Tag Archives: charity

Knitting For Charity

Posted on by Abi

Here at Angel Eden we are always looking for creative ways to use up left over pieces of materials from our various crafts. So when we heard that Oxfam were looking for knitters to help them raise funds we were keen to get involved.

Anne and I both have a huge amount of leftover wool from various projects, too nice to throw away but too small to use this seemed like a wonderful opportunity to not only clear some space but help out a worthy cause at the same time.

The idea is simple, enthusiastic knitters knit small squares which can then be sewn into a larger blanket. These are then taken along to local and national festivals and sold to raise funds for the charity. In 2010 the blankets raised £6000 at just one music festival alone!

We began by knitting six inch squares, but it soon became apparent that it would take a considerable amount of time to complete a 6ft by 4ft blanket. With this in mind we are endeavouring to enlist fellow knitters in this most worthy of causes.We have had a great response on Twitter already but are now hoping to get you guys involved as well.

If you would like to join in and help us to make as many blankets as possible then here’s what you need to do:

Squares are knitted in double knitting yarn on size 8(4mm) needles. We cast on 30 stitches and knitted 56 rows in garter stitch to make a square.

Basically we are looking for six inch squares knitted in any colour of DK yarn and we will sew them together into blankets.

Contact Anne or myself by email, facebook or through Twitter for details of where to send your completed squares.

Thanks again!

 

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Together For Short Lives Charity Video

Posted on by Abi

I was recently contacted by the charity ‘Together For Short Lives‘.  You might recognise the name as this year’s X-Factor charity single is supporting this very worth while cause.

The charity estimates that there are approximately 23,500 children and young people in the UK unlikely to reach adulthood. Together For Short Lives is the only charity currently working to ensure these children and their families get the care and support they need, whenever or wherever they need it.

To help raise awareness this short video has been released and I was glad to be able to share it with you all.

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Displays, Mdf and Charity

Posted on by Abi

At Angel Eden we have been working quite hard in recent months to improve our display equipment. These are the items we loan out to galleries and shops to hang the jewellery from, we also use it to display our work when we visit shows. We had a vision but that was about it, we might be handy when it comes to silver but we’re less keen on wielding a jigsaw or drill. Anne began looking for a company that might be able to make our ideas become a reality and we came across Claro Enterprises. This company is also a sheltered workshop and charity helping people with mental illnesses gain valuable skills and self confidence. The charity sells all items created and the resulting income helps keep the workshop running. Anne created a simple mock up out of cardboard and Claro very swiftly made our design out of mdf, the prototype looked perfect and we instantly placed a larger order.

Claro also sells ready made designs through their website, Anne bought the mdf mini chest seen here. Using methods I have described in previous posts the chest was painted and then decorated with our favourite Italian papers, we are very pleased with the end result, it would make a lovely jewellery chest.

I thought I would share this company with you all as we have been so pleased and impressed by them. If you get a moment do take a look at their site, as all the money goes to a good cause it really is worth thinking of them should you need any mdf blanks.

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