Calling All Crafters!!

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, 

nothing is going to get better. 

 It's not."

~Dr. Seuss  

  I think you noticed that I have been doing alot of thinking lately about Japan. I really want to do something, but that must be the nursing part of me. I hate standing by and feeling useless when you know in your heart that you have the ability to help, even if it is in some small way.  I have been wishing that I was finished school so I could hop a plane and head to Japan as part of the relief efforts, instead I am stuck reading textbooks and writing out careplans.

  I know that where there is a will there is a way and I am not one to sit by the fireside with my knitting and do nothing.  In fact I am going to put those knitting needles to work, but I also need your help dear readers.  I am re-posting my pattern for Sakura in todays issue and asking for your help. I know many of us want to help but in these days do not always have the financial means, I mean for heavens sake I'm a starving student. But I have devised a plan!

  What I am asking from you dear readers is this:

1.  Find your scraps of yarn, 
2.  Use my pattern along with said scraps of yarn and make a few flowers.  
3.  Put the flowers in an envelope and send them to me.  
4.  I will put them together into some pretty hand made items and sell them online, all money made from those items will be donated to the Red Cross.

 Easy peasy right? If you are crafty yourself and wish to make an item to donate I would love to have it! I will feature all donated items on this blog.

  Please help! This could be an absolutely amazing show of the power of crafters, so let's use these super powers and get to work! Here is the Sakura Pattern again.  Just for reference I used size 10 crochet cotton and a 2.25mm crochet hook. Please feel free to use whatever scraps of pink and white yarn you can find.  Right now I am going to set a goal of 100 blossoms, lets see how close we get.  And if you think this seems like a small and insignificant thing remember what Mother Theresa said:

"We can do no great things, only small things with great love."

Sakura

-Pink crochet thread

-White crochet thread

-Yellow glass beads

-Crochet hook 2.25mm

Gauge: Not important

Abbreviations: (please be advised this is in US terminology)

SC - Single Crochet

DC - Double Crocet

HDC - Half Double Crochet

Directions:

With pink thread. Chain 5 and slip stitch into first chain stitch to form a circle

Round 1 - SC 15 in the circle

Round 2 - Change to white thread and attach to a SC with a slip stich.

Round 3 - In the next SC. Chain 2, DC3, 1HDC, DC3, Chain 2, slip stich all into the same stich

Round 4 - Slip stitch into the next 2 SC's

Repeat Round 3 and 4 until you have a five petal flower.

Glue or stitch the yellow beads into the center of the flower

Please feel free to share this pattern, I ask that you link to this pattern not copy and post it. This pattern is for personal use, gifts or charity, please do not sell this pattern or items made from it.