Yarn or a Tale Spinning Fibers

On this page you'll find links to some great troop support efforts, a free pattern for my Yellow Ribbon scarf and the story behind it, , and some information about me, a Very Proud Army Wife. 

Operation Helmet Liner

TROOPS NEED KNITTERS/CROCHETERS

(press release from the Operation Helmet Liners website)

Today, U.S. troops stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and South Korea, as well as many parts of the United States, are exposed to winds and bitter cold during the winter months. Riding in open trucks and humvees, they often encounter sub-zero wind chills. The military head gear issued to our troops is made of synthetic material which is not as warm as wool. Just as in WWI and WWII, volunteers are needed to make these wool caps for our troops. The wool head covering which can be worn under the Kevlar helmet provides warmth to the head and neck but does not restrict vision.

According to Dr. Richard H. Garretson, M.D., Crossroads Community Hospital, Mt. Vernon, Illinois, approximately 30 percent of a person’s body heat loss is through the head. It is important to keep the head warm, so the body temperature stays up. The brain controls everything else in the body, the ability to think and act as well as the ability for the body to maintain a particular temperature.

One way to increase the comfort level of our troops in cold climates is to provide knitted/crocheted wool caps, or "wooly pulleys" to them. “The cap is definitely warm. It has certainly been a help, or should I say warmth.” said Corporal Juan M. Perez, Jr., who is stationed in Iraq.

The patterns are available at www.geocities.com/helmetliner. If you have any questions, please contact helmetliner@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 236, Auburn, IL 62615. Completed helmetliners may be sent to Helmetliner, P.O. Box 236, Auburn, IL 62615, where they will be sent directly to our troops.

            Donations to help defray shipping costs may be made payable to Helmetliner  and sent to the address above.

The Ships Project

Supporting America's Troops Deployed in the War on Terror One Stitch at a Time!

Visit the Ships Project Home Page

The Ships Project was founded in October of 2001, when a female sailor on board the USS Bataan responded to an “Any Sailor” letter written by the project founder, Ellen Harpin.  In that letter, Ellen mentioned her love for knitting, prompting the sailor to joke that maybe Ellen could send a pair of knit slippers to keep her feet warm as she slept, since her berthing was extremely cold.  Since then, the project has grown far beyond that small beginning and has earned the respect and support of the military. The USS Bataan has long since returned home but we have continued to send packages to sailors and Marines on dozens of ships deployed since then, as well as Army, Marine, and Air Force units on the ground.

    The Ships Project now sends handmade hats, slippers, cool-ties and cool-heads to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed across the world in the War on Terror. More than 1,000 individuals, as well as dozens of church and civic groups have adopted this project and are making handcrafted items to be sent to our troops fighting against terrorism.  With troops still being deployed by the thousands to Iraq and Afghanistan, the need for what the troops have come to call our “Hugs from Home” is increasing daily. The military has asked us to continue this effort even with the Department of Defense restriction on mail to the war region.  We would love to have you join us!  Just follow the link below to learn more about how you can help. 

JOIN THE SHIPS PROJECT!

Yellow "Ribbon" Troop Support Scarf  Pattern

I started a project for our Family Readiness Group when my husband was deployed to Iraq...I wanted to knit yellow scarves for all the families in our group and to also help others through deployment by teaching them to knit if they wanted to learn.  Lion Brand Yarns donated a generous amount of the yellow fun fur for our project, along with knitting needles, and also published an article in their newsletter .

Download Leah's YELLOW RIBBON TROOP SUPPORT SCARF PDF

Lion Brand also designed a pattern for the scarf called "Knit the Distance". This is an easy scarf to knit, using only one ball of fun fur but I also designed my own version, which I prefer because it makes a lighter scarf that holds its shape a bit better.

My name is Leah and I'm the proud wife of Robert, a staff sergeant in the National Guard.  He's a full-timer now and he's home these days.  We made it through a 14 month Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment a couple of years ago and believe me, I understand how very hard that can be for families and their soldiers!  I was very involved in the FRG at that time but now I'm fortunate to be able to focus on our marriage and our home.  I hope some of you will take some of your valuable time to help support our troops through some of the organizations on this page...it means more than you know to our deployed service men and women AND their proud and worried families.