FOR MY SISTER

I knew right away that I wanted to be a part of this wonderful project, and hope in some small way my contribution can make a difference in the fight of Cancer. While I have had several people, family and friends, lose their battle with cancer, I wanted to do this project in honor of one special person, my youngest sister, Marcy, who at the age of 44 lost her battle of bladder cancer in January 2000. She was extremely courageous during her fight, and even though she knew early on that she was terminal, she never wanted us to know. I am very proud of the person she was, and hope that she is looking down on me and knows how much I love her, and miss her. So, this is for you Sis-




My intention was to make one square of each color, but time ran out. Here are the other squares I made-

OK, my turn, I really feel honored to be able to do this!

I got the Great Jimbo Hook and got right to crocheting. This hook is fantastic, very light, very easy on the hands, and just gorgeous to look at...Thanks Jimbo, now I guess I have to buy one...

I began with PINK, I have three close friends who have had Breast Cancer, they are all doing well, one has been cancer free for over 20 years... And I did one for me, I have had two scares TG they were both benign. So here are the Pink ones:



And then I went to the Orange ones, I have a very good friend who is battleing Leukemia right now, she has spent over a month in the hospital (training one) and is getting better but is hard for her, she lost her only son in a car wreck and has never totally recovered from that and now this, she is just the sweetest person you would ever meet....so these are for her.



Then I made 2 Blue ones for Prostrate Cancer, I lost my Dad and FIL from this cancer so I made them each one:



The next two were one Green for Kidney cancer, my Dad had lost a Kidney to cancer, and the Dark Blue for my DH, he doesn't have cancer but they did find some PRE cancer in the colon so I want to make sure they keep working on that.



So those are the ones I made with the Jimbo Hook....... They were made with lots of LOVE, PRAYER, AND REFLECTING. I really want to Thank Jimbo and Bonnie for doing this, it is a great cause.

I also made Two Black and Two White Squares for other cancers. There are so many people I know who have been touched by this terrible disease that if I crocheted a square for each of them, the hook would have to live with me,but I have gotten it ready to send on...I know others are anxious to get to their chance to use it. SO AGAIN THANK YOU ALL FOR DOING THIS.

Prayers and good well wishes to all:





These are all clickable.

For Past, Present and Future Victims of this Disease

I want to first thank Angelfire for all of her hard work that is just beginning, for organizing and administering this venture, this blog, and for allowing me the opportunity to participate. I also want to thank (and curse, lol!) Jimbo for creating and donating Sonny's hook. When I mailed this beautiful hook on to Darlene (Needle Arts) it left a void in my hook case that will have to be filled.
As I started my first square (about five minutes after I tore open the package) I thought to myself that I was pretty lucky. I've never had anyone I was really close to pass away from cancer. Then I thought a little more, and I was shocked at how many names I could come up with of people I know who have lost someone to the disease, and people who've been diagnosed but are in remission. One of grandfathers passed away three years before I was born. I had a great uncle who had a brain tumor. My grandmother had to have a colostomy after being diagnosed with colon cancer. My best friend's father was diagnosed with skin cancer and passed away within the space of four or five months. Myfather-in-law has been in remission since I've known him. I grew up in a small town, there were only eighteen people in my high school graduating class and four of them have lost a parents to cancer. And we're still young! I only graduated eight years ago, we shouldn't have to worry about losing our parents yet, we're just beginning to present them with grandchildren. And that's just the beginning. I have never sat down and made a list like this before, it has really opened my eyes to the scope of this disease. So I dedicate my squares, as my title says, to all past present and future victims. I hope my small contribution brings some help and hope.

On to the technical stuff:
I posted pics of the five squares that I got done to the photo bucket account. I've never bloged before (first blog entry ever!) and I'm not sure how to post pics so you can view them there until I figure it out. I found all of these patterns from links at crochet pattern central http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/8in_squares.php

Square 1: called "Eternity Squared" This is a free pattern by our own Krystal16 at crochetville, you can find it here (http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=52389) As I posted in the TH II thread at Crochetville, I was working on this one while we waited to watch the fireworks at the Regina Canada Day celebrations. I thought it was kind of cool that the hook was here for that during it's only Canadian stop. The square worked up quick and the directions were easy to follow. Thanks for the pattern Krystal!

Square 2: "Granny Heart Square" by Vimala Vignesh. I'm not sure that I'd use this pattern again. I think I may have done something wrong, the hearts on my square are not as defined as I thought they should be. Oh well.

Square 3: "Arches" from Dayna's Crochet. I did like the look of this square, I would use it again. I used a rather bright variegated yarn for this, I wasn't sure if you all would approve or not. It did combine a lot of the colours on the list though, so I took a chance and used it. I like the colours, I'm going to use more this yarn to make a summer halter for my dd.

Square 4: This one is all me ***preen*** I hope it can be used, I'm rather proud of it. This was the first time I ever tried graphing. The edges of the letters are a little unclear, but my six year old could read it so I figure it's okay. I didn't use Sonny's hook for this, I used an F in order to keep my gauge tight enough for the carried yarn from showing through too much.


Square 5: called "Mikey's Square" by Laurie Clark. I love this square, it's got a real optical illusion deal going on that doesn't show up very well in my picture. I think I'm going to use this square to make an afghan for a girl who's babysat my dd for me a lot over the past four years, she's graduating this coming school year (the babysitter, not dd). I'm, also thinking of using it to make an afghan for my brother. If I can stand weaving in all the ends!! 16 ends per square!

I think I've got these in the right order, I loaded the pictures on Photobucket, then when I went back to check the site is undergoing maintenance and won't let me in. I'll edit this if need be.

I was having trouble with my guage, you may notice that I had to add an extra row or two on these squares to make them eight inches across. Has anyone else had that problem?

So that's it for me. I'm not sure now if I liked being first or not! No, I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone else created with the Sonny's hook, and reading your stories here on the blog. I know I'll be checking back often. We seem to be doing very well so far, the hook has already reached it's third person! That's almost 1/10th of the way through the list. In the meantime, I wish the rest of you the best of luck, neverending yarns and a Jimbo hook!!

Dedicated to a special woman

Yesterday I received the "Sonny hook".

I am honored to be the first person to crochet a square in memory of some one very special.

This woman was the person that was my first example of true compassion. I remember falling while skating and she picked me up and set me rolling along again.From the time I was a young child, I wanted to grow up to be just like her. She was a foster parent for more than 40 years, giving love and understanding to more than 100 children along with three children of her own. She was my first Sunday school teacher and also the first Sunday school teacher for my children along with 100's of others. She was a wife, mother, a sister and a friend. She touched the lives of everyone she met and even those she will never have a chance to meet because of the lives she changed while she was alive. She taught me to believe in myself and to look for the good in everyone I meet. She was my Aunt Leona. She had a liver cancer and then a transplant and the cancer returned overtaking all of her body. She fought to live and to love. She lost her fight in January 2006.

I made a Circle of Friends square in her honor as she had a never-ending circle of friends. The circle of love will continue as long as her memory stays alive.

Thank you Aunt Leona for helping me become the compassionate, loving woman that I have become. Thank you for showing me how to be courageous even when life gives me the cherry pits instead of the cherry pie. You are with me every day and I will continue to try to be as honorable and courageous as you were.

I have other family members and friends that have been touched by cancer. I will make each of them a square when the hook returns to me at the end of it's travels. All of them are important to me but this one was what inspired me to do this project.

The hook is now on the way to Canada. The patina will grow with each square created with the love and compassion of each member. It will have a warmth from touching each of our hearts.

I dedicate this hook to Sonny

Years and years ago when I was 4 and Sonny was 6 we lived up on Deadman Creek (we call it the Crick) on a ranch. We played carefree in those days, unaware of the hardships of life on the Crick.. poor was for the city folk who didn't have a Crick or a Ranch. Ah but we had spring fed water and on special occasions when the battery was charged, we had electric lights.
But we spent some of the most cherished and memorable times of our lives up there, playing in a spring that ran down the hill from the woods to the Crick. We'd float sticks along and look for frogs, and Sonny would keep us laughing.
Ah but years go by and folks grow up, and Sonny moved away. But his infrequent visits always had us laughing again and talking dreamily of the times we had up on the Crick. Sonny had a way about him. He had a serious side, i guess, but to us he was a constant source of laughter, even if he didn't have the intention. His voice and bright eyed smile couldn't help but be infectious.


Sonny died of lung cancer.

One of his most intense wishes always was to come back home to the Ranch. That wish was intensified as he became aware of his ever shortening life. Cancer didn't care. It took Sonny before he could come home.

But Sonny is home now. His ashes are in the monument we built, next to the little spring where we used to play. And though his memory still brings a smile, its always through a tear. And I don't spend a day working on the cabin there, that i don't think how fun it would be if Sonny was there helping.

So I dedicate this hook, and i know Sonny would approve, as our contribution toward a cure, that one day someone else's Sonny will not have to return home in such sadness and tears.

Sonny was a crafter, and made lots of fun things, and I'm sure he would approve of a hand made hook made to travel about on a mission to help find a cure for the disease that took him away.

So please, as you receive this hook and make your squares, think a bit of your own Sonny... I'm sure we all have them. You're doing a good and honorable thing in his memory by helping the folks who work for a cure.

Thank you so much for participating, and thank you for the honor you give me in starting this journal.

Jimbo

A new beginning.

I am starting this blog to serve as a virtual journal as suggested by one of the members. The hook will be traveling to 38 total members with three members on a waiting list, hoping that the hook travels quickly. It will travel to Canada(Reneva) and the following states;
Washington (Needle Arts)
Oregon (vonnie)
Idaho (2) (Jessi, Cookie Hooker)
California (deedes)
Colorado (nana)
Texas (3) (beth eathorne)
Oklahoma (Jazziblu)
Nebraska(2) (Crochet_hen, KathyWho)
North Dakota (Midds)
Iowa (2) (JoBug, Salos)
Wisconsin (3)(KellyA))
Michigan (3)
Indiana (2) (kittyloverdeb)
New York
Connecticut(2)
New Jersey
Pennsylvania (2)
Virginia (5)
Kentucky
Alabama
North Carolina
South Carolina
Florida (2)
before returning back to Wisconsin.

The hook will be given to a name drawn at random from all participants.

Let's get hooking.
http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/Travelinghook_II/