An Op Shop Rescue

I packaged up 6 boxes and 3 large parcels of 85 quilts, knitted and crocheted blankets, knitted garments, and beanies, scarves and baby clothes and they are all on their way to Brisbane in Qld, where they will be distributed to people so badly affected by the floods. The report is shown on my other blog.
It was great to be able to send off so many boxes of goods and make room for the next lot of donations which are finished and ready to donate.
I received some lovely yarn from Lesley Lowe and made a couple of scarves with it as well as using the smaller pieces to make crocheted squares for another blanket which will warm someone this winter. I was trying to get the blanket ready for yesterday's shipment and then ran out of room in the boxes so it will be going in the next delivery.
I make the crocheted blankets 50" x 70" from crocheted squares and often use small amounts if leftover yarn or even from a garment which I've pulled out. The bright colours of the blanket are from a "toxic" orange and yellow yarn which had been knitted into a child's jumper. I rescued this garment when on my recent trip to Mittagong in NSW and really I felt I was doing a public service by removing this from circulation so that no one would have to see a child dressed in these colours of a safety vest. LOL! I paid the high price of $1 and the lady was just happy that I'd removed it from the shop. On the bus shop hop trip back to Kiama, my friend, Anne, happily unpicked it and many other willing hands re-wound the yarn while I started crocheting it into squares. It hadn't been worn and unpulled really easily and when crocheted you can't tell that it was previously a knitted sweater. There were many comments about being able to read without a light as the colours were so bright and I assured them that by using other colours it would play down the overly bright yarn.
So the streets of Mittagong are now safe from a toxic sweater and a homeless person in Qld will be glad of it's warmth this winter. I love to check out the Op Shops for yarn and then turn it into something useful and have also done the same with cotton dresses and shirts by making them into quilts. I've started on another crocheted blanket while I take a break from the sewing machine and it's a great way to use up lots of small oddments of yarn.
I'm also turning some donated string pieced blocks without batting into QAYG blocks and will show some photos of the finished quilts on my other blog soon.
More to show you soon.
Hugs Jan Mac