cocoons

I've been cranking out cocoons lately. My goal is to make all the cocoons I can make with these two skeins or until I get tired of making cocoons LOL. So far, I've made the ones pictured here plus one more pink which was already sent out. The pink is Bernat Baby Sport Tiny Tulips and the blue is Bernat Baby Sport Funny Prints.

These are going to two places - Heartstrings of Houma and God's Tiny Angels. 

Although I am using my own pattern, I wanted to mention that Heartstrings has a pattern for a preemie cocoon/sacque which uses a formula I thought was interesting. At first I was like ugh math so I went my own way, creating my own pattern. But then I went back to it and once I actually did the math, it wasn't difficult at all. Kaci has kindly allowed me to share the details here.

Basically you use the length of the baby. If you don't have a specific baby in mind, no worries. Babies come in all sizes. Your cocoon will fit someone. The figures come from that starting point. (See chart below)

The formula is Length divided by 3.14 to get the diameter of your cocoon bottom. You round up to a whole number so using the "if it's less than half go down, if it's more than half go up" you will essentially be using 3 diameters - 4, 5 and 6".

Here is the chart to refer to. Click to make it larger so you can actually read it.

I'll save you the trouble of doing the figuring, however.
For babies 11.8" to 13.8" diameter is 4". That is 23 to 27 weeks gestation.
For babies 14.4 to 16.7" diameter is 5", That is 28 to 32 weeks gestation.
For 17.2" it was 5.5"so I was flummoxed whether to go up or down. LOL
For 17.7 to 20.2" diameter is 6". That is 34 to 41 weeks gestation.

To determine length of cocoon (which determines how many rounds to do) you just subtract 2 from the listed length. In other words If the length is 15", you might make your cocoon 13"'.

Here it is in chart form:

These are just guidelines, of course. For the length, I would probably just get an approximate measure. I'm not going to try and get to 9.8 but if it's around 9 1/2" to 10" I'd call it good. My thought is that if it is too long, you can fold it over. If it's too short, the baby won't be fully covered.

Note that the cocoon at Heartstrings uses velcro. I don't put velcro on mine. My past experience with velcro and yarn has been less than successful, especially in the wash. That said, if you are interested in adding it, you might like to make a sample and give it a try.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Marine Corps Kids

Here is another interview with the coordinator of a very special charity effort geared towards the children of military families - in particular the U.S. Marines. I've sprinkled photos throughout (with permission) so you can see some of the work donated to this fine organization.

The name of this organization is Marine Corps Kids.

You can find the web sites at:
http://marinecorpskids.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marine-Corps-Kids/334315596070
http://www.marinecorpsfamilyfoundation.org/troop-support-project-operation-marine-corps-kids/

I'd like to thank Delia from taking the time to answer these questions and for all her work through the years for this worthy effort. 

Below is the interview.

Please introduce yourself and let us know your position or connection with the organization.
My name is Delia Igo.   Deb Conrad and I founded Marine Corps Kids in 2007 with the support of the Marine Corps Family Foundation.

How and when did the organization begin?
In 2007 I was doing a lot of crochet work for charity.  I was new to crochet, and was trying to turn all of my friends into crochet nuts like me.  I had a large group of acquaintances who met on the internet and became true real-life friends.  I recruited them to join me in making a patchwork blanket to donate.  One of my friends suggested that we donate the blanket to the family of a fallen Marine.  We created a beautiful blanket and a book of personal messages for the family.

It was a meaningful project for all of us, but it was shadowed by loss and sadness.  I thought how nice it might be to begin a similar project to send to the mother of a newborn whose husband/partner was deployed overseas.  I can only imagine how bittersweet it must be for a mother to welcome her new baby while the father was away and in danger.  The mother would be delighted with her new baby, but exhausted and stressed.  The father would have to wait months to meet his new child.  A gift to the family would be a kind gesture of support, and a way to thank the family for its service and sacrifice.

My friend, Deb Conrad, was a Marine Corps Mom whose son was in Iraq at the time.  Shane served three tours of duty overseas.  Deb and fellow Marine Corp Mom Connie Riecke, were founders of the Marine Corps Family Foundation - an organization that supported various projects starting with Operation Santa which sent holiday stockings to deployed Marines.

Deb suggested that instead of providing one gift to one family, we look to create an organization that would support the newborns of many deployed service men and women.  She had recently won a grant from the VA, and generously offered to donate those funds towards such a project.  With that donation Marine Corps Kids was founded.

In the beginning I used various crocheting and knitting websites to recruit donors for Marine Corps Kids.  Deb worked with Family Readiness Officers on base to identify families with newborns and assist in the distribution of care packages.  As social media became more popular, it became easier to reach out to donors and military families.

The Marine Corps Family Foundation continues to support the efforts of Marine Corps Kids by paying for our shipping fees.

What is the purpose of this organization?
The sole purpose of Marine Corps Kids is to support the families of our service men and women.  While our distribution efforts are mostly to Marines and their families, we are delighted to send care packages to families from any branch of the military.

How many others, besides yourself, are involved in leadership?
At this point I am recruiting donors, accepting donations, putting together care packages including items from various donors, and shipping these items to Family Readiness Officers on base and/or families with newborns.

Connie Riecke continues to manage the activities of the Marine Corps Family Foundation.  She helps to identify additional FROs that we can work with, and funds all of our shipping costs.

On a side note, we have no overhead other than our shipping charges.  Our donors are incredibly generous in sending beautiful hand-crafted gifts for the babies, and I have some wonderful friends who help me put together the gift bundles.  Monetary donation to Marine Corps Kids (which can be made through the Marine Corps Family Foundation site) are used solely to cover our shipping costs.

Do you personally deliver the collected items to the intended recipients? If you do not, who does and how do you ensure that the items get where they need to be?
In order to respect the privacy of the families who receive gifts from MCK, we work with the Family Readiness Officers on bases to help us distribute gifts.  In this way the names and addresses of the families are kept private.  This also helps us to minimize costs and shipping many gifts to one address is much less expensive than shipping gifts individually.  On occasion I am contacted by a military mom or family and friends of expecting moms.  When that occurs, I am happy to send a gift directly to the family.

How can fiber crafters help? What types of items do you accept?
We are delighted to accept gifts from fiber crafters, and do not place many restrictions on donations.  Donations should be new hand crafted items. We ask simply that all donations be baby-appropriate in size, color and material.  Yarns and fabrics should be of soft, and washable fibers.  We discourage the use of wool as many babies have sensitivities or allergies to wool.  We also ask that items sent from homes with pets or smokers be pre-washed.  (I have a wonderful cat and dog, and I know that I can't get through my knit, crochet, or weaving projects without a little pet fiber mixed in.  Babies don't need that extra gift.)

Do you accept all types of crafting - knitting, crochet, loom, quilting, cross-stitch, plastic canvas etc.?
Yes!  We are happy to accept any new and baby safe hand-crafted items.

Quilt by 13yo Christina

Are there any special tips or requirements for the items needed?
Yarns should be soft and machine washable.  Avoid wool.  Items should be sized appropriately for newborns and babies.

It is understandable that you need to have a person's contact information in case there is a problem and for recordkeeping. Do you allow participants to remain anonymous to those who receive the items?
Donors are welcome to tag their items with their name and with a short message of thanks to the families.  Items received without such tags are sent anonymously.

Is there a particular item that you yourself enjoy making more than any other?
In the beginning I was an avid crocheter.  I crocheted many hats, blankets and sweaters for the babies.  A few years ago I began to weave, and enjoyed creating blankets on my loom.  More recently I learned to knit.  Now I like to make hats and sweaters for the little ones.

Does your family participate in your charity effort? If so, how? If not, are they supportive of your work?
My husband, Brian, was extremely supportive of my work with Marine Corps Kids.  Sadly he passed away last year.  Without his support, I don't think that Marine Corps Kids would have grown as quickly as it has. [Sandie: I'd like to express my deepest sympathies to Delia on the loss of her husband. Big kudos to her for continuing this work even as she continues to grieve.]

Do you have any humorous stories to tell?
No, but I have hundreds of heartwarming stories about our donors, their contributions, and their gratitude to our military and their families.

What do you feel makes folks hesitate to participate in a charity that is not a 501(c) charity other than tax benefits? What would you say to convince them your effort is honest and trustworthy?
I don't know what makes people hesitate.  What I do know if that crafters enjoy sharing their talent.  Most of our donors have continued to send gifts for many years.  They are a wonderful supportive group who sincerely love what they do and love supporting the families.  While I haven't met many of our donors in real life, I have established many friendships through my work with this organization.

Who should a volunteer contact for more information on this organization?
They can contact me by e-mail at delia.mck@gmail.com, or they can leave messages on our facebook page or blog site.

Do you have any advice for anyone trying to start their own charity effort?
Do it.  If something is near and dear to your heart, it will be near and dear to the hearts of others.  Use your online resources to find those people and watch your organization grow.

Is there anything else you'd like people to know about your charity effort or you personally?
I would like people to know how truly grateful I am to all of the wonderful people who support Marine Corps Kids and make what we do possible.  I am in awe of their talent and humbled by their unending generosity.

Thank you again to Delia for sharing this insight into Marine Corps Kids. If this effort touches your heart, please consider donating an item or two.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Gods Tiny Angels

One of the biggest charity donation seasons is Christmas. Since we're a bit past that now, I thought I'd highlight a few worthy charity efforts of which you may not be aware. Perhaps one of them will touch you and fill that holiday lull. My plan is to interview the coordinator of a few charities and share the insights here.

The first charity I'm going to highlight is God's Tiny Angels. You can find the web site here.

I am familiar personally with this charity and recommend it. Danette does beautiful work herself and is a very caring, compassionate person who enjoys helping these wee babes. In just the past 9 years (the records that could be immediately accessed) God's Tiny Angels has donated approximately 100,000 items to the babies and their parents.

Here is the interview. I've added a few pictures of previously donated items to give a sampling of what has been collected recently. The pictures are not related to the interview questions. I just sprinkled them in. I do not know who made what items but they are all beautiful. Note that some are store bought, some are knitted or crocheted so anyone can help.

Please introduce yourself and let us know your position or connection with

the organization. How and when did the organization begin? 

My name is Danette LeMaster and I started God's Tiny Angels in the fall of 1998 after searching the web one day and found another place taking preemie blankets. 

I sent several boxes there and then thought about my own NICU where my son spent a week when he was born. I contacted my local hospital and after a lot of red tape and an assurance that this would not be a one time thing I got the green light!! So I took care of this hospital alone for the first few months making 40 blankets a month. Then decided to start my group and what a better name than God's Tiny Angels as this is what all babies are and especially the tiny preemies.

What is the purpose of this organization?  

The purpose of my group is to let the parents who are going thru this trying time know that some one cares. I especially know as, like I said, my youngest son was in there for a week and someone crocheted a little hat for him and I still have that hat 27 years later. I have received letters from families who are so appreciative that even though we do not know them that we care...

How many others, besides yourself, are involved in leadership?

I have 70 other members in my group that make or buy items for the preemies and newborns. I am the only one that is over the group, Everything comes here and I wash, bag, tag, box up and send to the appropriate hospitals.

Do you personally deliver the collected items to the intended recipients? If you do not, who does and how do you ensure that the items get where they need to be?  

I deliver to my local hospital but the rest of the items I ship by fedex ground. I include a self addressed envelope that the hospitals send back with their wishes for certain items or just to let us know they made it to their destination.

How can fiber crafters help? What types of items do you accept? 

We accept anything from micro preemie to size 6 as we also help the wic dept with clothing for children there. We also accept pacifiers, bibs, spoons, bottles, comb/brush set, socks, booties, all items can be store bought or hand crafted.

[Sandie: You can find more photos of donations at the web site here.]

Are there any special tips or requirements for the items needed? Yarn colors, finished size of items, yarn used (wool, acrylic, sport, worsted, bulky...)  

Absolutely NO wool permitted. Not too picky on yarn colors just no drab colors. Some mothers like the traditional pastels where other mothers like the bright colors. No heavy 4 ply yarn for preemie clothing as they are already so tiny and the 4 ply is overwhelming. We do use 4 ply for preemie blankets. Preemie blankets need to be at least 20x20 unless for burial and then we can use the 15x15 in baby yarn.

It is understandable that you need to have a person's contact information in case there is a  problem and for record keeping. Do you allow participants to remain anonymous to those who receive the items? 

Yes

Is there a particular item that you yourself enjoy making more than any other? 

I would say my favorites are blankets, sweaters and dresses

Does your family participate in your charity effort? If so, how? If not, are they supportive of your work? 

My husband is very supportive of what I do as he knows this is my passion. My kids and even my dad buy me yarn sometimes so I would say I definitely have their support!

Do you have any humorous stories to tell?

Well this may not seem funny to some but to me it's not only humorous but unbelievable. I have been hometown hero here in our town twice. At the end of the interview I always asked if anyone here would like to help to give me a call and provided my telephone number. I had about 4 calls. The first 2 calls said they would love to donate some yarn so we set up a time for me to go pick it up and both callers called back and said they couldn't find the yarn! The other 2 callers wanted to know how much it paid if they helped to make things for the little ones!!! I told them it pays nothing, it is given freely from the heart.,.. So needless to say I have no help from anyone in my own town.

What do you feel makes folks hesitate to participate in a charity that is not a 501(c) charity other than tax benefits? What would you say to convince them your effort is honest and trustworthy? 

I have not really had any problems because I am not a 501 (c) charity. My website speaks for itself and I share any thank yous from hospitals or parents and some of the members also receive thank yous so they know their items are being given to the wee ones.

Who should a volunteer contact for more information on this organization?

Danette LeMaster 1533 Lincoln Dr Huntington WV 25704  Phone number 304-429-3126

Do you have any advice for anyone trying to start their own charity effort?

Just be patient as it takes time get a charity going. Be honest and up front with your group and run your group, be active, don't just have  a group and never communicate with them.....

Is there anything else you'd like people to know about your charity effort or you personally?

I have been doing this since 1998 [Sandie: 16 years!] and it is my baby. I love the feeling of knowing that we have helped make a difficult situation a little better by letting these families know we care.  The newborn hospital that we donate to the most has a lot of mothers who have nothing. So a

blanket, hat, sleeper is so appreciative as I was told at one time some mothers only had the t-shirt and diaper to take their babies home in. I have no plans of ever stopping my charity as there is always a need out there to help a baby.

I have generally found that folks have a heart for certain types of charity efforts - babies, homeless, cancer patients or whatever. If this one touches you, touch base with Danette and get started helping the babies. 

Thank you to Danette for her kindness in answering my questions and giving us a close-up view of God's Tiny angels.

I hope you enjoyed the interview! I hope to have more in the coming weeks.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie