Delivered!
Hi everyone!
I’ve been waiting to write now for some time, but wanted to wait till the deed was done. Yes, our shipment left headquarters (Lani’s back bedroom) in Melbourne on the 29th of October.
I tracked it online – like a mother watching her child take its first steps – as it went from port to port and finally landed at Bagram Air Field, outside of Kabul. It has now cleared customs and arrived at Save The Children. I am so excited!!!
Inger at STC is also excited and is already organising the distribution.
For your information, we sent a total of 206 items;
- 11 Blankets
- 1 Shawl
- 4 Scarves
- 159 Beanies
- 8 Pairs Gloves/Mittens
- 18 Jumpers
- 1 Vest
- 4 Pairs Socks
Our original target was 200 items for the first year and thanks to the generosity of all you wonderful knitters, we did it!!!
I’ve already started knitting for next October and I think we can be fairly optimistic and aim for a new target of 300 items.
Watch this space for photos of the distribution
The 2008 Deadline Is Upon Us
The September 15 deadline for our 2008 shipment - our very first shipment! - is upon us and although we have been a quiet little organisation this year, we are really happy with what has been achieved.
Our goal for this first year of operation was small: We were hoping for 200 items. So far we have received 189, and I have a few projects left to finish so we might just get there. 
But in all seriousness, thank you so much to everyone who has contributed. It has been wonderful to see all your beautiful handiwork and also to receive such warm support.
If anyone has a late shipment on the way, drop us a line via our contact form to let us know as we have a little lead time between the deadline and the shipment date to enable us to package everything. That way, I might be able to hold off on the packaging tape until it arrives. If I can’t, any late deliveries will be stored for 2009.
We will keep you all abreast of the progress of the shipment and Save The Children have said that they will send us some photos of what happens at their end, which is obviously something we are looking forward to.
Besides the great necessity for warm clothing, many of those who will receive these items have never had a brand new garment of their own. We hope that it is something special for them, which will bring a smile to their faces. I know for me, it has been a privilege to see all the work everyone has put in to their contributions.
Pictured below are a random few of the lovely pieces we have been sent. Unfortunately, because some of the parcels arrived from groups of knitters I have been unable to credit each item to their maker so if your work is pictured and you would like your name published (with a link to your blog/website, if you have one), again, please drop us a line via our contact form.
But without any further ado…
Again, a huge thank you for your support and, looking forward, here’s to an even greater year in 2009!
Now, I have some packing to do…
And welcome from me…
Hello, everyone. I’d like to take the time to introduce myself as well. My name is Lani and I’m a mature-age university student living in Melbourne, Australia, so I am one of the people handling things at this end. I’m also the mother of that “adorable grandson” Di mentioned in her post.
It has been some work to get to the point where we are right now, with the website up and running, and I have to say that the response has been fantastic. Lots of emails have been coming in from people wanting to help and we are really excited about that.
When Di (That feels strange - I normally call her Mum) first emailed me with the idea, I was very enthused because knowing there is something I can do to make a difference in the world, even if it is only small, is a very rewarding feeling. Since then, as well as working on the site, I’ve also been knitting.
Let me just confess, here and now: I am a terrible knitter. And I’m terrible at finishing craft projects. When Di was home on holiday last year, she finished 3 jumpers and 3 hats in less time than in took me to knit half a baby-sized sweater. But I am soldiering on. My contributions to our cache so far has only been 2 beanies, but now that the website has arrived I’ll be focusing on creating some more items as well as trying to get the word out and arranging more delivery options for people.
Please do let us know if you are in an area where delivering items will be difficult for you. We will be doing what we can to make it easier for everyone.
We’ll be adding our first few free knitting patterns very soon to , starting with some simple hats that even terrible knitters like me can make.
But in the meantime… Thank you again for your support.
Yours,
Lani
Welcome to WinterWarm
Welcome, everyone, to The WinterWarm Project blog. It has taken us some time, but we are very excited to finally take our site live.
This being our first year we are still feeling our way but whilst the site was being built, we were not idle. Many people have been knitting and so we already have a small cache of winter woollies for our first shipment due to leave in October this year. We’re looking forward to seeing this grow between now and the shipment date. For now though, I’d just like to introduce myself and give you a little background on how The WinterWarm Project came about.
My name is Di James and I’m the founder of The WinterWarm Project. I’m an Australian teacher who has worked overseas, mostly in developing countries, for many years. I am currently living and working in Sudan. Last May I decided to quit smoking after 40 years of puffing away merrily. This in itself I did not find so terribly difficult, but I had a huge problem with my hands. I had to keep them busy or I would inevitably fall back into the tobacco trap. So… I started knitting.
I have an adorable grandson and knew he would be great to knit for because he was only little and I still wasn’t sure that I would enjoy it. But I did. I was captivated by the range of yarns and colours available and my desire to create went into overdrive. I knitted solidly for the month I was home in Australia and I made sure that I had plenty of yarn to take back with me. Of course, one baby can only wear so many clothes and so I had to find another outlet.
The WinterWarm Project is, in part, the result of that.
I had worked in Kabul in 2006 and was enchanted by the people there. My students were wonderful people, warm and appreciative, almost all wanting to help rebuild their country after so many years of war. Their respect and appreciation for education really amazed me. I was one of the teachers of the foundation programme for the newly established American University of Afghanistan and most of the students were adults wanting to gain entry to the degree courses. Many had studied in Pakistan and had only recently returned to Kabul.
One of my evening students, Sayed Farhad Hashemi, worked for Save the Children – Sweden/Norway and his written work was always interesting as he often wrote about the projects he was involved in. On leaving Kabul, I remained in touch with him and it was his letter about winter (which you can read in full on our Winter In Afghanistan page) that touched me so. I had long been wanting to do something to help, and with my new found passion for knitting, suddenly it seemed like there was something I could do. In fact, something many people could do. And thus…
The WinterWarm Project was born, and today we are live!
I would like to encourage all knitters and crocheters to pick up their needles or hooks and join us in making our first shipment a really great one.
Should you have any questions, or suggestions to help - or even if you just wish to say hello - please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d love to hear from you.
Once again, welcome and keep those needles clicking!
xx Di
