Dear Soldiers

I wanted to start the week off by showing you what I have slowly been working on the last two months. 

In a Lion Brand Yarn newsletter, I saw a link for a group called the Sgt. Knit Witty Knitting Corp ©; which is a group that knits and crochets for our troops.

Just as soon as I read through what this group was about and what they set out to do, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.  I am still a very novice crocheter, but I saw this as a chance to push myself to learn more and to give back at the same time. 

After all, I am a military brat, coming from Army and Navy parents and grandparents.  I did not choose to serve myself, but there is a large piece of me that will always be dedicated to our troops, to their safety and well being; to their happiness.  That military influence makes me a lot of who I am today.

The mission was to hand knit/crochet 1000 caps and 500 booties to send with Christmas cards and candy to troops in Afghanistan.  Although I fell short of my goal to crochet four pairs of socks, I still feel good about contributing.  I also now have this sock pattern nearly memorized and can make one up in as little as about three hours now -- not bad for my skills!

We were also asked to include a little note along with our knits.  I sat for awhile with a blank piece of paper ... trying to figure out what to say.  But, once I started writing, it all flowed out pretty quickly.

Dear Soldier, you are my hero for all that you do!  For your bravery and willingness to serve!  God bless you and God bless America!

"The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by." -- Felix Adler

I then tied the two socks together with a piece of blue ribbon to try and keep them together.  I also think it adds a nice touch to make it feel a bit more like a gift.  Notice I tucked the cards into a sock!

Not only has it been fun to learn a new pattern or tell people why I am making socks.  It has also been fun to get to know this group of amazing knitters and crocheters!  If you are interested in joining, it's as simple as checking out there Operation Caregiver website and emailing Eva (Sergeant) here: emlamarmd@gmail.com  I know there will be future mailings/missions and the more the merrier!!  Due to the large turn out we were able to send knits to 2000 troops which is double the original goal! 

Not at knitter?  You can read more about forming a Dedicated Dozen which send a care kit to one American trooper at a primitive base in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan.

I will also be linking this post to Midweek Blues entry hosted by Rebbeca over at The Dusty Cellar.  Check out other cures for the Midweek Blues there!

I'll leave you with this quote from the Operation Caregiver website... for me it says all the right things about getting into action -- means a lot to me -- especially as we approach Veterans Day!

"It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little. Do all you can. Do all you can, for all the people you can, for as long as ever you can." - Rev. Smith