Participating In Community Projects

Looks like this is the year for me to start contributing heavily, or to speed up my contribution to different community projects. I've been doing this in the past too, but at this stage of my life, I feel like I need to do more. There are a few projects I have my eyes on so far and today I'd like to share them with you. Maybe motivate you to find similar projects close to you and join as many as you can. Helping is good.

World Record

The whole thing started last year in December, when one day I came across a very unusual Christmas tree, made of colorful knitted pieces. To be honest, I've never seen anything similar so far and pretty soon I found out the story behind the unique Christmas tree.

The initial project meant to break the world record of the longest knitted scarf. The attempt most likely failed and the organizers decided to display some of the works in form of a Christmas tree. At that time I regretted not knowing about the project earlier, as it has been going on for a whole year, but it was too late.

Not long ago I saw an article on one of the social media platforms, announcing the beginning of a new attempt of establishing a new world record. The organizers shared the details and the requirements of the project and for me it was like getting a chance to contribute. This is how I started knitting in my pare time.

The truth is, this project for me is more than just trying to contribute to breaking the world record. A few years ago, I was able to collect a bunch of yarn. You know, old pullovers, sweaters no one wanted to use anymore and used the yarn to make two granny square blankets. I've always wanted to make a granny square blanket and finally made two. But there was a bunch of yarn left so I thought this is the best occasion to recycle those old yarns I don't use anymore.

When i opened my drawer, this yarn was the first I saw and could not resist. I love this yarn and even though it's one piece, I could have knitted a scarf for myself, I chose to use it for the project. It's a thick yarn and colorful too, so using a pattern here was not an option. I loved it' but the truth is, it is rolling up on its own, which is not good, so most likely I'm going to redo the whole thing as I don't like it.

The next step in the project was adding colors and using all the leftover yarn I have. What I loved the most here was that I had no obligation or restriction apart from the width of the scarf. Otherwise I was free to use what I had, the way I saw fit, so my plan was to mix as many colors and types of yarn as I had available.

For the next piece I chose this pattern, which we call rice pattern in Hungarian. It's a very simple one, but it keeps the knitting straight and doesn't let it roll up at the edges.

This is how things stand right now. So far I have three uneven pieces as far as length is regarded, but I have one year to complete my part. I still need to hide the lose ends and merge the pieces, but there's time for that. As I progress with it, I'm thinking of incorporating different patterns and my next post will be even more interesting.

Books To Readers

The truth is, I've selected a big pile of books last year, books that I don't need anymore and have been planning to speak with the library, to drop them off one nice day. That nice day has never come and I'm glad because last week a new opportunity presented itself.

This book swapping thing is gaining weight and spreading like fire. I love it to be honest, because this is a good way to offer books to those who are interested and swap your books you don't need with different ones. No money is going to exchange hands, it's a free initiative and it helps and benefits those who still have time to read.

Last week I spoke with the owner of a holiday home, a wooden cabin up in the mountains, a big one, with 32 beds, and I'm going to ship the books there. That's a place where entertainment is limited as people go there to rest and enjoy nature, so reading a book before bed is the best you can do. I saw their collection, which is a nice one, but my books will still be a nice addition to it.

Help By Donating

This is a bit different, but maybe the most important. I came across an add a month ago, advertising a charity shop, where you can donate your clothes and not only. Those items can be bought by whoever is interested, but none of them has is priced, so the price is left to be decided by the buyer. The income will then be used to sustain the shop and to buy the necessary items for those in need. This type of charity is a common thing in many countries, but it's not so common in my country. Personally I'm glad such occasion exists as I have many things I don't use anymore, so finding a new owner for them while helping others is the best solution in my eyes.

I'm also curious to see what they are selling, maybe I can be a buyer and help them by paying for a few items I find interesting. You never know. Most likely I'm going to be back with an update about the shop. Can't wait.

It's time to get rid of the things I don't use anymore, to make room for new things. No point in collecting useless items while space is so limited.

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