A 'Sunshine Blanket' brightens up my day!

Good morning and thanks for visiting 'SIBOL' today!

I am very pleased to be showing you some pretty Squares sent to me by GillyLilly here in the UK. They are so bright and cheerful ideal for an Elderly person's Blanket.

Some really lovely patterns here GillyLilly!

Not only did she send me beautiful Squares I also received an usual Blanket. I'm sure you can recognise the pattern  in this Blanket.

The African Flower Square. Doesn't it look superb? I think this Blanket is so bright and cheerful and I know it is going to certainly brighten someone's day up. Thank you so much GillyLilly I am very grateful to you for making and donating the Blanket.

It's certainly brightened up my day!

I love it, thank you!

x Sue x

Saturday's parcel delivery!

Good afternoon and welcome!

I have received four 'Sunshine Blankets' today. Three from B3ckv over on RAVELRY and one which was kindly assembled by 'jean nock' today.

Let's take a look at a Blanket made by B3ckv first.

This Sunshine Blanket is absolutely gorgeous. It is made in such pretty colours and it's a great size too.

I do hope you had fun making it B3ckv!

Thank you so much for making such a beautiful job.

The next Blanket was sent in to me by B3ckv, but the Blanket was  actually made by 'Lenice'. 

 What a beautiful pattern this is! Made in wonderful colours too.

I am very grateful to you too Lenice.

I really love this pattern. So pretty!

The next one was made by Joy. Lovely autumny colours this is another gorgeous Blanket.

Once again a beautiful pattern. Stunning.

You have all been working so hard for 'SIBOL'.

Just want you to know that I appreciate it very much.

These Blankets will be delivered as soon as possible to local Homes.

I have made a Slide Show for you!

Created with flickr slideshow. The fourth Blanket was assembled by 'jean nock' for me and the Squares were sent in by Antonia. Such pretty Pink and Grey Squares. Definitely another beautiful Blanket for SIBOL.

Love the Butterflies too thanks so much for your help 'jean nock'.
x Sue x 

Don't you just love Grannies?

Good Morning and welcome to 'SIBOL',

Today I have received three beautiful Granny Square Blankets from

'Jannine' here in the UK and I would like to thank her very much indeed.

Unfortuately, I have mislaid the mail address to acknowledge receipt of 

your work so if you are popping in please contact me on 

sueatpigsty@talktalk.net

I have however put a note in the post to you. So thank you very much.

'Jannine' these Blankets are so pretty.

I can see you have used quite a lot of your stash up in these Blankets.

They are so bright and cheerful and I know they will be terribly useful to the Elderly in the Homes.

I have found some pretty Ribbons and Butterflies to compliment your Blankets and I shall be taking these out as soon as I can. 

I am very grateful to you thanks so much for making them.

2 Granny Squares were also enclosed in the parcel and these will be put into future Blankets too.

Let's take a look at the Blankets now!

I've also made a Slide Show for you!

Sit back and enjoy!

Created with flickr slideshow.

I also had three other Granny Squares arrive in the post today from 'Lesley'.

These are made in such pretty yarn. Pastel colours I think are my favourite.

Thanks so much Lesley I am pleased you are still enjoying Crocheting!

Please scroll down on previous posts to see what's new.

I don't know whether anyone is interested but I am selling 25 Let's Get Crafting

Crocheting and Knitting magazines

I am having a de-clutter but also raising money for SIBOL.

There are lots of hidden costs and any proceeds will go towards

Stationery which involves Brochures and Cards for the Blankets.

Later on in the day.......

I have now finished assembling Squares from Grace.

Grace is 80 and lives in Sheltered Accommodation.

She loves Crocheting for SIBOL, she tells us that it's good exercise for her hands.

Thank you Grace. I know these Blankets are going to be loved.

x Sue x 

Let's Get Crafting magazines - For Sale. De-cluttering!

Good Morning and welcome!

'Let's Get Crafting' magazines for sale.

As you can appreciate there are many hidden costs with our 'SIBOL' Group.
The most expensive cost is stationery for the Group. This involves Cards for the Blankets and
Brochures which I hand out at the Homes I visit.

To raise money for these things I am having a de-cluttering exercise and I have 25 'Let's Get Crafting'
magazines for sale.

Are you interested at all?

These are the issues I have for sale.

Numbers 15, 19, 23, 25, 27, 28, 32, 33, 34 35,
               36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45,
               46, 47, 48, 49, 50,

A set of 25 Magazines is £50.00 Plus Post and Packing.
A set of 5 Magazines of your choice is £10.00 Plus Post and Packing.
They work out at £2.00 each. No yarn included.

I will ship abroad if you are willing to pay the Postage costs.
I would quote you. Thank you.

Please contact me
Sue on sueatpigsty@talktalk.net

Thank you!

It was nice to have Pippa visit me this morning. It was only a flying visit but she bought along a Blanket that she had put together for us.  Grace our 80 year old 'SIBOLETTE' had very kindly given her some Crocheted Squares and Pippa assembled the first one for us. She also bought more Squares for our 'SIBOL' project.

It's nice to know that Grace is still enjoying making Squares for us. Thank you for bringing them Pippa.

Pippa herself has been Crocheting a Square for our 500th Blanket. I am pleased you have made a Square for the Challenge and I can now make the Blanket up. Thanks very much. This is a wonderful idea.

Thanks for visiting today!

x Sue x

A new Sunshine Blanket from Scotland.

Good Evening and Welcome!

I have another Ta - Dah for you today! This Blanket arrived at SIBOL HQ this morning and I just can't wait to show you all. It has been made and donated by 'jenn1feranne' over on RAVELRY. She saw the pattern on RAVELRY and just couldn't wait to put that hook to work and start making it! It is made in such striking colours and definitely is very unusual.  'jenn1feranne' worked the Blanket up so quickly and I am very grateful to her for donating it to our Group for the Elderly.  I will be very pleased to take it along to Grove Care Home fairly soon. It is absolutely beautiful, such wonderful colours and I can imagine there was a lot of counting involved in this Blanket 'jenn1feranne'.

We are at present trying to think of a good name for it. Here it is.....

Perfect in every way, thank you so much. I've made a Slide Show for you, sit back and enjoy!


Created with flickr slideshow.
Have a good evening and thanks for visiting today!
x Sue x 

Grannies from Spain.

Good Morning and Welcome!

I am very pleased to be showing you some Squares received from my friend Edit in Spain.
I am so grateful to you Edit for making them for our Sunshine Blankets.
Our Blankets are always accepted so well in the Care Homes I visit and I know your Squares
in time will be used in our Blankets.

Such pretty Squares made in a beautifully coloured yarn, a joy to receive thank you!

Sending my very best wishes to you in Spain!

Thank you!

x Sue x 

'Darling Dahlias' and beautiful Challenge Squares arrive today!

Good morning to you!

Thanks for visiting the 'SIBOL' Blog. I would like to welcome everyone visiting us today. We certainly have had a busy week and I do hope you will scroll down to the previous posts and catch up. I have visited a Local Care Home this week delivering our 'Sunshine Blankets', received beautiful Blankets and Squares and I also watched a very interesting programme on BBC 4 called 'Fabric of Britain'. This really was very interesting, I particularly enjoyed the part about Knitting through the war time. I'm sure you will too.

I would like to say hello to anyone visiting us through 'Simply Crochet' because in Issue 10 we have had a great write up about our 'SIBOL' project and if you scroll down again you will be able to catch up with that too. I have already had enquiries about our work so I'm really pleased.

I would like to say at this point that we now have enough Squares for our special 500th Blanket so I can't accept anymore. Thanks to everyone that has taken part.  This is to celebrate the making of our 500th Sunshine Blanket although now we have reached 532 which is amazing! As soon as I take Blankets in to the Homes I get more delivered which is great and actually it's so nice that you are all helping me with the making of a whole Blanket because as you can realise this takes up a lot of time assembling and I have the uploading and Blogs to take care of too.

I do however need to publicise the 'Festivals' Challenge and you can find all information over on this Link to SIBOL CHALLENGES. I need Squares in as soon as possible. They can be 6" Knitted or Crocheted Squares with a 'Festivals' theme. I will give you some examples. We have had Squares in for a Wine Festival, Flower Festival, Fireworks Festival and there could be plenty more. Such as a Book Festival, Music Festival. The ideas are endless. Do you think you could make a Square for us? I would be very happy to accept it. Details are on SIBOL CHALLENGES thank you!

One of our 'SIBOLETTES' Sally is very good she takes cares of the Knitted Squares for me. One of our Ladies 'Irene' makes beautiful 6" Knitted Squares but as I am not too good assembling Knitted ones Sally very kindly takes care of this for me.  Saying this I have had around 90 Squares come in from a Scottish Craft Group and if anyone would like to assemble any for me please feel free to contact me. I don't want Sally to feel she has to take care of all of them. So if you have time on your hands and would like to help us that way please feel free to contact me.  My mail address is 'Sue' on sueatpigsty@talktalk.net

Now lets take care of what I have received today. Thank you!

On June 20th of this year, Beverly (baw1812)  over on RAVLERY very kindly invited Ladies to take part in her Dahlia Challenge.The Square in question is the Dahlia Square from Jan Eaton's 200 Block Book. Here's the Link to her project page. She asked if Ladies could make the Flowers in really bright colours and do the edge in any shade of green they have. She made a red one for a SIBOL June swap and also some yellow ones that she sent to me to  put in to other Blankets. I of course thought that this was a fantastic idea and soon after Ladies started sending their Squares to Bev.   Well today I have received the Blanket back and I am so excited to be showing you.

The Blanket is called 'Darling Dahlias' and it's absolutely superb.

I have to thank Bev and everyone else for taking part in this special Challenge.

Here it is.

As you can see Bev has made beautiful Butterflies co-ordinating very well indeed with the rich colour used on the border. Cream for the joining really makes the Flowers stand out don't you think? Can you imagine an Elderly person in a Home accepting this Blanket?  They are going to love it and I'm sure they will enjoy looking at the Flowers and thinking perhaps of their own Garden. Once again a very nice talking point too.

I have made a Slide Show for you! Thank you.


Created with flickr slideshow.
Not only did Bev send in the Blanket she sent some great Squares for our Challenges too!

Two Squares for our 'Festivals' Challenge called 'Festival of Quilts' so....pretty!

A Square for our 500th Blanket. A present! Everyone needs a present if you are having a party!
Thank you!

Also some great Squares for our stash. Thank you.

Butterflies too and a little Gift for me to celebrate reaching our 500th Blanket.  How kind of you thank you!

A beautiful Butterfly memo clip which I shall treasure thank you!

You have certainly put a lot of work in to the making of 'Darling Dahlias' Bev. I know how much time it takes to organise the Challenges also for everything else that you have sent thank you very much indeed.

As well as Bev's parcel I received a package from 'jean nock'. What exciting Squares in this one too!

Flower and Wine Festivals are high on 'jean nock's list.

Celebrating our 500th Blanket we have a Party theme.

Icecream, Lollipops  and cupcakes go down very well indeed!

Butterfly Squares with our beautiful Butterflies. Perfect in every way thank you so much!

Well done 'jean nock' and thank you!

What beautiful work today I do hope you have enjoyed popping in.

It's taken me ages to write this post, I'm off to have a cuppa now.

Bye for now 

x Sue x 

Squares and new Blankets arriving today from the UK and Netherlands!

Good morning,

We certainly have had a busy week and I do hope you will scroll down on previous posts to see what's new!

I would like to thank Myrna today for three beautiful blankets which she has kindly donated to our 'SIBOL' project.

Aren't they gorgeous?  The Elderly are going to love these blankets, a nice lap size.

The 3rd one is another Granny Square blanket that Myrna originally made for Oxfam and then she thought she would like to ask our Group if we would like it for the Elderly. Of course I said yes please! I'm sure one of the Homes could use it on their beds. I really appreciate you sending these blankets to me Myrna and I will take these in as soon as possible to a nearby Home.

Your Crocheting is lovely Myrna, I can tell it gives you a lot of pleasure.

Thank you.

I also had Squares arrive from the Netherlands today our friend 'wilfi'. One of the Squares is for our special 500th Blanket. If you would like to take part we need Squares for a special one-off Blanket celebrating our 500th Sunshine Blanket.  This one has a 'party theme' so I am inviting you to make a 6" Square with balloons, cake, champagne, streamers, bunting that sort of thing. I do still have spaces for this one.

The Squares can be Knitted or Crocheted with a suitable design. Thank you. Let's take a look now at wilfi's Squares.

The first one is for our 500th Blanket.

Our special 'SIBOL' Butterfly adornes this pretty Square.
The second Square is for our Stash another lovely design.

It's been a busy week and I do hope you will scroll down to see what's been happening. I would also like to thank the team on 'Simply Crocheting' for publishing a lovely write up for us.

Thank you!

Thanks for visiting and now I will leave you with a Slide Show I have made for Myrna.

If you have any enquries about our work please contact me

Sue on 

sueatpigsty@talktalk.net

Enjoy Myrna!

Created with flickr slideshow.

x Sue x 

'Simply Crochet' Issue 10. Charity article.

Good evening and welcome to 'SIBOL',

I'm so excited today because 'Simply Crochet' Issue 10 is out and guess what? 'SIBOL' is mentioned in their Charity article. I am already getting enquiries about our project and I would like to thank everyone who is visiting us for the first time.

'SIBOL' was formed in January 2010 and we have now made 528 'Sunshine Blankets' for Care/Nursing Homes/Sheltered accommodation and vunerable Elderly people out in the Community. It is amazing what we have achieved over the years and I would like to thank everyone for their support.

'Simply Crochet' have included photos of our work and I would like to thank everyone in the team for inviting us to help them.

If you click on the photos it will take you to Flickr where you will be able to enlarge the page so you can read it more clearly.

Follow the Link to RAVELRY

there are larger photos.

Well done everyone!

If you are interested in helping us either by making 6" Squares

or by making a Blanket to donate to our cause you can mail me

'Sue' on sueatpigsty@talktalk.net

Our Blankets usually comprise of 25 - 6" Squares with a 1 to 2" border..

Of course you can make your own Blanket of any design you like.

'SIBOL' is a place where you can be creative and try something new.

Most importantly you will be helping the Elderly too!

If you would like to join us on RAVELRY

Here's the Link for the 'SIBOL' Group.

Thanks for stopping by today!

x Sue  x 

'Fabric of Britain'.

Good morning,

Where-ever you live in the World you may be interested in following this link. There was a TV programme on last night called 'Fabric of Britain' and it really is very interesting. How did Knitting start in the UK? How did Knitting advance through the years? Please click on the Link here

Have a good day!

x Sue x

Delivery Day and 'Twining Trees'.

Good afternoon and welcome to 'SIBOL',

Over the past few days I have been getting our Blankets ready for my next delivery. They certainly pile up very quickly indeed. I had another 23 ready and thought it was time to part with them. Don't they look pretty on my conservatory sofa?

When I drive to Irene our 90 year old Knitter I pass by The Grove Care Home situated very near to Solihull and have often thought that I will ask them  next time.  Here's some details about the Home.

 I telephoned and spoke to Lyndon Green the Manager and she said she would love our Blankets. It worked out well really because I was due to meet my Daughter for lunch.  I loaded the car up and once again felt very proud of all our beautiful Blankets.

Lyndon loved our Blankets and said they will be very useful. I picked out a few to show her in particular 'Dancing through the Dahlias' and 'Barcelona Beauty'. She loved them and said one of the Ladies in particular would love the Dahlia Blanket because she could fiddle with the Flowers! The Elderly love to touch Blankets I have been told this before.

It was a lovely Home, the Staff were very friendly indeed and Lyndon told me they have 30 Residents so I have said I will pop back soon with 7 more.  I told  Lyndon all about our SIBOL project and why it was started and she couldn't get over the talent of all the Ladies who sent in Squares or indeed made a Blanket.
She sends her thanks to you all for such beautiful Blankets and she said she was really pleased I telephoned her.

I am so pleased our project is successful. Our Blankets certainly make a difference to the Elderly and I am very grateful to everyone that sends in a Square or indeeds makes a whole Blanket. Thank you from me and also The Grove.

When I got back home I found a parcel in my porch. It was from 'Great Balls of Fire' (Una) If you follow over to her Blog she writes about the making of the Blanket she sent to me. It is called 'Twining Trees' and here are details about the centre panel. What a fantastic idea.  The  Blanket has been made beautifully by Una and it is so warm and comforting, ideal for our Elderly folk. I am sorry this didn't arrive in time for the Home this morning but I promise to take it to The Grove next time I visit.  Thank you very much indeed.

Here's 'Twining Trees'.

Created with flickr slideshow.

Una also made some Squares for our Festivals Challenge. 'Fireworks' a great idea thank you so much! We do still have spaces in this Challenge if you are interested please pop over to SIBOL CHALLENGES.
Another great day thanks to everyone! x Sue x 

Knitted Squares from Scotland andBlankets from Spain!

Good afternoon,

I would like to thank the  Kilmarock and Erchless  (Scotland) Craft Group for around 90 Knitted Squares received today.  Mari tells me that the Ladies in the Group like Knitting for different charities as well as doing pew cushions and wall hangings for the three churches associated with them. Most of the Ladies are in their late 70's and 80's. How nice of you all thank you all very much indeed.

Thank you too Mari for sending them through to me.

I had a second post  this afternoon all the way from Spain, Barcelona in fact. 

I am very pleased to be showing you 4 Granny Square Blankets which have been made by Sonieta and her Mummy. 

We have received quite a few Blankets now from Sonieta and her Mummy over the months and they are always such a pleasure to receive for the Homes. They are so colourful, just right to cheer up anyone's day!

A lot of work has gone into these Blankets and I would like to thank you both very much indeed.

I do hope you are both keeping well.

Here they are!

I hope you have enjoyed looking at these wonderful blankets.

I know the Elderly are going to get such a lot of comfort and warmth from them.

Thank you so much!

Created with flickr slideshow.

x Sue x

Your chance to own a stunning SIBOL blanket!

Good afternoon to you all and thanks for visiting 'SIBOL',

Some months ago Chalky of 'Chalky's World' suggested a Challenge for the SIBOL Group. Waiting for her cataract removal operation here in the UK, it got her thinking how fortunate we are here in the UK to be able to have these operations. But can you imagine what it would be like if we lived somewhere else where these operations were not available. She suggested a Challenge for us inspired by the words of 'All things bright and beautiful' and I invited Ladies worldwide to send a design on a  6" Crocheted or Knitted Square with the words from this hymn in mind. We also took inspiration from Louis Armstrongs 'What a Wonderful World'. We have had some amazing Squares and I would like to thank everyone for taking part.

This blanket is going to be auctioned on EBAY and I will let you know when this is organised but I will accept offers privately. So if you are interested in purchasing this wonderful blanket please contact me Sue on sueatpigsty@talktalk.net

All of our SIBOL blankets are so unique and this is a one-off piece of work. Perhaps you know someone who has recently had a cataract operation and they too are grateful for the help of the Doctors. All proceeds from this blanket will go to 'Sight Savers', where the money will go towards helping others abroad.

Here's the 'Sight Savers' Link. 

What a gorgeous blanket and it was assembled by jessiebonbon over on RAVELRY

I am terribly grateful to everyone that took part and of course to jessiebonbon.

Thank you!

I also had two Squares arrive today once again from jessiebonbon for our 500th Blanket Challenge.

What brilliant ideas! Thanks very much!

Thanks for visiting today if there is anything you would like to know about our Squares and blankets please mail me

Sue on sueatpigsty@talktalk.net

x Sue x

Created with flickr slideshow.