Hats for Sailors ...and other stuff

Greetings Friends! 

As most of you already know, Shanti deployed on her ship last week. 

I have decided to take on a major project and am enlisting the help of our fellow knitters.  Shanti will be taking command of the Decatur sometime in December.  As her mother I would like to support every sailor on the ship at Christmas.  I spoke to Shanti about this before she left and she gave me some ideas.  So, here’s my plan.

I would like to put together a gift box for every sailor who will be under her command … there are 278 on board ... you can see some of them lined up on the ship as it pulls out.  Some of the ideas that Shanti gave me for these gift boxes are:

•  cash donations that can be used to purchase some of the items below because we can buy in bulk in some cases  … Costco is a wonderful resource.

•  if you have kids, contact their schools and ask the teacher to take on a project of having the kids write letters to the sailors (male and female).  The sailors absolutely love this!

•  playing cards

•  silly, fun stuff like silly putty, silly string, etc.

•  movies (DVD)

•   toothbrushes / floss / toothpaste (I’ve already approached my dentist who is helping out with this one)

•   games (card games, Yahtzz, Phase 10, Uno, etc.)

•   greeting cards that they can send to loved ones while they are deployed

•   postage stamps

And here’s where our knitting friends come in … Shanti says that washable wool hats are a much needed item because the ship is always cold.  
   I would like to start a hat-making drive for this project.  Plain hats are fine, or, if you are so inclined, be creative … at times they have silly hat days where there are prizes awarded for the most creative hats.  And we need at least 278 adult-sized hats … mostly men and a few women.  If we get more than that we can always have them sent to other ships.  Are you willing to knit hats for sailors who are away from their loved ones trying to keep our world a little safer?  If so, start those needles flying. Maybe put a little tag on it with a message for the sailor who receives your precious gift.

I am also working with some large corporations to get either donations or stuff to send.  If you know of another company I should contact please let me know … contact your own company to see if there are willing to make a donation to this cause.

Deadline:  We need to get this effort completed by Nov. 1 so we can get the gift boxes put together and sent off to the ship no later than Nov. 15.  It can take a long time for large shipments to arrive.  The good thing is that Shanti’s dad flies aircraft into the region and may be able to transport our gifts to Bahrain where we will work with the Navy to transport it to the ship.  There are many challenges to the logistics of this but that will be part of my job.

My e-mail address is: lengelbert@gmail.com.  Let me know when you are ready and I’ll give you my address.  I’ll keep a running tally and let everyone know how we are proceeding to our goal.  And there will be pictures … lots of pictures.

Don’t forget to pass this along on your own blogs, and recommend others to put this out … together we can really make this a great success.

Thank you in advance for anything you might be able to contribute to this worthy effort.

Shanti's Mommy (AKA Lynne)

Comments

[Cindy]

Shanti's Mom, you continue to amaze me! You rock! Count me in!

[Cathy]

Lynne, this is such a wonderful effort! I'm posting it on Ravelry.

[Sylvia]

Lynne, I was just thinking yesterday that it was time to cast on something for The Ships Project. Will do yours first. I'll time the first hat and give you a rough idea of how many I can churn out -- I have a stash of Wool-Ease. I live relatively near you and can probably get a day off to come help with the packaging closer to the mailing date if you'd like.

[Wendy]

What a wonderful idea! I will blog about this tonight!

[Susan]

Are there any restrictions to style, color, type of hat?

[Lauren Kowalczewski]

HI Lynne,

Our Armed Forces are in my prayers every single night. This is a wonderful undertaking and I would love to be a part of it. I'll shop for some yarn right away!

Lauren in W MI

[Arlene Hoose]

Hi Lynne
Great idea. Count me in. Send me
a mailing address so I can ship this
to you.

[bwya]

I saw the comment about wool-ease and as an Army mom (x2) I wondered about Navy requirements. Does the Navy have the same requirements as the Army... only 100% wool? The Army requires wool because unlike synthetics or cotton, it doesn't burn or melt once the flame is removed. The requirement is for the soldier's safety.

I hope to get a hat done for you soon. You know, to prove that when I say, "Go Army, Beat Navy" that I still love the sailors! :)

[Barbara]

Details on washing instructions? Does it have to be machine wash and dry? I'm guessing hand wash is a problem at sea. I'm having trouble finding yarn. Thanks!

[Jeannie]

Great idea! I'm so glad I heard about this. I've posted it to my knitting group on Sparkpeople.com

[Becky]

I'm in, too! I'm also sharing this on my blog.

[Nadine]

Wool is warmer than acrylics too.
Nadine

[Dawn O]

Great Project. My hubby is retirned Navy so I think I will be able to whip a hat or two out before the deadline. Thanks for sharing the project.

[lorrwill]

Are there color restrictions? Some branches of the service have them...

[Laura47]

I'm in! I'll email privately for the mailing address. And I note the requirement for washable wool, so this narrows my stash down to some of the nicest yarns -- which is only appropriate! My husband works at a large military hospital, so I know how much our men and women give in service to our country. A hat is the least we can do for them!

[Kareena]

This is the first time I have posted on anyone's blog. I want to let you know that I feel privileged to be able to support the troops in this way. It is a very personal thing to be able to wear a hand made hat. I love the idea of being able to make whatever colors and style we want. This will make each hat that much more special.

I made three hats. Each one has 11 cables. I didn't have a stash of superwash wool because I have just discovered that I am not allergic to it. I went to a LYS and bought one skein last week. I made the hat so quickly that I went back and bought two more. All three are finished.

I found that the skein was $10.00. Nornally, I don't spend that much for charity projects; however this project is something extra special. I agree that is it appropriate to spend money on materials for the people who give so much for us.

I found some Christmas stationery in the garage lately and will be hand writing a note to each recipient on the Christmas paper.

Thank you for organizing this effort.

[Kareena]

I am thrilled to be able to help out with this project.

I, too, believe that the sailors deserve our very best. I do quite a bit of charity knitting and usually send things made from acrylic. I purchased three skeins of superwash and was able to get one hat out of each skein.

Thank you for organizing this project.

[Cecania Tallmade]

Sailors really need to be loaded with supplies for their journey and for their emergency needs. And aside from warm garments they also need dental supplies to keep them healthy. And the most important of them all are the things that make them feel special; letters and cards from their loved ones.

[cosmetic dentistry virginia]

Always a good idea to bring all the necessary supplies on any trip. It's best to be prepared for any eventuality.

[ron receveur]

I sure hope she brought a few toothbrushes and lots of toothpaste. It's not going to be pretty dealing with tooth decay on such a long journey.

[Periodontal disease cure]

Dental care is an important for one's health. When you care for your teeth, you'll have a bright smile and you won't have to worry about expensive and painful oral health issues. Use the tips that follow to help you be sure you know all there is to know about dental care.

[bedroom furniture]

great man :D