Mystic River Yarns

Warm Hands Warm Hearts

Mystic River Yarns joins the SECT Women's NETWORK Scintillation Mastermind Group to help reach the regional outreach goal of providing hand knitted and crocheted wool blankets and clothing to Afghans for Afghans, a humanitarian and educational people-to-people project that sends hand-knit and crocheted blankets and sweaters, vests, hats, mittens, and socks to the beleaguered people of Afghanistan.

Afghans for Afghans is a non-profit relief organization that works with reputable, experienced relief agencies to securely transport and distribute hand-knit and crocheted blankets and garments to suffering Afghans. Co-participants have included Church World Service, Afghans 4 Tomorrow, CURE Hospital, Roots of Peace, Airline Ambassadors, International Orphan Care, Afghan Relief Organization, World Concern, and Mobile Mini Circus for Children. This project is a partnership with the American Friends Service Committee, which has organized humanitarian missions for more than 80 years.

Most needed are mittens, socks, and sweaters for childrens sizes 2 -8, knit or crocheted with wool or wool blend fibers which provide the most warmth. Wool baby blankets for Kabul Hospital are needed. These items don't have to be fancy - simply warm, practical (colors are a plus!) and durable.

For more information about sharing your talent, time, compassion (and yarn stash!) for children in dire need, just call or visit Mystic River Yarns or click here for information about the non-profit Afghans for Afghans organization (plus some great free patterns for this endeavor).

Other features of participation in this effort are discounts for wool yarns purchased for this use, incentive certificates of $5 per 5 completed projects donated (which you can apply as credit to your account or designate as a monetary contribution to Afghans for Afghans relief work.

Our first weekly Sunday Warm Hands Warm Hearts gathering begins Sunday, August 16 through Sunday October 11, 2009. These Sunday gatherings (Sunday shop hours:11-4) are free to volunteer knitters and crocheters crafting for this cause. If you ever wanted to learn, practice or share skills (like starting that pair of socks or mittens with plenty of TLC on hand??), what better setting than among fellow Warm Hands Warm Heart-ers! Bring stash you'd like to use or share (and MRY will have free stash for participants' use). Use your own patterns and serendipity or use free patterns (and we'll have copies on hand for you to choose and use).

The regional collection date deadline is October 15, 2009. We hope you will join and share in whatever way that works for you. Together we all can make a difference.