of yarn and was SO excited!

I mail her squares off for her because the post office is just too confusing for her these days, but I am so pleased she is feeling like such a contributer. Thank you so much for giving her this opportunity. I love that not only are you helping the children of Africa, but you are helping people like my mother, and so many of the other stories I read here share how others are helped, as well. This entire Knit-A-Square program is such a joy to be a part of.

I am "technologically impaired" and haven't mastered posting photos yet, and I have only just realized I could enter a discussion after over a year of knitting squares. All of you sound like such wonderful people and I am so happy to share some of my time and prayers with you! I have recently turned the girls at my salon on to KAS, so I am hoping to pick up some squares from them the next time I go. We shall see! Meanwhile, thank you for posting your photos because Mom can see that she does just as lovely work as all of you. She so looks forward to her weekend visits to my house where she can look on the computer and see "her babies". Happy knitting, y'all!

It's so nice to hear from you Susan. Isn't it wonderful that people with Alzheimers can not only contribute by knitting but also benefit themselves. I have a bookshop and local people have been good about contributing squares and wool. One lady from a sheltered housing complex brought me a lot of squares and a batch of beautifully made KAS type vests and most of those had been made by ladies with Alzheimers and she too said that it had helped them and made them feel useful. I am so pleased that your mother is enjoying not only the knitting but purchasing yarn and seeing the end results.
If you can manage to get pictures of your squares onto your computer it isn't difficult to post them on the site and plenty of people here would be happy to talk you through the procedure. Do take photos of the squares so that you can post them when possible but there are lots of lovely photos on the site for her to look at for the time being.
Thank you for sharing with us,
Christine

Replies

Enid Mary Shaw July 22, 2010 at 2:26pm

great to have your mother helping, Susan. 12 a week? that means every month she makes more than enough for a blanket.
I look forward to seeing her finished work.
xxx
Laurie C. Hake July 22, 2010 at 1:59pm

Welcome Susan: My husband and I did live in Fairfield, OH up until about 4 years ago, when we both retired and moved to Cape Cod, MA (my "growing up place") - I have had a wonderful time using using up all my stashed yarn to make squares and hope to be able to do it for some time to come - My niece's grandmother-in-law will be 101 this summer and I started her on making squares - she was thrilled to have something to do that she remembered and made a difference - hopefully I will still be doing squares when I reach her age, or, have trouble remembering all the things I used to know - what a gift!!!!! Laurie from Cape Cod, MA
Christine Johnson July 22, 2010 at 9:37am

It's so nice to hear from you Susan. Isn't it wonderful that people with Alzheimers can not only contribute by knitting but also benefit themselves. I have a bookshop and local people have been good about contributing squares and wool. One lady from a sheltered housing complex brought me a lot of squares and a batch of beautifully made KAS type vests and most of those had been made by ladies with Alzheimers and she too said that it had helped them and made them feel useful. I am so pleased that your mother is enjoying not only the knitting but purchasing yarn and seeing the end results.
If you can manage to get pictures of your squares onto your computer it isn't difficult to post them on the site and plenty of people here would be happy to talk you through the procedure. Do take photos of the squares so that you can post them when possible but there are lots of lovely photos on the site for her to look at for the time being.
Thank you for sharing with us,
Christine
Andrea Palmatier July 22, 2010 at 9:33am

Hi Susan! Thank you for joining us on the forum. How wonderful that you have so many chances to spread the KAS word. It truly is addictive, isn't it!

We would love to see photos when you get a chance. It's relatively easy to add photos to the album - on the Photos page, there is a link at the top right called "+Add Photos". Just browse to the spot on your computer where you have the photo files. Your photos will be added to the group photo album, as well as become a photo album on your own personal page.

Happy knitting! :o)

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