for Kate's blanket

Flowers in the Snow

Dear Janel,

These four squares are in the mail. I wish I could do more.

quoted from her Ravelry post:

I am writing this post to ask you all for your help. My very dear friend, Kate, is dying of stage IV breast cancer. Kate is only 31 years old and the mother of two young boys. Five years ago, she became a widow while pregnant with her second child - her husband was killed by a drunk driver. Then two and a half years ago she was diagnosed with stage IV cancer & has been giving it a tough fight. Recently, Kate was informed that the cancer has now spread to her ribs, liver and brain. She has accepted that she will not be with us much longer but is struggling with leaving her two beautiful boys behind. Thankfully, just before she was diagnosed she met her wonderfully, supportive boyfriend. He has stayed by her side through her diagnosis, her treatments and her difficult days. He not only fell in love with Kate but he fell in love with her boys as well. He is currently in the process of adopting both boys and will continue raising them as his own once Kate has passed. All of us who know and love Kate are devastated and heartbroken at the thought of losing her.

What I am asking of all of you is to help me make a blanket for her while she receives her dialysis & chemo treatments and then to use while she rests at home. She gets incredibly chilly & I thought it would be nice to give her something handmade to snuggle up with. The problem is, she needs something quickly and I don’t think I can create something fast enough for her. I tend to be a bit slow as I am still fairly new to crochet. I wanted to keep it simple so I choose Flowers in the Snow. I love how bright & cheery the colors are in Solveig’s blanket with the white border – perfect for Kate. (I should say that it’s a crochet blanket.) I thought maybe if a few of you - or many of you - could each make just a few squares each then we can get it done fairly quickly. Of course, I will be making as many I can, too. I think it would be best to use Red Heart Super Saver solid colors because there are no dye lots & they’re widely available. Yes, I know acrylic isn’t ideal but it’s machine-washable, durable and I can make it as soft as a baby’s butt. As I receive the squares, I will sew them together. I know she would be so surprised & ever so grateful to receive a blanket made by so many people who are praying for her & wishing her well.

I understand this may seem like a lot to ask to do for a complete stranger but she’s my friend & I would do anything for her. I’m hoping to have this done in the next week or so. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll PM you my info on where to send it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your time and for your prayers.

Love,
Janel