Circle of friends on the left and the beginning of a shell stitch square on the right… both with yarn from Katy the Night Owl

It will soon be time to collect in the last of the masterpiece squares… a few more weeks and that will have to be the end. I’m expecting quite a few more to arrive before then, though. Yesterday I finished adding Flo’s squares, and I have a small collection of others that are edged but not yet stitched in. Plus, I keep getting inspired to make another square or two myself – currently a ‘circle of friends‘ square and a shell pattern square using yarn that Katy the Night Owl gave me on Wednesday (I wanted to mark our meeting within the masterpiece). Once all of the contributions and additions are stitched together I’ll be crocheting a border around the whole blanket to finish it off prettily… any suggestions for stitches to use gratefully received (I’ve made sure I have lots of yarn) as it’s not something that I have done before and I am dithering somewhat. If any squares do arrive after the blanket is completed, I’ll make a cushion to add to the set for extra comfort when I’m snuggled up thinking about my lovely friends who contributed.

The whole experience of creating a community work of art has been so inspiring to me, though, that I don’t want it to end. I will miss all the support and messages, not to mention the packages arriving through the mail. And so, as one lovely project ends, I have decided to embark on a new one… and you, dear readers, are amongst the first to know.

The current state of the masterpiece

In order to raise some money for the wonderful Denmark Farm, I am going to encourage our local community, and those further afield who want to support us, to create some blankets to raffle off. We are going to have a series of ‘Cake and Craft’ afternoons (the first being on 23 April) where people can come along and make squares or embellishments. We’ll be skill-sharing, making friends and raising money all at the same time, as well as drinking tea and eating cake. For those who can’t actually come along, we’ll be accepting donations of yarn or additions to the blankets. I’m hoping that some of our local groups and organisations, like the WI, may want to contribute too. To make it all as inclusive as possible, rather than just asking for knitted and crochet squares (although these will be welcome), I’m planning an applique tree of life blanket too. This is inspired by Kate Chiconi’s quilt, but will be stitched onto a woolly blanket and will include felt, embroidery, knitting, crochet… anything the makers feel like. I’m still firming up details, but hopefully this new challenge will be another fun way to use crafts to draw together a community and have a positive impact on the world… ah, yes, craftivism again.