1. Project 'Knit
the Distance'
Here's a letter from a customer who had a
great idea for supporting our troops that we'd like to
share:
"My
name is Leah Cope and I am married to Staff Sergeant
Robert Cope, who has been in the military most of his life
and is with the Michigan National Guard. His battalion the
1-182nd FA Battalion, which will be deployed to Iraq soon.
"For
every deployed soldier, there are family and friends who
wait and worry and do  their best to keep
the home fires burning. Reaching out with a gift even as
simple as a hand-knit yellow scarf can mean so much
because very often we feel alone.
"I
maintain the web site for the Family Readiness Group for the
182nd and I also work as a bartender at the Frankenmuth
Brewery in rural Frankenmuth Michigan, where I grew up and
sometimes sell scarves to co-workers that I have designed
myself. My mom taught me to knit when I was a teenager and
although I quit for a number of years, I picked it up with a
vengeance last Christmas.
 "I wanted to
teach other women like myself a hobby that could help them
get through the stress and emotional upheaval of
deployment. It’s more difficult than I ever imagined and
if it weren’t for knitting I would be having a much more
difficult time filling the lonely hours here without my
husband. We call our group "the Knit Squad" and
we are knitting scarves for every family in the 182nd. I
would also be happy to head up a campaign to distribute
scarves to other families of deployed soldiers.
"We
are knitting yellow scarves for the family of my husband’s
battalion and if we receive additional donations, we will
be happy to coordinate the donation of the scarves to the
families of other men and women in the service. Thanks for
providing the yarn for our families and for letting us
share our story. If everyone at home remembered our
soldiers overseas this winter by wearing yellow scarves,
it would be a symbol of solidarity with our men and women
in the military.
"Click
here to find out more about
the Knit Squad!"
Pick up your needles and hooks then wear
the yellow scarf to show your support of our troops abroad.
Download the free knit
or crochet
pattern. |
