Photo by Hamzeh Al-Binshi/Shaam News Network/Handout via Reuters.
As the civil war in Syria rages on, more than a quarter of a million Syrians have fled the country in the last eight weeks. Currently there are 763,000 Syrian refugees outside Syria, out of which 250,000 are in Jordan and 240,000 in Turkey, nearly 80 percent of the refugees are women and children, and of those refugees, one in every five Syrian refugee households is female-headed. The number of Syrians accommodated in Turkish camps is now 170,000 and to date, around 2,700 babies were born in these camps. In addition, more than 70,000 Syrians are living in the cities in Turkey.
How You Can Help:
Please consider making a square or two with your odds and ends. Any spare wool you have can be knitted or crocheted into eight inch squares and then we'll stitch them all together into a blanket. No waste and a child with nothing gets a warm and colourful, cover for their bed!
Knitting Instructions
Yarn from a 100 gram (3.5 oz) ball of yarn or scraps of yarn
worsted weight , double knit or 8ply
Size 4mm needles 6 (USA)
A yarn sewing needle.
Cast on 32 - 40 stitches ( depending on tension, try to make your stitches neither too loose nor too tight to help ensure uniform squares)
Row 1: knit
Row 2: knit. These two rows form the 'garter' stitch knitting pattern for your square but you use any stitch you prefer, beascreative as you like. Continue knitting until you have knitted a square
To ensure you square is 8"/20cm either use a tape measure .
Cast off
Use your yarn sewing needle to sew in all the yarn ends using a darning method
VERY IMPORTANT
Leave a one metre length of your yarn attached to your work after you have cast off. This will be used to join the squares together. but if you're changing colors work in your other tails. DO NOT TIE AND CUT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE KNOT, THAT IS GUARANTEED TO COME UNDONE. Knot if you want, but leave a tail and work in your ends.
We work with reputable, experienced relief agencies to securely transport and distribute our hand-knit and crocheted blankets.
You can also find us at: https://www.facebook.com/LilyLoveInTheLanguageOfYarn
Refugees fleeing Syria urgently need our help.
Help us make a difference today!
'Lily' is supported by businesses and individuals in Turkey, whether it be donations of yarn, Knitting and Crocheting or transportation of completed blankets to receiving agencies.
'Lily' has no paid employees. All the good work is done on a strictly volunteer basis.
'Lily' wishes to thank all those private individuals and businesses which support us. Without you, there would be no 'Lily' - Love In the Language of Yarn. We work hard for the day when we are no longer needed to help keep Children warm.
Dianne Jones - Founder of 'Lily'- Love In the Language of Yarn.
Address - 'LILY' C/O Dianne Jones
Türkmen Mahlesi
Ünlü sokak No 10 D4
Kuşadası
Aydin
Turkey.
We now also have a branch in Jordan, the address to send squares to Jordan is
'LILY' C/O A Mencke
P.O. Box 2842
Jubeiha
Jordan, 11941